Research Assistant (Public Contracts)

Fixed term contract until 30^th September 2025

The Countryside and Community Research Institute (CCRI) (www.ccri.ac.uk) at the University of Gloucestershire is the largest specialist rural research centre in the UK, having expertise in all aspects of research in policy and planning for the countryside and the environment of the UK, Europe and further afield. We are a vibrant research community achieving high recognition internationally and in the UK Research Excellent Framework (REF) appraisal.

About the role

The CCRI is seeking to appoint a postdoctoral researcher to support the delivery of several Defra, Natural England and other funded research projects in the UK.  All of the projects concern the relationship between land management (agriculture, forestry and conservation) and the environment, often through the development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policy in England and Wales. Some of the projects involve working with other research partners where the CCRI is part of a wider research team and others are projects based in CCRI.  For all of them we have project partners who are key to the delivery of the research because of the CCRI’s approach to participation and co-design embedded into our research.

The largest project is the final year of a three-year monitoring project which is assessing how two agri-environment schemes (Higher Level Stewardship and Countryside Stewardship) agreements contribute toward environmental outcomes across multiple scheme objectives. CCRI’s role is focused on exploring how the commitment andcircumstances of the agreement holder have influenced the outcome of the agreements. It will consider factors such as farm type, ownership and social influences.

The post holder will be working with project lead Associate Professor Chris Short and the CCRI leads of the other research projects. The role will involve an understanding of land management, especially agriculture and conservation, and undertaking face-to-face interviews with farmers, land managers, environmental organisations and scientists. This work provides the quantitative and qualitative data covering attitudinal behaviour, the collection of citizen-led science data and designing monitoring and evaluation programmes.   

Through this work, the post provides an excellent opportunity to contribute to a range of policy areas in England and Wales, notably the development of the Environmental Land Management Schemes in England, and policy developments in the other devolved nations of the UK. The suite of projects underpin the transition towards a sustainable rural economy across the UK meaning that the successful candidate will be a vital part of a cluster of meaningful projects.

This position offers an excellent opportunity to start or develop an academic career within a high-performing and supportive research team. The role will also involve contributing to the writing academic papers for publication in peer-reviewed journals, presenting the research outcomes at national and international conferences, and working alongside other research staff.

This post would suit a post-graduate with well-developed social science skills, particularly organising and undertaking interviews (mostly face-to-face but some online), designing research processes, such as Theory of Change, and the associated analysis suitable for a broad readership. An interest in agri-environment policy, environmental issues and citizen-led science would be an advantage.

Contact details

Candidates may contact Dr Matt Reed (mreed@glos.ac.uk) or Chris Short (cshort@glos.ac.uk) to discuss the role.

Closing date: 21^st October 2024

Interview date: 1^st November 2024

To avoid disappointment please apply early, should we find a suitable candidate we will close the advert.

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