Research Associate - Community Engagement & Participatory Design

Weekly Working Hours: 18.5

Fixed Term Contract: End Date: 31 July 2027

Welsh Language: Not Applicable

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About the Role

This post is based on campus in Milton Keynes (remote work with monthly on-campus catch-ups is available), with regular travel to Cardiff. The role requires familiarity and comfort with two-site delivery. The post is fixed-term, 0.5 FTE (18.5 hours per week), funded by the Open Societal Challenges award, and runs until 31st July 2027.

The Open University's Institute of Educational Technology has been awarded funding from the Open Societal Challenges (OSC) scheme to deliver BELONG, a one-year citizen inquiry in heritage contexts. The project tests whether engaging, underrepresented communities as citizen curators and co-designers can foster a sense of belonging and build research capacity in groups typically excluded from heritage and scientific institutions.

The Research Associate will deliver this pilot across two sites: Milton Keynes (in partnership with MK Museum and MK Living Archives) and Cardiff (in partnership with National Museum Wales). You will facilitate participatory workshops, coordinate data collection, and work with community members to co-design AI enhancement features for the nQuire citizen-inquiry platform.

The role runs for 7 months (October 2026 to April 2027) across two phases. Phase 1 (three sessions per site) focuses on heritage exploration and foundational data literacy. Phase 2 (three sessions per site) transitions participants into co-designers, who test digital tools and propose improvements. You will work collaboratively with museum partners, the research team, and community participants to build research capacity and generate evidence on inclusive community engagement.

The role offers excellent opportunities to develop expertise in participatory design, community engagement, and qualitative research with underrepresented populations. Early Career Researchers are encouraged to apply.

About the Team You Would Join

You will be part of the BELONG project team led by Dr Maria Aristeidou (PI, Institute of Educational Technology), Prof Christothea Herodotou (Co-I and nQuire academic lead) and Sarah Roberts (OU Wales). You will work directly with heritage partners at MK Museum, MK Living Archives, and National Museum Wales. The team is committed to co-ownership, flexibility, and genuine collaboration with community participants throughout the project.

You will also be a member of the Digital Participation, Social Justice and Equitable Learning programme in IET, which will include you in wider discussions in the field and knowledge exchange. 

Key Responsibilities

The person appointed to this post will undertake duties to include:

• Facilitating participatory workshops with small groups (8 at each site) at both Milton Keynes and Cardiff sites (6 sessions per site over 6 months), using community-centred approaches that build research agency and are sensitive to varying levels of prior community attachment.
• Delivering data collection across Phases 1 and 2, including pre/post surveys, semi-structured interviews, field notes, and nQuire platform analytics.
• Supporting Phase 2 co-design workshops where participants explore digital tools and propose AI enhancements to nQuire. Documenting community-authored specifications that feed into the platform development roadmap.
• Conducting qualitative analysis of workshop transcripts, interview recordings, field notes, and participant artefacts. Producing cross-national comparison summaries and contributing to project reports and academic outputs.
• Travelling between Milton Keynes and Cardiff to deliver sessions (includes occasional overnight stays or weekend sessions to be agreed with the heritage partners), managing logistics, and liaising with heritage partners to ensure smooth workshop delivery.
• Contributing to the dissemination of findings through academic publications, internal project reports, and public engagement (blogs, webinars, events).

All staff are expected to:

• Follow the University's Research Ethics, Health and Safety and Equal Opportunities policies.
• Ability to carry out the role in a way that is consistent with equality legislation and University policies.
• Attend and complete appropriate staff development events and courses. 

About You 

Essential:

• PhD in Community Engagement/Participatory Design/Citizen Science/Museum Education or related field.
• Experience of designing or facilitating participatory and/or community-engaged research, including co-design or co-production methods.
• Demonstrated experience of working with underrepresented communities, and sensitivity to the barriers they face in accessing institutions.
• Strong qualitative research skills, including interview conduct, transcription, coding, and thematic analysis.
• Excellent communication and facilitation skills; ability to create an inclusive, safe space where participants feel valued and heard.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks independently and as part of a team, with strong organisational and time management skills.
• Ability to travel between two sites (Milton Keynes and Cardiff) regularly, including occasional overnight stays in Cardiff and possible weekend sessions.
• Proficiency in using digital tools and platforms (e.g., survey software, qualitative analysis tools, online collaboration spaces).

Desirable:

• Experience of working in museum, heritage or community contexts.
• Familiarity with digital tools and platforms for participatory data collection and analysis (e.g., nQuire, online survey platforms, collaborative design tools).
• Knowledge of AI accessibility and inclusive design principles.
• Track record of contributing to academic outputs (publications, reports, conference presentations).

Support with your application

If you have any questions, or need support or adjustments relating to your application, the recruitment process, or the role, please contact us on 01908 541111 or email careers@open.ac.uk quoting the advert reference number.

What's in it for you?

At The Open University, we offer a range of benefits to recognise and reward great work, alongside policies and flexible working that contribute towards a great work life balance. Get all the details of what benefits we offer by visiting our Staff Benefits page (clicking this link will open a new window).

Flexible working

We are open to discussions about flexible working. Whether it’s a job share, part time, compressed hours or another working arrangement. Please reach out to us to discuss what works best for you.

Next steps in the Recruitment process

If shortlisted, we anticipate interviews taking place W/C 2nd November. 

Early closing date notification

While most roles will remain open until the advertised closing date, applications may be reviewed on an ongoing basis. In some cases, vacancies may close earlier if a sufficient number of suitable applications have been received and equality impacts have been appropriately considered. All roles will remain advertised for a minimum of one week before any early closure is implemented.

If you have started an application or were in the process of applying when the advert closed, we encourage you to get in touch. We are committed to understanding individual circumstances and can offer further support where needed, including reasonable adjustments for applicants with protected characteristics.

How to apply

To apply for this role, please submit the following document(s):

• CV
• Supporting Statement (Your Supporting Statement should be no more than 1000 words and should outline how your skills and experience to date meet the essential and desirable criteria listed above). 

You can view your progress and application communications when you are logged into our recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk folders if you do not receive associated email updates.

The Open University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion which is reflected in our mission to be open to people, places, methods and ideas. We aim to foster a diverse and inclusive environment so that all in our OU community can reach their potential. We recognise that different people bring different perspectives, ideas, knowledge, and culture, and that this difference brings great strength. We strive to recruit, retain and develop the careers of a diverse pool of students and staff, and particularly encourage applications from all underrepresented groups. We also aspire to make The Open University a supportive workplace for all through our policies, services and staff networks.

Closing date of 11:59pm on 20^th October 2026