Research Fellow (EU Grants)

About the team

The Countryside and Community Research Institute (CCRI) (www.ccri.ac.uk) is the largest specialist rural research centre in the UK, having expertise in all aspects of research in policy and planning for the countryside and the environment of the UK, Europe and further afield. We are a vibrant research community and our research has been judged as internationally significant, rigorous, and high quality by the Research Excellence Framework. 

We are seeking an ambitious social science researcher to support delivery of two major new EU Horizon Europe funded research projects, with a focus on stakeholder communication and citizen science. 

About the role

This exciting opportunity will involve working on two EU funded projects, both of which relate to sustainable agriculture and soil health. The CCRI is leading the stakeholder engagement aspects of both projects. Working across diverse European contexts, the successful candidate will facilitate co-creation processes, develop citizen-led science initiatives, and support knowledge exchange between researchers, land managers, policymakers, and other stakeholders.

The Projects

EUROSION will develop a robust, multi-scale system to monitor soil erosion across Europe. By integrating standardised methodologies, process-based modelling, and dynamic monitoring tools, the project aims to inform policy and agricultural practices. A significant focus will be on establishing a long-term monitoring network via stakeholder engagement and co-designed citizen science. The Research Fellow will lead participatory processes including digital cross-visits and workshops, contributing to citizen-led initiatives and cross-sectoral collaboration across multiple countries.

TRAILS4SOIL aims to scale regenerative and conservation agriculture practices through a network of five Living Labs across diverse European agroecosystems. Emphasising co-creation with land managers and other stakeholders, the project will develop practical strategies to enable sustainable, climate-resilient farming systems. The Research Fellow will lead stakeholder engagement activities, design collaboration and governance frameworks, and contribute to dissemination, communication, and social impact assessment activities.

You will be expected to take responsibility for coordinating and delivering a range of social science approaches to 

• facilitating co-creation and stakeholder engagement processes 
• designing citizen science and Living Lab governance approaches. 
• designing and analysing a social impact assessment.  

The role involves designing workshops and participatory activities with farmers and stakeholders (representatives of policy making and the farming and advisory community across Europe), using deliberative social science approaches including co-design and various social theories, and collaborating closely with respective project consortia, undertaking mixed methods data analysis, interpreting qualitative data, and contributing to report and peer-reviewed papers. You will also support the project PI in all aspects of project and WP management and research. The role is likely to include some short-term travel across Europe.

This post would suit an ambitious early career researcher with a PhD in a relevant subject area with proven social science skills, including developing and operationalising conceptualisations, coordinating large scale qualitative data collection and analysis, and writing academic papers.You will have a good understanding of sustainable agriculture land policy, practice, science and theory. The post provides an exciting opportunity to develop networks across Europe and offers postdoctoral career development in a supportive and thriving research environment.

Applicants should note that the University will not sponsor visa applications for this post.

Closing Date 28 September 2025

Interview date 6 October 2025

Contact details

Candidates may contact Dr Jane Mills (jmills@glos.ac.uk) to discuss the role.

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