Research Assistant, Digitalising Food Assistance Project

Contract Type: Fixed term 1 year 

Hours: 35 

Start Date: October 2024 

About the Department:  

The Department of Anthropology and Sociology at SOAS is a world-leading, research-led department, ranked 10th worldwide (QS World University Rankings 2021) and 2nd in the UK in REF 2021. Its academics and research students work across a wide spectrum of anthropological, regional, and theoretical issues, including development, medical and psychological anthropology, food, migration, political economy, conflict, gender, race, religion, infrastructure and the environment, urban ethnography, critical theory and innovative ethnographic methods. The Department is home to two interdisciplinary research centres—the Centre for Migration and Diaspora Studies and the Food Studies Centre.   

The project will be based in the SOAS Food Studies Centre, which is dedicated to the study of the political, economic, and cultural dimensions of food. The centre’s main purposes are to promote research and teaching in the field of food studies at SOAS and to facilitate links between SOAS and other individuals and institutions with an academic interest in food studies. The centre contains a wide network of researchers at SOAS and beyond, as well as non-academic members working in policy, journalism and development. 

About the Role 

This appointment is part of the ESRC-funded project on: ‘Digitalising food assistance: Political economy, governance, and food security effects across the Global North-South divide’. It includes three country case studies: in Sudan, India, and the UK. The project is led by Dr Susanne Jaspars (Principal Investigator -PI), together with Co-Investigators from the Institute for Human Development, New Delhi, India and the University of Khartoum, Sudan. We seek to recruit a research assistant to be to be part of this team for the second, in-depth, phase of the research.   

The project aims to examine how digitalising food assistance influences the food security of marginalised populations (in particular migrant and displaced populations) and how it functions as a source of power. The research assistant will support the PI and post-doctoral researcher mainly with the UK case study, which may include literature review, developing research plans, conducting fieldwork, and supporting analysis, publication and disseminating findings. This will involve liaising with the UK collaborating partner (the Food Foundation).  The research assistant will also provide support with project administration and participate in team meetings and take part in the life of the Food Studies Centre.      

The project aims to have both academic and policy impact. Academically, it will contribute to theory on digital aid or welfare practices as a form of governance, the political economy of assistance, and the social dynamics of food security. Policy-wise, evidence will inform governments, development and refugee support organisations, and civil society, about regulation, potential exclusions, the risks of surveillance and working with the private sector.   

You can find further information on the key criteria for the role in the Job Description and Person Specification, along with a full list of duties and responsibilities, which can be found on the SOAS website.  

How to Apply:  

Please click the 'Apply' button above to complete the online application form and upload your CV and a supporting statement  

Closing date:  1st August 2024 

Interviews to be held: 9th August 2024  

Further information 

If you have any questions or require any assistance with regard to the application process, please contact hr-recruitment@soas.ac.uk.

Advert information