Research Fellow

About the job:

The purpose of the job is to be an active member of the research project on the history and current impact of intellectual property (IP) rights for plants, to collect archival and interview data, to disseminate research findings, and to assist with the planning and delivery of the research activity so that the overall research objectives of the project are met. This work is being carried out at Queen’s University Belfast School of Law as part of the Future Leaders Fellowship (FLF) research project “A Century of Propertising Plants: examining the role of intellectual property law in protecting biodiversity and food security,” funded by the Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC).

The main activities and responsibilities include:

• Develop and plan an area of personal research and expertise, and undertake research under supervision for the Future Leaders Fellowship (FLF) research project.
• Design and develop data collection and field research activities in order to obtain reliable data from public IP databases, archives, and interviews.
• Carry out analysis, critical evaluation, and interpretation using methodologies and other techniques appropriate to qualitative and quantitative research in law and history of plant breeding.
• Present regular progress reports on research to members of the research group or to external audiences to disseminate and publicise research findings. The research group will include the FLF holder and the co-lead.
• Prepare, often in consultation with supervisor, material for publication in national and international journals and presentations at international conferences.
• Assist FLF holder in the preparation of funding proposals and applications to external bodies.
• Carry out routine administrative tasks associated with the FLF research project to ensure the project is completed on time and within budget. These might include organisation of project meetings and documentation.
• Read academic papers, journals and legal texts to keep abreast of developments in plant intellectual property law and related disciplines.

About the person:

The research assistant must meet the following criteria:

• Have, or be about to obtain, a relevant PhD.
• Relevant experience in research relevant to the FLF project and academic publications.
• Ability to contribute to broader project management and administrative processes.
• Sufficient breadth and depth of relevant specialist knowledge and experience of research methods and techniques relevant to the FLF project.
• Ability to clearly communicate with a range of audiences and ability to build contacts and participate in internal and external networks.
• Demonstrable intellectual ability and the ability to assess and organise resources.

To be successful at shortlisting stage, please ensure you clearly evidence in your application how you meet the essential and, where applicable, desirable criteria listed in the Candidate Information on our website.

Customer advert reference: 26/113491

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