Eastern Academic Research Consortium (Eastern ARC) is an exciting new collaboration between the Universities of Essex, East Anglia, and Kent. The consortium builds upon recent partnership bids for doctoral training awards in the natural and environmental sciences and the arts and humanities, as well as a range of other bilateral research relationships.

Eastern ARC will become a significant new force in research and research training by acting collaboratively, responding creatively and effectively to key drivers that are changing the landscape of research and research training in universities such as

• excellence with impact
• the capacity and competitiveness of the UK research base
• the economic agenda
• the efficiency of public spending on research
• the diversification of funding

Eastern ARC will build on strengths in three key areas: Synthetic Biology; Digital Humanities; and Quantitative Social Sciences, and is looking to appoint Research Fellows across all themes.

Quantitative Social Sciences

The University of Essex will lead on the collaboration within Quantitative Social Sciences, with a particular focus on using modern and advanced quantitative methods to study the interaction between social. Three Research Fellows will be recruited, one in each of the partner institutions.

Based at our Colchester Campus, the University of Essex Research Fellow could have interests in economics, political science, sociology, social policy and social work, and linguistics. We would consider a joint affiliation with different departments.

The University of Essex is the top university in the UK for social science research and the Faculty of Social Sciences brings together eight departments and centres delivering world-leading research. The Faculty boasts an outstanding international research reputation that has a direct impact and influence on social and economic issues facing the world.

The Post

The Eastern ARC has identified three areas for collaboration in the social sciences. The successful candidate should work in at least one of these fields:

Area 1: Inequality, Conflict, and Migration

Area 2: Lifespan, Lifestyle, and Decision-making

Area 3: Environment, Energy, and Security

Key duties of the post will include undertaking independent research of the highest quality, publishing research results and applying for grants; taking an active role in organising and catalysing collaboration across disciplinary boundaries between Eastern Arc institutions; contributing to public engagement and impacta; undergraduate teaching and supervising students

Applications

Eastern ARC Research Fellows will be appointed from 01 August 2014, initially for a period of five years during which time they will be supported to gain their own external funding. If successful, at the end of this period the Fellow will be considered for a permanent academic position.

Applications are invited from researchers with sufficient postdoctoral experience to demonstrate potential for independence and with an emerging reputation for research leadership. Candidates must have a PhD or equivalent level of qualification in a relevant discipline or subject area and be able to satisfy the essential criteria detailed in the person specification.

Salary: £32,590 - £36,661 per annum

Closing date: 13 April 2014