Arts and Humanities Research Fellow

We have an exciting opportunity to work on an academic research project, embedded within Parliament, with the opportunity to generate new, actionable, knowledge for both research and policy communities. 

About the role

The role of the Arts and Humanities Research Fellow will be to conduct primary and secondary research on the impact of arts and humanities research on parliamentary scrutiny, culminating in the production of a report for policy audiences, and an academic journal article for the research community.

Through this project, the Arts and Humanities Research Fellow will establish and evidence the use of arts and humanities research in the UK Parliament and more broadly, making a valuable contribution in an area where there is a lack of evidence.

This project is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, and is part of a wider body of activity to understand and enhance parliamentary use of research evidence, both in UK Parliament and the devolved legislatures.

This role is well suited for an experienced Research Assistant, junior researcher, or knowledge exchange professional with research skills.

What will you be doing?

The Arts and Humanities Research Fellow will work closely with the Thematic Research Lead on Arts and Humanities and Knowledge Exchange Unit (KEU) to develop and deliver a mixed-methods research project.

Activities will include:

• Developing a methodology for conducting the project
• Gathering and analysing existing parliamentary and other data (for example select committee evidence submissions and REF 2021 Impact Case Studies)
• Developing and conducting semi-structured interviews with relevant parliamentary staff (for example, select committee staff, POST advisers, devolved legislature staff) and research stakeholders
• Conducting qualitative and quantitative analysis
• Lead authorship of public report, aimed at policy professionals, and academic journal article

Candidate requirements

The successful candidate should be able to demonstrate the following on their online application form:

• Demonstrable research and analysis skills, strong knowledge of research methods, experience in qualitative and quantitative research. Ability to grasp unfamiliar subject areas and contexts quickly. Experience of synthesising large volumes of information, and presenting synthesis in an impartial, accessible manner.
• Excellent written communication skills, with demonstrable experience in writing academic publications. Ability to write well for non-academic audiences, and to communicate complex information accessibly.
• Demonstrable knowledge of arts and humanities disciplines, methods/methodologies and research. Knowledge or interest in policy-making and the role of Parliament.
• Experience of planning, managing and delivering a mixed-methods research project with engagement with multiple stakeholders, organisations or people. Experience of managing multiple project strands simultaneously, and of prioritising.
• Excellent interpersonal skills. Ability to work successfully within a team and to be collaborative, open and creative, whilst upholding the values of equality, diversity and inclusion.

Applications are open to:

• all UK-based early career university researchers who already have a PhD and are employed on an academic contract. They are also open to those who don't have a PhD but have equivalent experience and are employed in a UK university.
• those who work in UKRI’s ‘Eligible Independent Research Organisations’ and are active researchers within their organisation. They will either have PhD or equivalent experience.
• Those who work in UKRI’s ‘Eligible Research Institutes’ and are active researchers within their organisation. They will either have a PhD or equivalent experience.

For more information on eligibility, please refer to the Guidance Notes for Applicants document attached to the vacancy.

Next steps

If you are interested in this role, please submit your application form, anonymised CV (of no more than 3 pages) and completed Support and Funding Verification form (attached to the vacancy) through this portal.

We will hold an online information session on Wednesday 26 March 2025, 1pm – 2pm. This session will give you an opportunity to find out more about the role of the Arts and Humanities Research Fellow. Registration for the session will open shortly on our website: https://www.parliament.uk/get-involved/research-impact-at-the-uk-parliament/academic-fellowships/. We will also send a link to register for the session in our weekly round-up: www.parliament.uk/keunews.

This is not an employment recruitment process; an online recruitment portal is being used for best practice, including protection of your data and diversity monitoring. We welcome applications from everyone regardless of their ethnicity, race, gender, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, age, marital status or whether or not they have a disability.

For more information on this role, or to contact the Knowledge Exchange Unit at keu@parliament.uk.