Research Associate on Rural Low Carbon Regeneration

Job reference: HUM-031539
Salary: Grade 6 £37,694 - £46,049 per annum depending on experience
Faculty/Organisational Unit: Humanities
Location: Manchester
Employment type: Fixed Term
Division/Team: Geography
Hours Per Week: 0.5 FTE (17.5 hrs per week)
Closing date (DD/MM/YYYY): 19/06/2026
Contract Duration: Fixed Term for 36 months
School/Directorate: School of Environment, Education & Development

We are seeking a motivated and collaborative individual to join our team as a Research Associate on Rural Low-Carbon Regeneration (Ruralise project). This role offers an exciting opportunity to contribute to interdisciplinary research on rural housing inequality and low-carbon transitions across Europe within a dynamic and inclusive research environment. You will be part of the Horizon 2020-funded Ruralise project, working with international partners to support sustainable and inclusive rural communities.

You will be responsible for:

• Conducting qualitative research, including interviews and participatory methods, to explore rural housing and low-carbon regeneration
• Undertaking literature reviews across energy justice, housing inequality, and rural development
• Preparing research outputs, including reports, publications, and dissemination materials
• Supporting stakeholder engagement, co-creation processes, and collaboration across European project partners
• Contributing to project coordination, synthesis activities, and knowledge-sharing initiatives

We welcome candidates who bring diverse perspectives, experiences, and approaches to their work.

About You

We encourage applications from individuals with a wide range of backgrounds and experiences. You should demonstrate:

Essential Criteria:

• Research experience and scholarship in the broad domains of energy policy, social environmental science and/or human geography
• Demonstrable ability to undertake desk-based documentary evidence collection and analysis
• Knowledge of household advice and place-based regeneration approaches
• Knowledge of low-carbon governance linked to local authorities and the third sector
• Qualitative data collection and analysis skills
• Knowledge of participatory research methods
• Project management experience
• Experience in writing project reports and contributing to outputs in peer-reviewed journals
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively.

Desirable Criteria:

• A PhD (or equivalent) in human geography, energy, environment, or other closely related subject areas in social environmental science
• Interest in the development and submission of future funding/research bids
• Knowledge of asset-based community development and action research approaches
• Readiness to present and discuss findings at conferences and meetings
• Willingness to engage social media and non-academic organisations in the dissemination of research outcomes.

We value transferable skills and real-world experience as much as formal qualifications.

Our benefits include:

• Generous employer contribution pension
• 29 days annual leave plus bank holidays, along with Christmas closure
• Ride to work and EV car scheme available

For more information, please see https://www.manchester.ac.uk/connect/jobs/benefits-working-here/

You can also find information on our Flexible and Hybrid working https://www.staffnet.manchester.ac.uk/people/current-staff/flexible-and-hybrid-working/ 

We are an open place of enquiry and challenge. We embrace and celebrate difference, diversity and debate, and we pride ourselves on being a place of education, learning and community where we are able, within the law, to question and test received wisdom, express new ideas and explore controversial or unpopular topics and opinions. Find out more from our https://www.staffnet.manchester.ac.uk/news/display/?id=32905. 

Enquiries about the role, shortlisting and interviews
Name: Professor Stefan Bouzarovski
Email Address: stefan.bouzarovski@manchester.ac.uk 

General enquiries and administrative support
recruitmentservices.people@manchester.ac.uk 

Technical and job portal support
https://jobseekersupport.jobtrain.co.uk/support/home 

Applications close at midnight on the closing date.

Please Note- Interviews for this role will be conducted on the morning of the 30^th of June

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