Postdoctoral Research Associate or Research Fellow (RENEW)

This post is available immediately, until January 2027, in the first instance. The post is available full-time but could be offered as part-time if required.

The post

We wish to recruit an outstanding and highly motivated Postdoctoral Research Associate or Fellow to participate in the ‘Collaboration in Practice’ theme of the NERC funded project Renewing biodiversity through a people-in-nature approach (RENEW).

The wider RENEW programme aims to develop people-centred solutions to one of the major environmental challenges for humankind, the renewal of our damaged biodiversity. The projects include academics and over 30 partners across environmental sciences, data science, social sciences, humanities, business, communities, and the NGO sector. This post will entail reflexively documenting and analysing collaborative practice within the RENEW research programme as it continues to develop, helping RENEW to see itself, and reflect on working processes across the seven project themes. You will explore and document ‘what’s working’ as the interdisciplinary teams across the project continue to collaborate with each other, as well as with our third sector, policy and business partners. 

You will work closely with Dr. Angela Cassidy, Prof. Susan Molyneux Hodgson and Dr. Eleanor Hadley Kershaw in the Collaboration in Practice team, co-ordinating evidence synthesis and conducting your own investigations of collaborative biodiversity research practices, within and beyond RENEW.

The post is available immediately and up to January 2027, and will be based in the Department of Social and Political Sciences, Philosophy and Anthropology; with affiliations to Egenis, the Centre for the Study of Life Sciences, and CRPR, the Centre for Rural Policy Research.

About You

You will:

• Possess a PhD or equivalent qualification/experience in a related field of study
• have training and experience in a relevant research field, such as science and technology studies (STS); environmental social science; human geography; science engagement/policy studies; or contemporary history of science, technology, and medicine
• possess sufficient specialist knowledge to develop collaborative research projects, and outputs; work with stakeholder and community partners; and communicate complex information clearly across specialisms and with wider publics

You will be able to:

• Design and implement independent research in a collaborative, transdisplinary context
• Fully participate in our research team, including collaborating, conducting fieldwork and communicating your findings verbally and in written academic outputs, working across multiple disciplines and beyond academia
• Develop partnerships with stakeholders, communities and wider publics

Please ensure you read the Job Descriptions and Person Specifications for full details of this role.

Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Commitment

We are committed to ensuring reasonable adjustments are available for interviews and workplaces.

Whilst all applicants will be judged on merit alone, we particularly welcome applications from groups currently underrepresented within our working community. 

With over 30,000 students and 7,000 staff from 150 different countries we offer a diverse and engaging environment where our diversity is celebrated and valued as a major strength. We are committed to creating an inclusive culture where all members of our community are supported to thrive; where diverse voices are heard through our engagement with evidence-based charter frameworks for gender (Athena SWAN and Project Juno for Physics), race equality (Race Equality Charter Mark), LGBTQ+ inclusion (Stonewall Diversity Champion) and as a Disability Confident employer.

We are proud signatories of the Armed Forces Covenant and welcome applications from service people.

Further information

Please contact Dr Angela Cassidy, a.cassidy@exeter.ac.uk or (01392) 725390.

Advert information