Postdoctoral Research Associate in Urban Studies - Strand, London, WC2R 2LSAbout usThe Department of Geography at King’s College London invites applications for a two-year (24 months), full-time (1.0 FTE) position as Postdoctoral Research Associate (PDRA) in Urban Studies. The post will be based in the research team of Professor Katie Meehan at KCL’s Strand Campus in central London.About the roleThe Department of Geography at King’s College London invites applications for a two-year (24 months), full-time (1.0 FTE) position as Postdoctoral Research Associate (PDRA) in Urban Studies. The post will be based in the research team of Professor Katie Meehan at KCL’s Strand Campus in central London. The PDRA will report to Professor Katie Meehan (Department of Geography) and work on her funded research project Plumbing poverty: insecure access, shutoffs, and the social infrastructures of water in Europe and the USA (PLUMBPOV). The project aims to explain the emergence and persistence of household water insecurity – specifically problems in access to running water and the rise of shut-offs – in European and US cities in relation to the changing political economy of the welfare state, social infrastructures, and public service provision. Under the direction of Prof Meehan as Principal Investigator, and working closely with other project team members, the PDRA will be responsible for conducting in-depth fieldwork in a European or US city for extended periods of time and help to develop and implement the academic, theoretical, and policy-applied work components of the project. The PDRA position has three primary work packages: Work Package 1 (Case Study Fieldwork): The PDRA will be responsible for the development and implementation of a case study in a US or European city (to be confirmed), using ethnographic and qualitative case study methods under a cross-cultural research design. Fieldwork duties will include: cultivate and maintain relations with key informants, gateway contacts, and local stakeholders; develop interview questionnaires; recruit, organize, and conduct interviews with participants; collect and organize primary and secondary documents and relevant case study materials; attend public meetings and assemblies; record and manage fieldnotes, metadata, photographs, and other project data; organize and archive data, consent forms, and ethics paperwork in line with project and KCL policies; and deliver periodic presentations and written fieldwork reports to the Principal Investigator and team. The PDRA will also co-lead data collection for a household survey on water insecurity, which will include sampling; training and managing research assistants (survey enumerators); team-based, quantitative and qualitative data analysis; and working with a network of European collaborators (the EuroWISE collective). Work Package 2 (Analysis and Data Management): The PDRA will be responsible for data analysis, interpretation, and write-up using a critical social science approach. Duties will include: coding and thematic analysis and of data; interpretation of results; developing a robust qualitative explanation of key social and institutional factors that produce conditions of plumbing poverty; identify and situate key trends, forces, and dynamics in urban inequality, housing trends, and debt-driven governance; developing a broader theoretical explanation of the state of social infrastructures in advanced capitalist countries, drawing on ideas in political economy, social reproduction, and racial capitalism; organize, store, secure, and archive project data; compliance with KCL/funder requirements and the project’s data management policy; management of research assistants. Work Package 3 (Project Outputs and Outreach): The PDRA is expected to deliver and/or significantly contribute toward an average of four written outputs (e.g., peer-reviewed journal articles) per year; demonstrate leadership in the development of co-authored scientific articles; deliver other public-facing outputs as needed or requested, such as reports and policy briefs; and actively disseminate key findings through media and public engagement, including writing commentaries or briefings for media outlets, press releases, speaking/interview engagements, and collaboration with local journalists. Other responsibilities will include active participation and leadership in team-based workshops (data analysis, writing outputs, and project planning); travel and managing travel logistics; delivering academic presentations at scientific conferences; and project talks to the public. Applicants must have fieldwork experience and strong theoretical grounding in urban political ecology, political economy, and/or critical approaches to urban inequality and housing. Ideally, the candidate will also have language skills and overseas fieldwork experience in a city in one of the project’s focal areas (Greece, Spain, Portugal, Romania, or the USA), experience in primary data collection methods, a track record of working with difficult societal topics or marginalized populations, and a keen interest in social and environmental justice. The role will suit a self-motivated and reflexive learner who enjoys working with people, who can balance the advancement of social theory through empirically grounded research, and who seeks to advance research with direct pathways to impact. Further, the post will be suitable for someone who can manage international travel (for significant stretches of time, e.g, 4-6 months) and who enjoys working with diverse stakeholders. This is a full-time position (FTE 1.0 or 37.5 hours/week) starting at salary Grade 6.32. Depending on the start date, the successful candidate will be offered a fixed term contract for 24 months