Research Assistant

We are seeking a highly motivated Research Assistant to join the AIRWISE project, an interdisciplinary research initiative focused on improving urban air quality and wellbeing through smart sensing, data analytics, and co-designed interventions. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to applied research that informs urban policy and planning, particularly around air quality monitoring and community engagement.

In this role, you will:

• Contribute to research on ecological and spatial data for urban environments: Conducting fieldwork, data collection and analysis related to urban air quality and environmental health.
• Support fieldwork, co-design and engagement workshops with local stakeholders and community groups
• Assisting in the development of visualisation tools to support decision-making at the urban scale.
• Assist/contribute in preparing research outputs including reports, publications, and presentations
• Work collaboratively across academic and policy networks

The role offers an opportunity to work at the intersection of environmental planning, urban design, and digital innovation. You will be part of a dynamic team working to shape evidence-based policy and design solutions that improve air quality and urban liveability.

As a member of Research Staff at the University of Bath, you will be encouraged to take up a minimum of 10 days professional development pro rata per year.

This post is offered on a full-time (36.5 hours), fixed-term basis for 8 months.

If you have a background in urban studies, spatial planning, environmental data or related fields, and are passionate about applied research with real-world impact, we encourage you to apply.

For informal enquiries, please contact Dr. Sara Biscaya at svnb20@bath.ac.uk

We are seeking a research-driven and detail-oriented individual with a strong interest in spatial and environmental dimensions of urban systems. The ideal candidate will have:

• A PhD (or working towards or equivalent experience) in urban analytics, geography, spatial planning, environmental data science, or a closely related STEM discipline
• Demonstrated expertise in urban spatial data analytics, with proficiency in GIS software (e.g. QGIS, ArcGIS) and geospatial methods
• Experience in managing, analysing, and visualising spatial datasets relevant to air quality, land use, or ecological infrastructure
• Strong research skills, including fieldwork, data collection, and the ability to engage with diverse stakeholders
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to produce clear research outputs and contribute to publications and presentations
• A proactive, organised, and adaptable approach to managing workload and contributing to team-based research
• A commitment to ethical, inclusive, and sustainable research practices

We welcome candidates from all backgrounds and value the diversity of experience that applicants may bring to the role.

What we can offer you:

We consider ourselves to be a university where difference is celebrated, respected and encouraged. We have an excellent international reputation with staff from over 60 different nations and have made a positive commitment towards gender equality and intersectionality receiving a Silver Athena SWAN award. We truly believe that diversity of experience, perspectives, and backgrounds will lead to a better environment for our employees and students, so we encourage applications from all genders, backgrounds, and communities, particularly from under-represented groups, and value the positive impact that will have on the university. We are committed to maintaining a safe and secure environment for our students, staff, and community by reinforcing our Safer Recruitment commitment.

We are very proud to be an autism friendly university and are an accredited Disability Confident Leader; committed to building disability confidence and supporting disabled staff.

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