Research Associate

Vacancy terms: Full-time , fixed term contract from 01 March 2026 till 28 February 2030

About the role

An opportunity is available for a 4-year full-time (100% FTE) Post-Doctoral Research and Innovation Associate to join a large and ambitious AHRC-funded research project exploring and addressing the museum attendance and benefit gap.

Despite significant investment in museums, people who participate in and benefit from state-sponsored cultural forms including museums, continue to be more highly educated and to experience higher levels of economic advantage. Building on earlier AHRC-funded research -https://museumattendance.le.ac.uk/ - the Addressing the Museum Attendance and Benefit Gap project, in partnership with Birmingham Museums Trust, will draw across museum studies, sociological analysis and implementation science to generate evidence of what works to broaden museum audiences. The research will undertake wide ranging data and literature analysis, build a usable Research and Implementation Framework for museums and undertake significant testing of the framework with key stakeholders in the context of Birmingham Museums. Supported by a wide range of sector partners and generating unprecedented levels of interdisciplinary and university-practitioner collaboration, the project will:

• Bridge DCMS, regional, and local data to develop a deeper understanding of educational disadvantage in relation to cultural participation;
• Develop rigorous philosophical analysis to clarify key underpinning concepts;
• Distil and rank existing 'what works' evidence as a starting point for action research;
• Integrate lessons from Implementation Science;
• Synthesise the above in a Democratising Museums and Heritage Research and Implementation Framework including actionable methodologies, ‘what works’ specifications, and implementation and evaluation strategies/tools that can:
  • enable a sustained, contextual and evidence-led focus on closing the attendance and benefit gap;
  • build understanding of causal connections between MHI innovations and changes in visitor demographics;
  • generate a new museum research and implementation culture;
  • nurture reflective individuals and engaged citizens;
• Test and refine this in the context of Birmingham Museums Trust;
• Identify processes, facilitators and barriers to change;
• Work with leading MHIs, policy and funding bodies to embed findings across the sector.

Forging a new research and implementation paradigm, this project will, for the first time, enable MHIs to understand how they can close the attendance and benefit gap and deepen their contribution to society.

Based in Leicester, the Research and Innovation Associate will have the opportunity to work as part of core research team in the Research Centre for Museums and Galleries - https://le.ac.uk/rcmg - and will be responsible for: undertaking systematic literature reviews, organising meetings and workshops, collation of materials, taking full part in on-site research and testing at Birmingham Museums, liaising with partner organisations, supporting data analysis, writing project reports and contributing fully to research outputs.

The post is available for 4 years from 1st March 2026 until end February 2030.

About you

Candidates should have completed a PhD in Museum Studies or a related discipline e.g. Cultural Sociology or another relevant field and should bring experience in qualitative research methods and data analysis as well as excellent information collation and written and spoken communication skills. These are essential for the post. Experience of quantitative research methods, working with marginalised individuals, groups and communities and of public engagement in museums are also desirable.

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