Research Fellow - COMET Project

The role

The role is to lead the METEOR and COMET research projects, which can be thought of as two phases of a single science studies research and engagement project whose aim is to improve the use of applied meta-research evidence in the decision-making processes of research institutions that affect their research culture, indirectly enhancing the quality, rigour, transparency and social value of research.

The post-holder will plan, implement, deliver, disseminate and evaluate these projects, supported by two research associates (one based at the University of Sussex) and a project coordinator. The project principal investigators are in the School of Psychological Sciences and the School of Education. The work takes place in the context of:

• the national UK Reproducibility Network (UKRN - ukrn.org);
• the TARG research group ‘meta-research’ stream in Psychology at Bristol (https://www.bristol.ac.uk/psychology/research/brain/targ/);
• the School of Education at Bristol (https://www.bristol.ac.uk/education/);
• the Science Policy Research Unit (SPRU - https://www.sussex.ac.uk/business-school/people-and-departments/spru) at the University of Sussex.

The post-holder will also actively explore further meta-research opportunities and collaboration.

The core research methodological strategies in this project is qualitative, based on interviews, focus groups and site visits, with data analysed using triangulated thematic analysis based on both inductive and deductive approaches. Analysis of secondary datasets, including quantitative datasets, might form a small part of the studies.

What will you be doing?

• Playing the leading role in the research team, leading a sizeable and complex project.
• Playing a major part in the successful dissemination of the team’s research findings, presenting at conferences and contributing substantially to publications.
• Ensuring intellectual rigour and adherence to ethical standards in the project.
• Playing an effective leadership role in mentoring early career colleagues and co-ordinating the work of research and other staff.

You should apply if

• Good knowledge of, and expertise in, research methodologies appropriate to the project.
• Demonstrable ability to design studies and select methodologies that are appropriate to project aims and settings.
• Experience and skills in project leadership and management, planning, implementation and evaluation, financial management, reporting.
• Good subject knowledge in the area of research, in this case research culture and decision-making in academic institutions.
• Good understanding of how research institutions such as universities operate as organisations, how decisions are typically made, resources allocated, and risks and opportunities managed.
• Good working knowledge of the factors affecting research transparency, openness, integrity and rigour.
• Significant knowledge of the ethical research methods likely to elicit reliable and valid data that are relevant to the research projects that the postholder will lead, and of the appropriate implementation, analysis, inferential reasoning and communication relating to those methods.

Additional information

For informal enquiries please contact Neil Jacobs neil.jacobs@bristol.ac.uk.

Our strategy and mission

Advert information