Research Fellow

Edinburgh Napier University’s School of Applied Sciences is committed to providing an environment that recognises and supports research excellence.

As part of our partnership with Robertson Trust along with City of Glasgow College and Queen Margaret University, we are currently leading a project that intends to deliver ‘big change’ in Scotland’s tertiary education sector by transforming policy and practice through the lenses of trauma and poverty.

As such, we have an opportunity for a Research Fellow to join the project on a 0.8 FTE basis for 16 months and play a key role in shaping the project which seeks to change cultures and shape a sustainable education system that is trauma-informed and prioritises student wellbeing.

The role:

As Research Fellow you will have the opportunity to use your research experience in a relevant field to evaluate the impact of policies and practices across the student journey, and work in partnership with students who have experienced poverty and trauma to co-create methodology that identifies critical institutional policies and practices that impose barriers on their progress.

Your experience of designing and facilitating interactive workshops and planning processes will stand you in good stead as you lead on the development, coordination and delivery of research to gather evidence for the project, identifying and working with relevant datasets to gather a range of student perspectives, enhancing our understanding of student needs, expectations and experiences.

We anticipate that as an experienced researcher, you will be in a strong position to also use your expertise in one or more relevant research methodologies (such as surveys, corporate research, oral histories, participatory action research, or mixed methods) to gather evidence and build a sector-wide toolkit and evaluative model to accelerate, elicit and measure the effectiveness of policy/practices that lead to institutional culture change.

This is an excellent opportunity to enhance your research career with a meaningful and potentially impactful study, of which the outcomes could influence and steer positive change for students that have experienced adverse circumstances in their lives.

If you have relevant experience and subject matter expertise, with the motivation to make a positive difference, then we would love to hear from you.

What we will need from you:

• A PhD in a relevant field
• Undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline or significant equivalent experience
• Demonstrable experience of carrying out research using evidence-informed approaches
• Expertise in one or more relevant research methodologies
• Outstanding oral and written communications skills
• Demonstrable interest in equity, social justice and/or trauma-informed practice.

When applying, please provide a supporting statement to outline your fit for this role.

Benefits we offer:

Pension with employer contributions of 17.6 - 26% (depending on circumstances) and paid annual leave entitlement based on 46 days.

For more information about our wide range of benefits, click here.

Additional information:

Contract: 16 months, 28 hours/wk

Interviews: Week commencing 23^rd November 2026. 

On this occasion, the University will not consider applicants requiring sponsorship or visa support for this role. International applicants will therefore only be able to take up this role if they can demonstrate an alternative right to work in the UK.

Advert information