Senior Research Associate

Lancaster Environment Centre (LEC) is pleased to announce a Senior Postdoctoral Research Associate (PDRA) position as part of a Leverhulme Trust-funded project ‘Digital Climate Futures - A decolonial and justice perspective on digitalised climate change adaptation’.

Overview of the role

Reporting to and under the guidance of Dr Giovanni Bettini (PI), Dr Giovanna Gioli and Prof Sian Sullivan (Co-Is), you will carry out research on the role of the digital in governing adaptation to climate change, combining a justice angle on climate adaptation with decolonial approaches to the digital. You will have a pivotal role in designing and executing a qualitative case study in rural India to investigate digital climate change adaptation initiatives on the ground. You will also co-lead the production of academic papers and dissemination outputs.

You will have completed PhD in a relevant social science or humanities discipline (for example, Human Geography, Sociology, Anthropology, Development Studies). You will have an understanding of theoretical and methodological approaches relevant to the project’s themes, including climate justice and decolonization of climate adaptation; experience in ethnographic research in South Asia; skills in the textual analysis of academic and grey literature. You must be able to both write and speak fluently in English, have excellent analysis and writing skills. We also particularly welcome applications from Hindi speakers. Please also note that travel to rural India for data collection will be required as part of this role.

We welcome applications from people in all diversity groups. We particularly welcome candidates from Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds, candidates who are in the first generation of their family to go to university, candidates who have been in care or who have been a young carer, female and LGBTQ+ candidates, and candidates from marginalised socioeconomic backgrounds.

How to apply and selection process

Please see accompanying Job Description and Person Specification for further details on expertise and skills required.

Applications should be submitted online. Interviews of shortlisted candidates will take place online in late March (date tbc). The position is available from 1st July 2023, and will run (full-time) for a period of 30 months.

For informal queries about the role, please contact Dr Giovanni Bettini at g.bettini@lancaster.ac.uk.

Career development and research environment

This post is an excellent opportunity to play a central role in ensuring the success of a major research project. There will be opportunities to develop skills and expertise, and you will benefit from working in a vibrant Department at a top-ranked University.

You will join the vibrant and supportive community of the Critical Geographies and Political Ecology research groups in LEC. LEC offers a highly collegial and stimulating environment for career development based on departmental values and embedded Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity (EDI) considerations and actions. We are committed to flexible working policies on an individual basis as well as the Athena SWAN Charter, which recognises and celebrates good employment practice undertaken to address gender equality in higher education and research. Furthermore, we are active and progressive around sustainability, wellbeing and decolonising agendas.