Research Fellow

Research Fellow (0.5 FTE) - Singing and the Human Spirit

Salary: As this vacancy has limited funding the maximum salary that can be offered is Grade 7, salary £36,636.

Job Description

The University of Birmingham is seeking an outstanding and motivated Research Fellow to join the interdisciplinary research project Singing and the Human Spirit, led by Dr Katie Bank and funded by the John Templeton Foundation. This 18-month, part-time (0.5 FTE) position offers an opportunity to contribute to innovative research exploring how singing shapes experiences of spirituality, meaning, wellbeing, belonging, and human flourishing.

Based within an established and collaborative research team, the successful candidate will work closely with Principal Investigator Dr Katie Bank and Co-Investigator Professor Stephen Bullivant (St Mary's University, Twickenham) to deliver the next phase of this ambitious project. The research combines historical, empirical, and practice-led approaches to investigate the significance of choral singing in contemporary life and its contribution to individual and community experiences of purpose, connection, and the ‘human spirit’ (loosely defined).

The Research Fellow will play a key role in designing and delivering mixed-methods research with choral singers. Responsibilities will include conducting qualitative interviews, analysing qualitative and/or quantitative data, contributing to innovative practice-led workshop activities, and supporting the interpretation and dissemination of research findings. The successful candidate will help generate new knowledge about the relationships between singing, spirituality, meaning-making, and human flourishing, contributing to a growing field of interdisciplinary scholarship.

Alongside research activity, the postholder will contribute to a range of academic outputs, including peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, public engagement initiatives, and an edited collection arising from the project. Importantly, the role also provides the opportunity to develop an independent publication aligned with the project's themes, helping to strengthen the successful candidate's own academic profile and career development.

Person Specification

We welcome applications from candidates who have completed, or are close to completing, a PhD in Music, Sociology, Linguistics, Psychology, Cognitive Science, Philosophy, or another relevant discipline. Applicants should demonstrate experience of conducting and analysing qualitative and/or quantitative research, together with a strong interest in music's role in human flourishing, music and spirituality, music and theology, or related areas of interdisciplinary enquiry. In addition to an appreciation of choral singing and the experiences of singers, a background in practice-led research, participatory methodologies, workshop facilitation, community engagement, or research relating to wellbeing, social connection, or spirituality would be especially welcome. We are particularly interested in candidates who are intellectually curious, collaborative, and enthusiastic about engaging with both academic and non-academic audiences.

If you are excited by interdisciplinary research and understanding the transformative role of singing in human life, we would be delighted to hear from you. 

Informal enquiries can be made to Katie Bank k.n.bank@bham.ac.uk

To download the full job description and details of this position and submit an electronic application online please click on the 'Apply' button above.

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We value diversity and inclusion at the University of Birmingham and welcome applications from all sections of the community and are open to discussions around all forms of flexible working

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