Open Position: Postdoctoral Research Fellowships

Full time (x 6 Positions available)
Fixed term contract for 4 years (with the possibility of a 6 month extension)

Grade 7: £37,099 – £44,263 p.a or
Grade 8: £45,585 – £54,395 p.a

The closing date for applications is midnight on Sunday 06 October 2024.
Interviews are expected to take place the week commencing Monday 28 October 2024.

Start date will be Monday 03 March 2025 or by mutual agreement.

There is an expectation that work will be undertaken in the UK.

This is a postdoctoral role and may be eligible for sponsorship depending on candidate circumstances under SOC code 2119.

The University of Stirling recognises that a diverse workforce benefits and enriches the work, learning and research experiences of the entire campus and greater community. They are committed to removing barriers and welcome applications from those who would contribute to further diversification of our staff and ensure that equality, diversity and inclusion is woven into the substance of the role. They strongly encourage applications from people from diverse backgrounds including gender, identity, race, age, class, and ethnicity.

Context: The Centre for the Sciences of Place and Memory

The Leverhulme International Professorship grant supports the establishment of a new Centre for the Sciences of Place and Memory at the University of Stirling. The Centre’s researchers will address pressing questions about how people locate and orient themselves in space and time. Anchored in philosophy and housed in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, the Centre draws heavily on cognitive sciences, social sciences, and the arts to break new ground in the study of spatial thinking, disorientation, and remembering the past. It connects advances in the cognitive neurosciences of space and memory with contemporary practical concerns about memory, emotion, and place. Centre researchers deploy diverse methods, integrating conceptual, experimental, and ethnographic approaches to implement intense interdisciplinary collaboration. The mission is to advance knowledge of dynamic relations between place and memory at multiple timescales and levels and how people navigate together in space and time.

Application Materials

Along with a CV, applicants should submit a cover letter explaining how their research experience and skill set relates to studies of place and memory, and (where possible) to specific workstreams. While they do not require a separate formal research proposal, they do advise applicants to provide some detail on the potential points of intersection between their research areas and the Centre’s topics and workstreams. This can be presented either within the cover letter, or in a short separate document – in either case, we suggest an indicative length of 2-3 pages or around 1000-1500 words for applicants to suggest options and opportunities for contributing to our projects. There are a number of different possible models or approaches for how the postdoctoral fellows’ research might fit into the Centre’s overall mission and relate to other work within the team, and they ask applicants to bear in mind that this will be a strongly collaborative interdisciplinary team.

The Post

They seek to appoint six outstanding researchers to help form the Centre’s interdisciplinary team. We expect to appoint a combination of recent PhD graduates and more experienced postdoctoral researchers. Appointment at Grade 8 will reflect an outstanding record of high quality research in relevant fields, and potential capacity to lead one of the Centre’s six workstreams (listed below – see further information for details). Applicants should indicate whether they wish to be considered at Grade 7, Grade 8, or both.

The areas of specialization are open but must relate directly to the Centre’s focus on place and memory. The successful applicants will have a PhD and an established track record in one or more fields relevant to the study of place and memory. They expect to appoint a diverse group of researchers with a range of distinctive backgrounds to form a strongly collaborative interdisciplinary team. Possible areas of research background include (but are not limited to) philosophy, psychology, cognitive science, neuroscience, geography, anthropology, archaeology, sociology, urban policy and design, architecture, environmental studies, indigenous studies, public health, migration studies, international development, history, heritage, literature, museum studies, memory studies, politics, design, art history and theory, practice-based creative research, human-computer interaction, gaming and new media, and science studies. Applicants should indicate in their cover letter how their research experience and skill set relates to studies of place and memory, and (where possible) to specific workstreams as listed below.

The successful applicants will report to the Centre Director. Individually and collaboratively they will conduct research and develop projects and grant applications to complement the Centre’s work and implement its mission, and will mentor and supervise as appropriate PhD students. Most of the appointees will work primarily on one of the Centre’s six workstreams (described below), while also contributing to other workstreams and all Centre research activities. Applications from researchers with active interests in indigenous knowledge and cross-cultural practices of remembering and place-making are particularly welcome. They are keen to support applications from those who are underrepresented in traditional academic disciplines and structures. They will provide mentoring and opportunities and pathways for career development within these research-intensive roles.

The Centre’s research on place and memory is driven by attention to specific topics or domains, not restricted to any one tradition or discipline. Focus is given and maintained through six workstreams, designed as vertical slices through disparate disciplines, integrating philosophy, cognitive science, social sciences, and the arts.

Workstream #1. Memory, truth, and the past
Workstream #2. Place memory and place knowledge
Workstream #3. Collaborative wayfinding
Workstream #4. Technologies of navigation and memory
Workstream #5. Disorientation and difficult places
Workstream #6. Cognitive ecologies of the city

Please refer to the additional information attached for more details on these workstreams.
Informal enquires may be made to Professor John Sutton at john.sutton@stir.ac.uk

Description of Duties

Grade 7/8:

• Engage in individual and collaborative research which aligns to the strategic direction of the Centre and the University, develop a programme of research related to the Centre’s workstreams, and disseminate results through regular publication in high impact journals, books and conference proceedings
• Identify appropriate sources of funding and prepare research proposals for funding bodies
• Supervise research students and staff as required, providing direction, support and guidance
• Ensure appropriate planning, consultation, and ethical clearance of workstream research activities
• Establish and maintain effective data management as appropriate for research methods in the workstream
• Participate in international engagement activities as appropriate
• Participate in, and develop, networks and collaborations both internally and externally to the Centre
• Participate in the administrative processes of the Centre/ Faculty/ University as appropriate
• Any other duties commensurate with the grade of the post

Grade 8:

• Establish a distinctive programme of research related to the Centre’s workstreams
• Lead one workstream, coordinating and maintaining operational management of workstream research activities
• Play a leading role in the Centre’s development of novel research methods, interdisciplinary networks, and appropriate external links with community organizations or policy debates

Essential Criteria

Grade 7/8:

• PhD in relevant discipline
• Evidence of a publication record in fields relevant to the Centre’s research activities
• Credible plans for the active pursuit of external research funding
• Capacity to implement appropriate research methods, including a relevant combination of conceptual, archival, ethnographic, qualitative, or experimental methods, with evidence of a pluralist approach to interdisciplinary research

Grade 8:

• Established track record of high-quality published research
• A record of involvement in applications for external funding for research and/or knowledge transfer
• Demonstrated understanding of appropriate research methods, including a relevant combination of conceptual, archival, ethnographic, qualitative, or experimental methods, with evidence of a pluralist approach to interdisciplinary research
• Experience in supervising dissertation projects across the range of undergraduate/ postgraduate and of supervising doctoral students
• Evidence of successful mentoring and/ or collaborative contributions to research teams

Desirable Criteria

Grade 7/8:

• Experience and skills in the public communication of research, and/ or in developing research with potential for broader social, cultural, political, and/ or economic impact
• Experience and skills in working with external stakeholders, such as engagement with relevant community groups or policy debates in fields relevant to place and memory
• Active interests in indigenous knowledge and cross-cultural practices of remembering and place-making
• Experience in collaborative research practice involving interdisciplinary methods and/ or diverse research teams
• Experience in managing research ethics and appropriate data management practices

Behaviours and Competencies

The role holder will be required to evidence that they can meet the qualities associated with the following behavioural competencies, as detailed within the AUA Competency Framework.

1. Managing self and personal skills
   Being aware of your own behaviour and mindful of how it impacts on others, enhancing personal skills to adapt professional practice accordingly.
2. Delivering excellent service
   Providing the best quality service to external and internal clients. Building genuine and open long-term relationships in order to drive up service standards.
   
3. Finding solutions
   Taking a holistic view and working enthusiastically to analyse problems and to develop workable solutions. Identifying opportunities for innovation.
4. Embracing change
   Being open to and engaging with new ideas and ways of working. Adjusting to unfamiliar situations, shifting demands and changing roles.
5. Using resources effectively
   Identifying and making the most productive use of resources including people, time, information, networks and budgets.
6. Engaging with the wider context
   Enhancing your contribution to the organisation through an understanding of the bigger picture and showing commitment to organisational values.
7. Developing self and others
   Showing commitment to own ongoing professional development. Supporting and encouraging others to develop their professional knowledge, skills and behaviours to enable them to reach their full potential.
8. Working together
   Working collaboratively with others in order to achieve objectives. Recognising and valuing the different contributions people bring to this process.
9. Achieving Results
   Consistently meeting agreed objectives and success criteria. Taking personal responsibility for getting things done.

For more information, please visit: Vacancy details | University of Stirling