Research Associate

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the UK Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformations (CAST). 

About us

CAST is a global hub for understanding the crucial role that people play in fighting climate change. 

We are a cross-institutional research centre with world-leading expertise in environmental psychology, behaviour change, public engagement, policy, governance, education, and more. Our Centre is a vibrant community, committed to doing impactful research and to promoting an inclusive and positive working environment (see our EDI plan).

About the role

We are seeking a Research Associate to contribute to a major new research programme funded by a philanthropic organisation, on People-Centred Climate Resilience (PCR). 

The four-year programme aims to accelerate transformative, equitable, climate-resilient, low-carbon behaviour change by integrating individual and systemic approaches, developing and testing innovative composite interventions, and empowering diverse communities and stakeholders to drive sustained societal transformation across scales and sectors.

Your role will principally involve conducting a longitudinal cross-national survey on life choices, including survey design, data collection and analysis, and disseminating findings to create impact. 

This project will explore the little-examined area of how climate change influences individuals’ life choices, such as where to live, what career to follow, and whether and when to have children. 

You will undertake a large cross-national longitudinal survey of 15+ countries to explore the relative salience of climate change versus other factors in these major life choices.  

About you

You will have a PhD or equivalent in a relevant subject (e.g. psychology) with strong quantitative research skills, including survey design and statistical analysis. 

You will also have detailed specialist knowledge in climate-relevant attitudes and behaviours.

You will have published in high-quality journals, have excellent communication and organisation skills, and be able to meet required deadlines.

Additional information

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact:

Lorraine Whitmarsh (lw2253@bath.ac.uk), or Sam Hampton (sah53@bath.ac.uk).

This part-time (0.6 FTE) post is available for a fixed-term period of 42 months, planned to start from 1^st October 2026.

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.

A lower grade offer may be made (Grade 6) with comparable reduction in responsibilities and amendment in job title to Research Assistant, if a suitable applicant cannot be found to fill the Grade 7 position. Applicants will need to be within six months of their course completion date and will be promoted to Research Associate once their PhD has been awarded. 

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 equity 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 and 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 & secure environment for our students, staff, and community by reinforcing our Safer Recruitment commitment.

We're very proud to be a signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant. an accredited Disability Confident Leader; autism friendly university, committed to building disability confidence & supporting disabled staff. 

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