Senior Research Associate

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The Role:

This post-doctoral role is based in the Technology Acceptance Research Group for Energy Technologies (TARG:ET) in the School of Psychology, Sport and Health Sciences at the University of Portsmouth.

The successful candidate will take up the post of Senior Research Associate to work on a 24-month project (to end by August 2027) examining the social acceptance of an innovative, renewably-powered, off-grid electric vehicle charging technology.

The research forms part of the FEVER project. FEVER is a 5-year EPSRC-funded programme grant, led by engineers at the University of Southampton, with the support of researchers at the Universities of Sheffield, Surrey and Portsmouth. The project is aiming to design, develop and demonstrate the EV charging technology and an associated app and end-user interface. The proposed sites for the demonstration of the technology currently include a zoo in Hampshire, a fleet logistics provider in Northamptonshire and a hospital trust in the Yorkshire and Humber region.

Alongside engineering and technological research and innovation, FEVER comprises a work package devoted to exploring the socio-economic and policy considerations relevant to the project. The focus of the work at the University of Portsmouth is upon the social scientific study of the factors that will shape the acceptance and use of the charging technology among different groups of social actors, including practitioners (e.g., business, industry) and publics. The successful candidate will take responsibility for the design, delivery and reporting of a set of qualitative and/or quantitative studies intended to examine these factors.

It is anticipated that the successful candidate will work closely with other members of the FEVER project, so as to inform design and deployment decisions being taken by the team. This could include collaborating with computer scientists on the end-user app and interface or working with the team on education and outreach materials pertaining to the project. 

The ideal candidate will be motivated and collegiate with good research and interpersonal skills. They will have knowledge of theories and concepts relating to the social acceptance of science and technological innovation. They will hold a PhD in Psychology (or cognate discipline) and will be familiar with quantitative (e.g. questionnaire-based surveys) and/or qualitative (e.g. focus groups, interviews) research methods. The successful candidate will have experience of writing for different audiences, including for academic journals.

Informal enquiries are strongly encouraged and should be made to:

Dr Chris Jones by email: chris.jones1@port.ac.uk.

Interviews are anticipated to be held 20 March 2025

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