Research Associate in media and corruption: politics, practices and policies

About us

The Policy Institute’s vision “solving society’s challenges with evidence and expertise”, which we achieve by combining the rigour of academia, the connectedness of a think tank and the agility of a consultancy. This is designed to equip policymakers and civil servants from across the globe to meet the challenges of the future, creating leaders capable of delivering the services that citizens expect today. Through education, research and public engagement, the School focuses on the most pressing policy problems, ensuring that policy professionals are prepared with both the hard and soft skills necessary to understand how power, influence and change move through political circles. 

About the role

The appointed person will make a leading contribution to the project: Media capture work package (WP) of the HORIZON project Rescuing Democracy from Political Corruption in Digital Societies (RESPOND).

The position is for 15 months, ending no later than June 2026.  

Specifically, the postholder is responsible for conducting, managing and publishing research on media capture practices, policies, mechanisms and indicators by drawing on the literature of corruption in the media, media capture, existing indicators, legislation and policies at UK and EU levels. The postholder will also assist in managing this complex project. 

This is a full time  post (35 Hours per week), and you will be offered as a fixed-term contract for 15 months, not exceeding June 2026.

About youTo be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience: 

Essential criteria

• PhD in social sciences or political sciences 
• Extensive and up-to-date theoretical and practical knowledge in at least one of the areas related to the field of research (media capture, anti-corruption policies and practices, digital media)  
• Advanced knowledge of social science research methods in qualitative methods (specifically interviews, focus groups, comparative case study research, documentary analysis). Quantitative methods knowledge is an asset (e.g. large-language models, survey methods, large-N data analysis) 
• Excellent communication skills (oral and written), including public presentations and ability to communicate complex/specialist concepts clearly and concisely. 
• Willingness and aptitude to work in a multidisciplinary environment 
• Appropriate workload and time management skills 

Desirable criteria

• Knowledge of UK and/or the EU’s media capture strategies, practices and anti-corruption/integrity policies for legacy and digital media  
• Work experience in governance & anti-corruption related to media contexts at either firm, institutional, or policy level  
• Ability to demonstrate a degree of independence as illustrated by identification of project objectives from assessment of the literature, design & analysis of experiments & drafting of papers.  
• Mixed methods research skills  
• Extensive IT and data analysis/interpretation skills as appropriate 

Downloading a copy of our Job Description

Full details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document, provided at the bottom of the next page after you click “Apply”. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.

Please note that this is a PhD level role but candidates who have submitted their thesis and are awaiting award of their PhDs will be considered. In these circumstances the appointment will be made at Grade 5, spine point 30 with the title of Research Assistant. Upon confirmation of the award of the PhD, the job title will become Research Associate & the salary will increase to Grade 6.

Further information

We pride ourselves on being inclusive & welcoming.

Advert information