Research Fellow in Migration in African Cities

Job reference: HUM-031616
Salary: £37,694 - £46,049 per annum depending on experience
Faculty/Organisational Unit: Humanities
Location: Oxford Road
Employment type: Fixed Term
Division/Team: Global Development Institute
Hours Per Week: 1.0 FTE
Closing date (DD/MM/YYYY): 28/07/2026
Contract Duration: Fixed term 1 August 2026 - 31 July 2027
School/Directorate: School of Environment, Education & Development

We are seeking a motivated and collaborative individual to join our team as a Research Fellow in Migration in African Cities. This 12-month post-doctoral role offers an exciting opportunity to contribute to the African Cities Research Consortium’s research on migration and mobility in Accra, Lagos, Kampala, Nairobi, Harare, Maiduguri and Mogadishu. You will support local researchers, contribute to comparative analysis across cities, and help develop outputs including working papers, policy briefs, blogs, academic publications and conference presentations.

You will be responsible for:

• supporting local researchers in the ACRC cities to conduct their research and communicate effectively across contexts
• conducting some additional primary research as needed to maximise the potential of the work
• develop comparative analysis across the cities, identifying common lessons learned and policy recommendations
• contribute to background working papers, policy briefs and blogs, and participate in workshops and webinars., as well as preparing academic outputs and contributing to conference presentations

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:

• PhD in a relevant subject (such as Migration Studies, Urban Studies, Geography or Development Studies) with experience conducting research in urban Africa
• experience of working with knowledge partners in Africa expertise in qualitative research methods and analysis
• excellent writing skills;
• an emerging track-record of publishing academic papers
• willingness to travel as required

Desirable Criteria:

• experience of working on externally-funded research projects;
• experience of comparative research

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 University of Manchester Benefits. You can also find information on our Flexible and Hybrid working here.

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 Freedom of Speech Policy.

Enquiries about the role, shortlisting and interviews

Name: Professor Tom Goodfellow

Email Address: thomas.goodfellow@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.

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