Research Fellow

Are you a skilled researcher with experience of contributing to research on law or criminal justice? Do you have an interest in prisons policy and practice? Do you want to be part of the successful World Prison Research Programme at Birkbeck’s Institute for Crime & Justice Policy Research (ICPR)?

Birkbeck, University of London, has an exciting opportunity for a Research Fellow to contribute to a ground-breaking international research project on prison labour and prisoner work opportunities in the USA, Brazil and the UK.

As a Birkbeck Research Fellow, you will have responsibility for the day-to-day conduct of an ongoing comparative research project: Unlocking Potential: Towards effective, sustainable and ethical work opportunities for prisoners and prison-leavers.

You will have an opportunity to conduct and analyse focus group discussions and interviews with prisoners, former prisoners, prison staff, and others with direct experience of prison work provision. You will also work alongside members of the project team within ICPR.

You will contribute to project outputs including a set of prison work case studies, and undertake public engagement activities, to raise awareness of key project findings and areas for reform. Alongside experienced colleagues on the project team, you will also have an opportunity to develop and seek funding for further research - building on the success of this project, and other ICPR projects.

To succeed as a Research Fellow, you will have a demonstrable commitment to achieving legal, policy and practice impact through research and advocacy. Your written and oral communication skills will be outstanding, and you will have the ability to interact effectively with individuals and groups in the UK and overseas, including academic research partners, civil society activists, journalists, and international agencies.

This opportunity would build on experience as an early career researcher in academia or in relevant governmental or non-governmental organisations. If you are researcher with a PhD, or equivalent, and experience of contributing to applied research - apply with us today!

Salary and benefits:

£43,265 to £49,394 per annum, (rising to £43,636 - £49,683 from 03/2025), Grade 7 of the College's London Pay Scale which includes a consolidated Weighting/Allowance that applies only to staff whose normal contractual place of work is in the London area.

Birkbeck offers a competitive salary and generous pension scheme, 31 days paid leave, flexible working arrangements and some of the most generous benefits in the HE sector, all while being located right in the heart of Bloomsbury, Euston, London.

Contract:

Fixed-term, 2 year contract. Full-time (35 hours a week). Please submit a CV for consideration. Closing date: Monday 11 November 2024, interview date: Wednesday 27 November 2024.

Enquiries:

If you would like to know more about the role, please click on apply below or contact Catherine Heard, Director of the World Prison Research Programme, via c.heard@bbk.ac.uk

If you have difficulty using the recruitment portal, please contact jobs@bbk.ac.uk providing your name and the job reference number of the position. While we are happy to respond to all informal enquiries, only formal applications through the online system will be considered.

We welcome applicants from all sections of the community. The College is committed to improving the gender and cultural diversity of its workforce, holding an Athena SWAN award and operating Disability Confident & Mindful Employer schemes -www.birkbeck.ac.uk/jobs