Research Assistant/Associate

Newcastle, GB

We are a world class research-intensive university. We deliver teaching and learning of the highest quality. We play a leading role in economic, social and cultural development of the North East of England. Attracting and retaining high-calibre people is fundamental to our continued success.

What’s in it for you? Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Newcastle is an inclusive global University community where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.  As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.

Newcastle University is committed to being a fully inclusive Global University which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society.  We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all our employees and the communities they represent.  We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from everybody, regardless of race, sex, ethnicity, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, age, disability, gender identity, marital status/civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, as well as being open to flexible working practices.

Salary: 

Research Assistant: £29,619 to £31,411 per annum, pro rata

Research Associate: £32,348 per annum, pro rata

Closing Date: 20 January 2023

The Role

Cultural Dynamics: Museums and Democracy in Motion is a three-year AHRC-DFG funded project led by Dr Susannah Eckersley, Senior Lecturer in Media-Culture-Heritage at Newcastle University, with Professor Guido Fackler, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Germany. It investigates the changing values and narratives, symbols and sites, issues and actors connected to cultural institutions (museums, memory and heritage sites) and their changing role as public spaces of democracy in the UK and in Germany. The Research Assistant/Associate (RA) will work together with Dr Eckersley (the Principal Investigator) and full project team to contribute to all the work packages in the project. Under the leadership and support of the PI, the RA will undertake research that makes a major contribution to WP5: Issues and Actors, identifying how and why museums and cultural ‘activism’ in the UK and Germany are changing as ideas of democracy change, and what new forms of public-focussed museum work and cultural democracy may emerge in future.

The RA will contribute to the collective project outputs and events, including project workshops, a project book, online toolkit and events for museum and cultural professionals, and develop individual outputs (1 chapter in the project book, at least 1 further individual publication) from their work in WP5.

This post is for 0.6FTE (22.2 hours) per week, days of working may be discussed on appointment. The start date for the post is 1 April 2023 or as soon as possible thereafter, with a fixed end date of 31st January 2026.
 

Applications will be considered from those very close to completing their PhD; in this instance you will be appointed as a Research Assistant.

The position is based in Media-Culture-Heritage within the School of Arts and Cultures at Newcastle University.

Informal enquiries may be made to Dr Susannah Eckersley, susannah.eckersley[ at ]ncl.ac.uk.

 Key Accountabilities

• Manage and undertake individual and collaborative research for the project, such as interviews, focus groups and visual/display/exhibition analysis
• Undertake research and attend project meetings/workshops in the UK and Germany
• Author academic papers and present at workshops/conferences, singly and jointly with other team members, based on the project’s research findings
• Contribute to the development of an online toolkit
• Create content for the online toolkit, project website and social media
• Contribute to planning and running training workshops for museum and cultural professionals in the UK and Germany

The Person

Knowledge, Skills and Experience 

• A strong background of research within Museum, Gallery or Critical Heritage Studies, Cultural Policy, Cultural Management, Sociology, Cultural Studies, or a related discipline, with a focus on the UK and/or Germany
• Very good German language skills – including spoken and written
• Experience of undertaking qualitative research, such as interviews, focus groups, participant observation, or related methodological approaches
• Research interests in line with the project - i.e., engaging with elements of: cultural policy; museum, heritage and gallery practice; cultural ‘activism’; democratic and/or participatory cultural practices; democratic ideals

Desirable

• Experience of visual, display or creative analysis, particularly in museum, gallery, heritage or cultural settings, or with cultural sector or creative actors
• Some experience of academic publications and/or conference presentations (commensurate with career stage)
• Events and communications organisation skills

Attributes and Behaviour 

• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Clear commitment to interdisciplinary research
• Ability to work in multilingual (German – English) academic and cultural settings
• Ability and willingness to undertake essential fieldwork in the UK and in Germany
• Clear commitment to EDI and ethical research practices

Qualifications 

• PhD (completed or very close to completion) in Museum, Gallery, or Critical Heritage Studies, Cultural Policy, Sociology, Cultural Studies, German Studies, or a related discipline
• English and German language qualifications/skills at minimum B2, ideally C1 or C2 level
   

The University holds a silver Athena SWAN award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality. The University is also a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe.

Requisition ID: 24871