Description ABOUT THE ROLE EPHEMERAL aims to train a new generation of researchers to advance rural development theory and practice through entrepreneurship. The network includes five European universities and several non-academic partners, offering interdisciplinary supervision and training with a focus on rural entrepreneurship and development. Applicants for this position must NOT have lived or studied for more than 1 of the past 3 years in the UK prior to making an application. The EPHEMERAL network brings together many PhD students to work on exploring how entrepreneurs shape rural places over time, considering life-cycle dynamics, evolving local contexts, and structural societal changes. The project will be expected to generate insights into how place attachment, identity, and community ties influence women’s businesses – and, in turn, how these businesses shape rural communities. The researcher will be expected to carry out independent research with women running different types of rural businesses in rural areas but the precise methods, sampling and analysis approaches are flexible. The findings should illustrate strategies that women use to engage in different networks and develop different identities for their businesses in different rural contexts. In particular, the study should focus on women at different stages of the life course working in more or less well-established businesses. Results will categorise different values derived from being more or less embedded in rural entrepreneurial ecosystems as well as challenges or limitations that might arise, with a particular focus on women entrepreneurs. The study is expected to inform local economic development policy, business support services, and place-branding activities, providing practical recommendations to create more inclusive and supportive entrepreneurial ecosystems. Being part of the EPHEMERAL network, the doctorate will include funded secondments in University of Groningen (Netherlands) and University of Aveiro (Portugal) as well as an expectation to participate in seven network training weeks that will take place in each of our partner universities over the duration of the project. Full details of the EPHEMERAL programme can be viewed here: www.sdu.dk/clf/EPHEMERAL Ideally, projects should start between March and May 2026. The role is fixed term for a duration of 36 months. Further information is available in the role description. The successful candidate will receive a salary in accordance with the Marie Skłodowska Curie regulations. The exact salary will be confirmed upon offer and will be based on a living allowance of €5,682 per month and a mobility allowance of €710 per month. Additionally, you may also qualify for a family allowance of €660 per month depending on personal circumstances. The final salary will be confirmed upon offer and will be subject to tax and employer’s and employee’s National Insurance deductions and will be paid in UK Sterling (£) using an appropriate conversion rate. Should you choose to enrol in the pension scheme, contributions from both the employer and employee will be deducted from the total monthly Living and Mobility Allowance allocated for the fellowship. ABOUT THE TEAM The project will be supervised by Dr Grace Gao and Prof Gary Bosworth at Northumbria University, UK in collaboration with a third international supervisor, Professor Tialda Haartsen University of Groningen, Netherlands. The project involves secondments at the University of Groningen (Netherlands) and University of Aveiro (Portugal). ABOUT YOU Applicants should hold a master's degree in a relevant discipline such as entrepreneurship, sociology, gender studies in those subjects with significant experience, and have demonstrable specialist expert knowledge in intersectionality and women entrepreneurship. Further information about the requirements of the role is available in the person specification. If you would like an informal discussion about the role, please contact Dr Grace Gao at g.gao@northumbria.ac.uk or Professor Gary Bosworth at gary.bosworth@northumbria.ac.uk To apply for this vacancy please click 'Apply Now'. Your application should include: (1) a covering letter, (2) a CV, (3) a project proposal, max five pages of 2400 characters each, including spaces, notes, appendices, references etc., related to the position, (4) Master [alternatively, the expected graduation date of Master degree] and Bachelor diplomas (in a single PDF file), (5) Master and Bachelor grades’ transcripts (in a single PDF file), (6) The name and contact information of two references or two recommendation letters (in a single PDF file). We welcome applications from the UK and across the world. Visit our web pages for details about Relocation Assistance. ABOUT US Join Northumbria University, a research-intensive institution unlocking potential and changing lives locally and globally. Named Times Higher Education's University of the Year in 2022 and Modern University of the Year in 2025, we rank top 25 in the UK for research power. Discover more about us. With over 37,000 students from 140 countries, we offer world-leading research, award-winning partnerships, and an outstanding student experience. We empower our exceptional staff, promoting a positive work-life balance and offering great benefits, including excellent pension schemes, flexible working, generous holiday entitlement and more. Our Northumbria Values, co-created by our team, define who we are: Academic Excellence, Innovation, Inclusivity, Collaboration, and Ambition. Our Behaviours shape our work culture: We listen and learn, support one another, respect everyone, trust each other, and are bold. Based in Newcastle upon Tyne and London, we are an on-campus organisation and offer flexible hours and location where the role allows. We pride ourselves on diversity and inclusivity, holding numerous awards for gender and race equality, disability confidence, and research excellence. We also hold the HR Excellence in Research award for implementing the concordat supporting the career Development of Researchers and are members of the Euraxess initiative to deliver information and support to professional researchers. The University has implemented a range of flexible working arrangements, and we are happy to explore candidate requirements as part of the recruitment process. Apply now and join a community committed to transforming society and the economy. Explore " Our Exceptional People, Our Values and Behaviours " page to learn more about our commitments and see our for further details.