Research Fellow in Family Demography

We are delighted to welcome applications for the position of Research Fellow within the ESRC Connecting Generations programme to examine the implications of family complexity for intergenerational relationships. The post holder will investigate the impact of increases in family complexity on the relationship between midlife adults and their young adult children in the UK. The work will take a cohort perspective to explore the impact of divorce, repartnering and childbearing in subsequent partnerships for relationships between parents and their young adult children.

The post holder will be required to analyse a variety of data sources. Insights from midlife adults will be gained from the British 1970 Birth cohort and the 1958 National Child Development Study, whilst insights from young adults’ perspective will be gained from the Millennium Cohort Survey. The work will be supervised by the project Principle Investigator: Professor Ann Berrington.

Connecting Generations is a collaborative project between the long-established Centre for Population Change (University of Southampton, University of St Andrews, and University of Stirling), the University of Oxford Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science, and the Resolution Foundation. Connecting Generations aims to innovate in knowledge and understanding of intergenerational relations and population change. The Centre is led by Professor Jane Falkingham. For further details, see  https://www.cpc.ac.uk/ 

This research position will be based in the Department of Social Statistics and Demography within the Faculty of Social Sciences, at the University of Southampton where Professor Berrington is based. You will be part of a supportive group including other project Researchers, the CPC Research Manager and Knowledge Exchange team, and other Faculty members, within the Department of Social Statistics and Demography at the University of Southampton, as well as other Departments and partner institutions.  

To be successful in the role you will have, or will be close to completing, a PhD (or have equivalent professional qualifications and experience) with strong quantitative research methods skills in a relevant discipline (e.g. demography, gerontology, economics, social policy); have knowledge and expertise in quantitative data analysis, particularly the use of complex longitudinal data; be skilled in the use of STATA; have the ability to plan and organise work independently and as part of a team; and have the ability to write research presentations and papers for peer review publication. Knowledge and experience in using data from at least one of the British Cohort Studies is desirable.

The Research Fellow post is full-time for a fixed term of 24 months. Due to funding, the latest start date for the project is 1st March 2025.

The University of Southampton holds an Athena SWAN Silver Award demonstrating commitment to equal opportunities in the workplace.

Applications will be considered from candidates who are working towards or nearing completion of a relevant PhD qualification. The title of Research Fellow will be applied upon completion of PhD. Prior to the qualification being awarded the title of Senior Research Assistant will be given. 

Informal enquiries may be addressed to Prof. Ann Berrington, email: a.berrington@soton.ac.uk 

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