Postdoctoral Research Associate (Writing Tasks)

This ESRC-funded, full time post is available from 1st November 2025 to 31st January 2029 to support the work of Professor Phil Durrant.

The post

The successful applicant will assist in all aspects of the project Writing tasks at school and university.  

The post will include:

• Assisting in conducting a literature review and document analysis
• Assisting in situational and linguistic analysis of school and university writing corpora
• Assisting in developing a questionnaire survey on writing tasks for school and university teachers
• Leading questionnaire data collection in schools and universities
• Assisting in analysis of questionnaire data
• Assisting in the creation of pedagogical and teacher education resources.
• Leading teacher workshops
• Writing for publication

About you

You will:

• be able to present information on research progress and outcomes, communicate complex information, orally, in writing and electronically and prepare proposals and applications to external bodies
• possess a relevant PhD (or nearing completion) or possess an equivalent qualification/experience in a related field of study and be able to demonstrate sufficient knowledge in the discipline and of research methods and techniques to work within established research programmes
• be able to assist in a range of tasks included literature review, document analysis, corpus analysis, questionnaire development and analysis, and the creation of pedagogical resources
• be able to take a leadership role in data collection and organising and running practitioner workshops

Please ensure you read the Job Description and Person Specification for full details of this role.

What we can offer you

• Freedom (and the support) to pursue your intellectual interests and to work creatively across disciplines to produce internationally exciting research
• Support teams that understand the University wide research and teaching goals and partner with our academics accordingly
• An Innovation, Impact and Business directorate that works closely with our academics providing specialist support for external engagement and development
• Our Exeter Academic initiative supporting high performing academics to achieve their potential and develop their career
• A multitude of staff benefits including sector leading benefits around maternity, adoption and shared parental leave
• A beautiful campus set in the heart of stunning Devon

The University of Exeter

We are a member of the prestigious Russell Group of research-intensive universities and in the top 200 universities in the world (Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2024 and QS World University Ranking 2024). We combine world-class teaching with world-class research, achieving a Gold rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework Award 2023, underpinned by Gold ratings for Student Experience and Student Outcomes.

Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Commitment

We are committed to ensuring reasonable adjustments are available for interviews and workplaces.

Whilst all applicants will be judged on merit alone, we particularly welcome applications from groups currently underrepresented within our working community. 

With over 30,000 students and 7,000 staff from 150 different countries we offer a diverse and engaging environment where our diversity is celebrated and valued as a major strength. We are committed to creating an inclusive culture where all members of our community are supported to thrive; where diverse voices are heard through our engagement with evidence-based charter frameworks for gender (Athena SWAN and Project Juno for Physics), race equality (Race Equality Charter Mark), LGBTQ+ inclusion (Stonewall Diversity Champion) and as a Disability Confident employer.

We are proud signatories of the Armed Forces Covenant and welcome applications from service people.

Further information

Please contact Phil Durrant, p.l.durrant@exeter.ac.uk

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