Research Assistant/Associate in Fuel Poverty and Household Financial Decision Making

We are a world class research-intensive university. We deliver teaching and learning of the highest quality. We play a leading role in economic, social and cultural development of the North East of England. Attracting and retaining high-calibre people is fundamental to our continued success.

The Role
We are excited to launch this opportunity for a Research Assistant/Associate to join the "Frozen Out: Fuel Poverty, Perceptions, and Household Decision-Making in the Northeast of England" project, a six-month ESRC-funded rapid response study led by Professor Abigail Marks (Newcastle University Business School), working with Co-Investigators Dr Jane Brown (NUBS) and Dr Emma Ormerod (School of Geography, Politics and Sociology). You will join a research team based in Newcastle University Business School, working within an established programme on household financial precarity, labour markets and spatial inequality, and co-producing outputs with the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS).

The project addresses an urgent evidence gap around how low-income households in Northeast England, including those in work but above means-tested thresholds, manage rising energy costs, why they rarely seek help, and how they choose where to borrow to stay warm. Over six months, the team will conduct 50 semi-structured interviews across Newcastle, Sunderland, Middlesbrough and surrounding ex-mining, coastal and rural communities, and deliver a policy briefing, a frontline practitioner toolkit, and public-facing guidance, co-produced with MaPS throughout.

You will be central to delivery: conducting the majority of the 50 interviews, managing AI-assisted transcription and correction, maintaining analytical memos, and supporting co-production workshops and output drafting under the supervision of the three co-leads.

We are particularly keen to hear from those with a passion for collaboration and the ability to engage sensitively with participants discussing financial hardship. We are looking for candidates with experience of qualitative interviewing, ideally with vulnerable or hard-to-reach populations, and an interest in fuel poverty, financial precarity, or regional inequality.

This is a fixed-term post for approximately 6 months (50% FTE), starting August 2026. Please note this role has a very tight recruitment timeline: interviews will be held in early August, so we encourage interested candidates to apply as early as possible and to hold early August availability for interview. The role will require travel across Newcastle, Sunderland, Middlesbrough and surrounding Northeast communities to conduct in-person interviews, sometimes in participants' homes (often paired for safety). Standard pre-employment checks apply. Flexible or part-time working options can be discussed.

You will report to Professor Abigail Marks (Project Lead). We want you to feel confident applying for this role. If you'd like an informal discussion to clarify any points, please contact Abigail.marks@ncl.ac.uk. We are committed to making the process accessible to everyone and will aim to provide additional support or adjustments to meet your needs.

Please submit a CV and covering letter. In your covering letter, please address:

• Your experience conducting qualitative (ideally semi-structured) interviews, particularly with vulnerable or hard-to-reach populations.
• Your ability to manage sensitive fieldwork, including recognising and responding to participant distress.
• Experience with rapid transcription, coding, or analysis under time pressure.
• Your interest in fuel poverty, financial precarity, debt, or regional/place-based inequality.
• Your ability to work independently and manage a demanding fieldwork schedule within a compressed 6-month timeline.

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