At Durham University we are proud of our people. A globally outstanding centre of educational excellence, a collegiate community of extraordinary people, a unique and historic setting – Durham is a university like no other. We believe that inspiring our people to do outstanding things at Durham enables Durham people to do outstanding things professionally and personally.
Across the University we have a huge variety of roles and career opportunities, which together make us a large and successful community, which is a key hub of activity within our region and nationally. We would be thrilled if you would consider joining our thriving University. Further information about the University can be found here.
The role and department
We are seeking to appoint a Grade 6 Research Assistant for an externally-funded project evaluating the outcomes of the Start for Life Fund initiated by Durham County Council in September 2023. The Start for Life Fund provides sleep safety and home safety equipment for families with babies and children up to age 5. The role will involve conducting a review of other local authority schemes to promote infant/child safety in the home, designing and conducting online surveys and interviews with families and practitioners, evaluating application data, and drafting a final report. The post in time-limited due to external funding and will be conducted part-time (21 hours per week) over 5 months October 2024 to February 2025.
The successful candidate will be based in the Durham Infancy & Sleep Centre located in Hilton Cottage, Old Elvet, working as part of an award-winning research team undertaking high impact work on a variety of projects relating to infant sleep and the prevention of unexpected infant deaths. See below for full-list of responsibilities.
Durham Infancy & Sleep Centre
The Durham Infancy & Sleep Centre (DISC) is a research centre of the Department of Anthropology & Faculty of Social Sciences. It is the home for a group of researchers examining various aspects of infant and child sleep and parenting behaviour. Our work over the last 30 years has substantially increased parents’ understanding of babies’ sleep, how best to care for babies during the night, and how best to keep them safe when asleep. DISC houses the Baby Sleep Information Source (Basis) which provides research-based information for parents and practitioners.
The department
Durham Anthropology is one of the very best in the UK with an outstanding reputation for excellence in teaching, research and employability of our students being 23rd in the QS World Rankings, tenth in the Complete University Guide, and one of the UK’s top five anthropology departments for graduate prospects. The Department of Anthropology has a vibrant research culture with many visitors, seminars, global conferences and workshops, and is set to grow significantly over the next ten years. Our undergraduate and graduate degree programmes have very high-quality students. Each year, we welcome over 100 undergraduate students onto our single honours programmes and ~30 students onto our joint honours degrees with the Department of Archaeology and the Department of Sociology. Our postgraduate taught degrees attract ~50 students from around the world each year, and we have a postgraduate research student community of ~75, again with substantial international representation. We aim to provide a supportive and friendly environment with a strong sense of community. Currently there are more than 30 permanent members of academic staff, conducting world class excellent research in Evolutionary Anthropology, Social Anthropology and the Anthropology of Health.
Responsibilities
- To plan and conduct daily operations of the project under supervision of the DISC Manager and Director, planning and organising their own workload.
- To understand and convey information which needs careful explanation to the team or group of people through presentations, discussions and meetings which contribute to the production of research reports and publications.
- To write up results of research work, present information on research progress and outcomes to bodies supervising research in a clear and accurate manner.
- To analyse or undertake basic research by deciding how best to apply existing methodology according to overall context and objectives.
- To deal with problems that may affect the achievement of research objectives and deadlines by discussing with the DISC Manager and Director and offering creative or innovative solutions.
- To liaise with research colleagues and make internal and external contacts to develop knowledge and understanding to form relationships for future research collaboration.
- To contribute to fostering a collegial and respectful working environment which is inclusive and welcoming and where everyone is treated fairly with dignity and respect.
- To engage in wider citizenship to support the department and wider discipline.
- To engage in continuing professional development by attending relevant training and development courses.
- This post is funded 0.6 FTE for 5 months via funding from the Durham County Council Public Health Department. The project completion deadline is March 2025.
The post-holder is employed to work on research/a research project which will be led by another colleague. Whilst this means that the post-holder will not be carrying out independent research in his/her own right, the expectation is that they will contribute to the advancement of the project, through the development of their own research ideas/adaptation and development of research protocols.
Successful applicants will, ideally, be in post by 1 October 2024.
Working at Durham
A competitive salary is only one part of the many fantastic benefits you will receive if you join the University: you will also receive access to the following fantastic benefits:
- 30 Days annual leave per year in addition to 8 public holidays and 4 customary days per year – a total of 42 days per year.
- The University closes between Christmas and New Year – please include or delete if not applicable.
- We offer a generous pension scheme, As a new member of staff you will be automatically enrolled into the University Superannuation Scheme (USS).
- No matter how you travel to work, we have you covered. We have parking across campus, a cycle to work scheme which helps you to buy a bike and discount with local bus and train companies.
- There is a genuine commitment to developing our colleagues professionally and personally. There is a comprehensive range of development courses, apprenticeships and access to qualifications and routes to develop your career in the University. All staff have dedicated annual time to concentrate on their personal development opportunities.
- Lots of support for health and wellbeing including discounted membership for our state of the art sport and gym facilities and access to a 24-7 Employee Assistance Programme.
- On site nursery is available plus access to holiday camps for children aged 5-16.
- Family friendly policies, including maternity and adoption leave, which are among the most generous in the higher education sector (and likely above and beyond many employers).
- The opportunity to take part in staff volunteering activities to make a difference in the local community
- Discounts are available via our benefits portal including; money off at supermarkets, high street retailers, IT products such as Apple, the cinema and days out at various attractions.
- A salary sacrifice scheme is also available to help you take advantage of tax savings on benefits.
- If you are moving to Durham, you may be eligible for help with removal costs and we have a dedicated team who can help you with the practicalities such as house hunting and schools. If you need a visa, we cover most visa costs and offer an interest free loan scheme to pay for dependant visas.
Person specification
Essential criteria
- A good first degree in Anthropology, Sociology, Health, Education or a related discipline.
- A Masters (or close to completion) in a relevant subject.
- Experience in conducting basic academic research or providing research assistance, including
- Experience in conducting basic academic research or providing research assistance, including the use of interviews, online surveys, descriptive numerical analyses, review of details of public service programmes, and critical evaluation.
- Demonstrable ability to produce concise and well-written reports for a range of stakeholders.
- Experience in in using online survey platforms and face to face interviews.
- Demonstrable ability to work cooperatively as part of a team, including participating in research meetings.
- Ability to manage time effectively and work to strict deadlines.
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
- Ability to liaise with a range of stakeholders.
Desirable criteria
A PhD (or be close to submission) in Anthropology or a related subject.
- Experience of conducting high quality academic research.
- Experience of preparing academic papers.
- Experience in Qualtrics.
- Ability to contribute to the planning and management of independent research.