Research Assistant - Discovering Liveability Project
School of Social and Political Sciences
Research Assistant - Discovering Liveability Project
School of Social and Political Sciences
Location: Lincoln
Salary: From £32,546per annum
Please note, this post is fixed-term until 31 August 2030 and full-time at 1 FTE.
Closing Date: Sunday 01 June 2025
Interview Date: Friday 20 June 2025
Reference: CASH064
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Research Assistant (plus PhD tuition fees) to join the Discovering Liveability: Co-producing alternatives to suicide prevention project. You will be joining an ambitious interdisciplinary cross-institutional team and will be actively contributing to innovative suicide research that centres liveability and lived/living experience. More information about our project can be found here https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/discovering-liveability/ .
The post requires in-person ethnographic work in an urban area of England (the exact location will be discussed once the post begins). The post also comes with dedicated funding for the postholder to undertake a part-time MPhil/PhD in Social Sciences in the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Lincoln. The project will fund tuition fees (home fees only) for a maximum of five years during employment on the project. More information on the MPhil/PhD Programme can be found here: https://www.lincoln.ac.uk/course/socscirp/ .
One of our project goals is to contribute to diversifying suicide research and related knowledges and practices. This role directly addresses this by focusing on community practices of care for racialised/marginalised groups. In addition, the role is suitable for, and welcoming of, candidates who have lived/living experiences with suicide/suicidality.
Skills/Experience That You Will Need to Succeed
Relevant experience working in/with Third Sector or community-based organisations supporting racialised or marginalised communities, plus an undergraduate degree;
* Or a Master’s degree in a relevant social science subject. [N.B. You do not need to have a postgraduate degree to apply for this position];
* Current contacts and networks with Third Sector and/or community-based organisations, particularly those supporting racialised or marginalised groups;
* Awareness of critical social science theories/approaches, especially critical suicide studies and critical race theory;
* Awareness of qualitative research methods, especially ethnography and participant observation.
An online information and Q&A session regarding this post will be held on Friday 16th May 2025 between 12.00-13.00. Please contact discoveringliveability@ed.ac.uk for the session invite. A recording of the information session will also be made available – contact the same email address to request the recording.
There is also a separate information sheet available here https://www.canva.com/design/DAGkzwQO5Dw/1WQl8BnHnHSR18xZQGoGVw/view?utm_content=DAGkzwQO5Dw&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=uniquelinks&utlId=h6b9d2be643
For additional information please contact Alex Oaten via the Project email address - discoveringliveability@ed.ac.uk
Benefits of the Post
* Dedicated part-time PhD tuition fees;
* Access to a personal well-being fund throughout the project
* To join a diverse and supportive team of suicide researchers;
* An exciting, positive, creative, challenging and rewarding place to work;
* To be part of a diverse and vibrant international community
Additional Information
Line manager will be Alex Oaten based at the University of Lincoln (Co-I and Co-Lead WP2). The post is funded by the Wellcome-funded Discovering Liveability award, and you will play a key role in this project.
The role can be undertaken flexibly and hybrid, but long-term ethnographic work will be undertaken in-person. You must therefore be based in (or willing to relocate to) an urban area of England (or within commutable distance to an urban area). Regular face-to-face meetings at University of Lincoln will be required and an office will be provided within the School of Social and Political Sciences.
You will have access to a personal well-being fund throughout the project to contribute to self-care and well-being support.
The Research Assistant role comes with funding (tuition fees) for you to undertake a part-time MPhil/PhD in Social Science at University of Lincoln. We particularly encourage applicants who are interested in doing a PhD and as such the job specifications include the minimum required standards for entry to the PhD programme.
You will work full-time as a Research Assistant, with time built into the role for work on your part-time PhD, which we expect will draw from the same research activities as the RA role. This means the same ethnographic research will comprise both the RA role and the PhD project.
Applicants do not need to submit a PhD research proposal with their application for the RA role.
Since the employment contract comes with salary and benefits, there is no additional PhD living stipend. Annual leave, sick leave and other leave benefits will be managed through People, Performance and Culture policies at the University of Lincoln and the employment contract, not via the postgraduate research policies.
If you resign from the Research Assistant role, funding and payment of the PhD fees will cease. Enrolment and supervision on the PhD may continue only if you can continue to pay the fees from the point of resignation from the Research Assistant role. Agreement must also be in place with the PhD supervisory team for continuation of PhD after resignation from Research Assistant role.
If, through the relevant HR policy and process, your contract is terminated before the end of the fixed term period by the University of Lincoln, funding and payment of the PhD fees will cease. You may continue the PhD if you can cover fees and where an agreement is in place with the supervisor.
You may withdraw from the PhD programme if you wish during the period of the five-year fixed term employment contract without any impact on your employment. Funding and payment of the PhD fees will cease at the point of withdrawal from the PhD programme and will not be payable to the you as an alternative benefit.
If you do not meet the requirements for progression on the PhD and are academically excluded from the PhD programme, this will not have any impact on your employment contract.
PhD tuition fees available as part of this post are home fees. We are not able to cover international fees for this post.
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Further details:
* Job Description and Person Specification
You can find out more about working at Lincoln, and everything that we have to offer, at:
https://www.lincoln.ac.uk/jobopportunities/
We strive for a diverse workforce with the very best employees and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all. The University encourages applications from underrepresented groups inclusive of Black, Asian and other minoritised/marginalised ethnic groups, all gender identities and expressions from the LGBTQIA+ community, candidates with a disability, and those that practise different faiths and beliefs, to enhance our One Community where we strive to be kind, patient, and supportive of each other.
Please note: If you think you may require a visa to work in the UK, please refer to UK Visas and Immigration or UK Visas – Information for Prospective Staff before embarking upon an application, to ensure that you understand the requirements for sponsorship. You may be eligible to work in the UK via other alternative visa routes such as the Global Talent Visa or by having Settlement / ILR; please refer to the UK Visas pages above for further details.
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