Resting Reef AKT Associate (Fixed-term)

Founded in 1837, the Royal College of Art is the world’s largest community of postgraduate art and design students. It is also the oldest art and design university-level institution in continuous operation and has been ranked as the world‘s number one art and design university for a remarkable nine consecutive years, according to the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2023 – the worldwide survey of academic and industry opinion.

Purpose of the Post:   

This project is an Accelerated Knowledge Transfer (AKT) partnership between the School of Design at London’s Royal College of Art and Resting Reef. The project involves designing a concept and system for a communal eco-memorial service with the goal of restoring marine ecosystems.      

The project builds on Resting Reef’s work to restore endangered marine ecosystems while providing people with a meaningful way of commemorating a loved one or their legacy.  Over the 4-month period, the AKT Associate will work with Resting Reef, RCA NEMO team members and community stakeholders to design a system and framework for an affordable memorial service that can be scaled and adapted to different regions with varying marine conditions.

The post holder will undertake research about existing communal concepts in both design systems and social initiatives, as well as market trends, ecological requirements, and customer needs. The post holder will develop and refine a prototype of a new reef structure concept, including models and visualisations to assess feasibility and functionality. The post holder will seek feedback from marine experts and potential customers. They will propose and evaluate a system for scaling the developed concept, assessing opportunities, identifying limitations, and understanding potential risks for different locations. They will map stakeholders and outline roles for implementation before finally testing the new concept in one location.            

Additionally, the candidate will analyze the product market fit to propose a service for commercializing the developed concept. They will assess market demand, competition, and potential pricing strategies to effectively introduce the concept to the market.     

Please see Information Pack for further details.

Shortlisted candidates will be notified by 8/3/24. Interviews are scheduled for wc 11/3/24.

The Royal College of Art (RCA)  aims to foster an inclusive culture which promotes equality, values diversity and maintains a working, learning and social environment in which the rights and dignity of all its staff and students and stakeholders are respected. 

We recognise the broad range of experiences that a diverse staff and student body brings and how this  strengthens our research and enhances our teaching. In order for RCA to remain a world-leading institution we are committed to promoting equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) principles throughout all of our processes, from application through to appointment.

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