Research Fellow, Geography and Sustainable Development

Start Date: As soon as possible.
Fixed Term: until March 2027.

Applications are sought for a committed Post-doctoral Research Fellow* to work on family and housing projections using microsimulation. This work is part of two research programmes: a) the MigrantLife project funded by the European Research Council (ERC); and 2) the ESRC Centre for Population Change & Connecting Generations (CPC-CG). The Research Fellow will use microsimulation: a) to project partnership and childbearing trajectories of migrants and their descendants in the UK (and elsewhere in Europe); and b) to investigate individuals’ and couples’ housing trajectories in the UK and to project future homeownership rates.

The successful applicant will have a PhD in a social science discipline (including statistics, computer science and applied mathematics) or should be close to submitting their PhD thesis. They should also have experience in handling longitudinal data and conducting microsimulation or agent-based modelling. Good communication and management skills are essential.

The post is available until March 2027 (with a possible extension for 6 months) starting 1st September 2025 or as soon as possible thereafter.

Appointment at Grade 5 Research Assistant (salary range: £31,637 - £37,174 per annum) will be considered for candidates with less experience/knowledge of the area, with the job description to be amended accordingly.

Employees of the University have access to a wide range of staff benefits including:

• Annual leave of 34 days, plus 5 public holidays.
• Membership of the USS Pension Scheme with generous employer contributions.
• A hybrid working environment, including partial homeworking where appropriate and a range of family friendly policies.
• Staff discount scheme for local and national goods and services.
• Free staff parking, employee Carshare and Cycle to Work Schemes and subsidised local bus travel.
• Subsidised sports membership, reduced tuition fees on degree programmes for staff, access to training and development opportunities including LinkedIn Learning, access to library facilities, salary sacrifice scheme.
• A range of wellbeing initiatives including membership of Peppy, a health application that connects staff to expert practitioners and personalized support on health matters.

Further details of the projects can be found at: https://migrantlife.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/ and https://www.cpc.ac.uk/research_programme/connecting_generations/ or by contacting Prof. Hill Kulu, Hill.Kulu@st-andrews.ac.uk or Dr. Júlia Mikolai Julia.Mikolai@st-andrews.ac.uk.

Applications are particularly welcome from people from the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) community, and other protected characteristics who are under-represented in research posts at the University.

Equality, diversity and inclusion are at the heart of the St Andrews experience and form a central pillar of the University Strategy. We strive to create a fair and inclusive culture demonstrated through our commitment to diversity awards (Athena Swan, Carer Positive, Race Charters). We celebrate diversity by promoting profiles of BAME, LGBTIQ+ Disabled and Neurodiverse staff and supporting networks including the Staff BAME Network; Staff with Disabilities or Neurodiversity Network; Staff LGBTIQ+ Network; and the Staff Parents & Carers Network. Full details available online: https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/hr/edi/.

Closing Date: 8 July 2025

Please quote ref AR2690SB

Further Particulars: AR2690SBFPs.pdf

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