Postdoctoral Research Associate

Working at Durham University  

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Find out more about the benefits of working at the University and what it is like to live and work in the Durham area on our Why Join Us? - Information Page

The Role and Department
The Anthropology Department at Durham University has an outstanding international reputation for teaching and research. We are one of the largest and most diverse Anthropology Departments in the UK, with nearly 40 permanent academic staff working within and across social, evolutionary and health anthropology. Each year, we welcome over 130 undergraduate students and around 70 postgraduate students from around the world.

We provide an intellectually inclusive environment, fostering the academic freedom and confidence to work at both the core and boundaries of anthropology in exciting and innovative ways. The assessment of our work in REF 2021 attests to research excellence across social anthropology, evolutionary anthropology and the anthropology of health. 45%25 of our research was rated as world-leading (4*), placing us in the top 5 Anthropology Departments in the UK and recognising our world-leading impact and research environment.

Our department is especially renowned for its commitment to interdisciplinarity, both in terms of integrating the different subfields of anthropology and working collaboratively with other disciplines. The Anthropology Department is strongly involved in numerous transdisciplinary university Research Institutes and Centres, including the Institute for Advanced Study. Durham Energy Institute, Institute for Medical Humanities, Wolfson Institute, and Durham Global Security Institute. For more information, please visit our Department pages at: https://www.dur.ac.uk/departments/academic/anthropology

The Role

Applications are invited for a Postdoctoral Research Associate in Anthropology to work with Prof Hannah Brown on a project funded by the Wellcome Trust entitled ‘Understanding endemic Rift Valley Fever (RVF) transmission in distinct African regions’. This large, multi-disciplinary project brings together a team of researchers seeking to challenge the current view of RVFV as an epidemic disease. We propose that RVF exists along a spectrum from epidemic to endemic transmission, influenced by landscape ecology, climate, and socioeconomic factors. The successful applicant will work closely with Prof Brown and support her leadership of the social science component of this project by undertaking a new piece of extended ethnographic fieldwork that will interrogate how social understanding and responses to RVF interface with an epidemiological transition of RVF from a disease of concern only during epidemics to one experienced as an endemic disease.

The primary sites of ethnographic fieldwork will be in Kenya, in Isiolo (epidemic RVF) and Kajiado (endemic RVF) counties, with the possibility of shorter visits to project sites in South Africa and Senegal where other strands of the project are active. The aim of the social science work package is to generate a multidimensional understanding of multispecies relations, environments, livelihoods, politics, and public health priorities for RVF as interconnected elements of a biosocial nexus, and to work closely and collaboratively with other project members to ensure that these insights are fully integrated into the overall project and can be used to develop evidence-based strategies for sustainable RVFV control.

As a four-year position, this role will give the holder the opportunity to grow their academic career through the development of major academic publications and research expertise.  There will be considerable opportunity for self-direction and professional development within the auspices of the project. Intellectually, the social science work package will build on insights from recent work in medical anthropology, multispecies ethnography, and planetary health and will include the following key areas:

·       Studying how people live with and care for livestock and how are these practices are shaped by different understandings and experiences of RVF

·       Exploring how human relations with mosquito hosts of RVF and local environments interface with understandings and experiences of RVF

·       Understanding how relations between public health professionals, affected communities and other stakeholders are shaped by understandings and experiences of RVF

• To conduct ethnographic research under the direction of the work-package lead and/or project PI.
• To plan and manage own research activity, including taking responsibility for data collection and data management in line with the project data management plan.
• To analyse data and to develop and execute plans for individual and co-authored publications on the basis of these materials via discussion with the Grant Holder work-package lead and project PI.
• To understand and convey material of a specialist or highly technical nature through presentations and discussions that lead to the presentation of research papers in conferences and publications.
• To prepare and deliver presentations on research outputs/activities to audiences which may include: research sponsors, academic and non-academic audiences.
• To publish high quality outputs, including papers for submission to peer reviewed journals and papers for presentation at conferences and workshops under the direction of the Principal Investigator or Grant holder WP lead
• To work with the Principal Investigator or WP lead and other colleagues in the research group, as appropriate, to identify areas for further research and extend the research portfolio.
• To deal with problems that may affect the achievement of research objectives and deadlines by discussing with the Principal Investigator or WP lead and offering creative or innovative solutions.
• To work collaboratively with other members of the project, and contribute to fostering a supportive, mutually beneficial interdisciplinary environment.
• 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.

This post is a fixed term position funded by a grant awarded by the Wellcome Trust, which supports the position for four years from the date of appointment

Successful applicants will, ideally, be in post by 1 May 2026.

Working at Durham 

A competitive salary is only one part of the many fantastic benefits you will receive if you join the University:

•   You’ll receive 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.

•    We offer a generous pension scheme, and 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 ample parking across campus, a cycle to work scheme which helps you to buy a bike and discount with local bus and train companies. You can also take advantage of our cost-effective and environmentally friendly Tusker Car Benefit Scheme, allowing you to lease a brand-new electric or hybrid vehicle with savings on tax and National Insurance.

•    We have 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.

•    We provide wide-ranging health and wellbeing support including discounted membership for our state-of-the-art sport and gym facilities and access to a 24-7 Employee Assistance Programme.

•    Our on-site nursery is rated Outstanding by Ofsted, and you can access holiday camps for children aged 5-16.

•    Our family-friendly policies, including maternity and adoption leave, are among the most generous in the higher education sector (and likely above and beyond many employers).

•    We offer all staff the opportunity to take part in volunteering activities to make a difference in the local community.

•    You can access exclusive discounts via our benefits portal including money off at supermarkets, high street retailers, IT products such as Apple, eating out and days out at various attractions.

•  Various salary sacrifice schemes are 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.

Discover more about our total rewards and benefits package here.

Durham University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion

Equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are a key component of the University’s Strategy and a central part of everything we do.  We also live by our Purpose and Values and our Staff Code of Conduct.  At Durham we actively work towards providing an environment where our staff and students can study, work and live in a community which is supportive and inclusive.

We welcome and encourage applications from those who are currently under-represented in our work force, including people with disabilities and from racially minoritised ethnic groups.

If you have taken a career break or periods of leave that may have impacted on the volume and recency of your research outputs and other activities, such as maternity, adoption or parental leave, you may wish to disclose this in your application. The selection committee will take this into account when evaluating your application.

The University has been awarded the Disability Confident Leader status. If you are a candidate with a disability, we are committed to ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process. We will make adjustments to support the interview process wherever it is reasonable to do so and, where successful, reasonable adjustments will be made to support people within their role. 

Contact Information 

Department contact for academic-related enquiries 

Professor Hannah Brown hannah.brown@durham.ac.uk

Contact information for technical difficulties when submitting your application 

If you encounter technical difficulties when using the online application form, we prefer you send enquiries by email.  Please send your name along with a brief description of the problem you’re experiencing to e.recruitment@durham.ac.uk 

Alternatively, you may call 0191 334 6801 from the UK, or +44 191 334 6801 from outside the UK. This number operates during the hours of 09.00 and 17.00 Monday to Friday, UK time.  We will normally respond within one working day (Monday to Friday, excluding UK public holidays).  

University contact for general queries about the recruitment process 

e.recruitment@durham.ac.uk

How to Apply  

To progress to the assessment stage, candidates must evidence each of the essential criteria required for the role in the person specification below. It will be at the discretion of the recruiting panel as to whether they will also consider any desirable criteria, but we would urge candidates to provide evidence for all criteria.  

While some criteria will be considered at the shortlisting stage, other criteria may be considered later in the assessment process, such as questions at interview.  

Submitting your application 

We prefer to receive applications online.   We will update you about your application at various points throughout the selection process, via automated emails from our e-recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to make sure you have not missed any of our updates.

What to Submit 

All applicants are asked to submit: 

• a CV and cover letter which details your experience, skills, and achievements in meeting (or the potential to meet) the criteria set out below.
• A writing sample from your published work or PhD which evidences your ability to produce high-quality outputs based on ethnographic fieldwork

Next Steps 

Short-listed candidates will be invited to the University, either virtually or in-person and will have the opportunity to meet key members of the Department.  The assessment for the post will include a presentation followed by an interview and we anticipate that the assessments and interviews will take place over two days in or around 23rd March. 

In the event that you are unable to attend in person on the date offered, it may not be possible to offer you an interview on an alternative date. 

Please note that in submitting your application Durham University will be processing your data. We would ask you to consider the relevant University Privacy Statement Job Applicants/Potential Job Applicants - Durham University which provides information on the collation, storing and use of data.   

When appointing to this role the University must ensure that it meets any applicable immigration requirements, including salary thresholds which are applicable to some visas.

Person Specification 

Essential Criteria:

Qualifications

1. A good first degree in Anthropology or related discipline.
2. A PhD (or be close to submission) in Anthropology or a related subject.

Experience

3. Experience in conducting high quality academic research.
4. Demonstrable ability to write material of a quality commensurate with publication in highly-ranked journals.
5. Demonstrable ability to  communicate complex information to specialists and within the wider academic community.
6. Disciplinary experience in some or all of the following areas: medical anthropology, multispecies anthropology, environmental anthropology, human-animal health, planetary health 

Skills

7. Demonstrable skills in ethnographic fieldwork
8. Demonstrable ability to work cooperatively as part of a team.
9. Ability to work independently on own initiative and to strict deadlines.
10. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.

Desirable Criteria 

Experience

10.Strong publication record in peer-reviewed journals, commensurate with stage of career.

11.Demonstrable ability to translate research findings into policy-relevant output

Skills

12.Demonstrable ability to plan and manage independent research. 

13Experience of working in East Africa and relevant linguistic skills are strongly desirable