Senior Research Associate

Employment type: Fixed-term contract (2 years - must end by 30 September 2025)

Employment basis: Full-time

Closing date: 28 February 2023

Interview date: 13 March 2023

The University of Portsmouth is an ambitious institution with a track record of success. One of only four universities in the south east of England to achieve a Gold rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework and ranked in the top 150 in the Times Higher Young University World Rankings.

This post-doctoral post is based in the Department of Psychology at the University of Portsmouth. The successful candidate, working under the supervision of Dr Chris Jones, will take up the post of Senior Research Associate in Psychology to work on a two-year funded project examining the social acceptance of proposed innovations to using the existing UK gas network to heat and cool homes.

The research is funded by the EPSRC via the GasNetNew Project. GasNetNew is a 3-year research project, led by engineers at the University of Nottingham, with the support of researchers at the Universities of Birmingham, Loughborough and Portsmouth. It aims to look at how the existing mains gas network can be used differently in order to provide innovative, low-carbon heating and cooling solutions for UK homes and businesses.

Alongside engineering and technological research and innovation, GasNetNew is focused on the social scientific study of the factors that shape the relative social acceptance of different heating and cooling options among key actor groups, including project stakeholders (business, industry) and publics. This aspect of the project will be led from the University of Portsmouth.

The successful candidate will have theoretical knowledge and qualitative and quantitative research experience pertaining to the social acceptance of science and technological research and innovation. The successful candidate will hold a PhD in Psychology (or relevant cognate discipline) and will be familiar with the design, delivery (e.g. participant recruitment), analysis (incl., qualitative and statistical) and reporting of academic studies using questionnaire-based surveys, interviews and focus groups. The successful candidate will have experience of writing for different audiences, including for academic journals.

We seek a motivated,creative, and collegial individual with excellent project management, research and interpersonal skills who is able to communicate clearly to a wide range of audiences who will progress the programme of social scientific studies in an effective and timely manner.

The University of Portsmouth embraces diversity and we positively encourage applicants from all sections of the community.

Informal enquiries are strongly encouraged and should be made to Dr Chris Jones by email: chris.jones1@port.ac.uk.

Keywords: applied psychology, social acceptance, technology acceptance, qualitative, quantitative

The University of Portsmouth believes this role is eligible for sponsorship with UKVI under the Skilled Worker Route visa, and meets the minimum salary requirements to obtain the minimum points requirement. 

We are strongly dedicated to embedding equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) within our community. As an Athena SWAN and Race Equality Charter award holder, a member of Stonewall and a Disability Confident Employer we are passionate about creating a welcoming and inclusive environment, regardless of your background. We welcome applications from all talented people. In addition, we want our workforce to be representative of our diverse student population. Please see our EDI Framework and objectives.

Information about us and our benefits.

For detailed information about the vacancy: ZZ008133 - Senior Research Associate.docx

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