Research Fellow, Integrating Citizen Deliberation for Impact (i4i)

We are delighted to welcome applications for the position of Research Fellow within the Integrating Citizen Deliberation for Impact (i4i) project, an international collaboration to examine the variety of ways that national and subnational European climate assemblies have been differently connected to their respective political-administrative systems and how this shapes their polity, policy, and political impacts.

The post holder will develop the cross-cutting conceptual schemes and empirical analyses that unite the different work packages of the project. This will primarily include carrying out a comparative analysis of the integration and impacts of European climate assemblies and writing academic outputs that conceptualise integration and impacts of public participation, as well as presenting the findings of the empirical analysis of the relationship between the two. This work will be carried out under the supervision of Rikki Dean (principal investigator of the project).

This research position will be based in the Department of Politics and International Relations within the Faculty of Social Sciences, at the University of Southampton where Dr. Dean is based. You will join a team of researchers based across the UK, Belgium, Germany, and Poland, as well as a supportive Department that contains the largest concentration of democratic innovations scholars in Europe.

To be successful in this role, you will have completed your PhD in a relevant discipline before April 2025 (or equivalent professional qualifications). You will have facility with building theoretical frameworks, as well as an interest in mixed-methods research; the ability to plan and organise work independently and as part of a team; and the ability to write research presentations and papers for peer review publication. Knowledge and experience of the subfield of democratic innovations and with using Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) is desirable.

The Research Fellow post is full-time for a fixed term until 30/04/2027 with a negotiable start date, but with an early start date being preferred. The University of Southampton holds an Athena SWAN Silver Award demonstrating commitment to equal opportunities in the workplace.

Applications for Research Fellow positions will be considered from candidates who are working towards or nearing completion of a relevant PhD qualification. The title of Research Fellow will be applied upon successful completion of the PhD. Prior to the qualification being awarded, the title of Senior Research Assistant will be given.

As a university, we aim to create an environment where everyone can thrive and are proactive in fostering a culture of inclusion, respect, and equality of opportunity. We believe that we can only truly meet our objectives if we are reflective of society, so we are passionate about creating a working environment in which you are free to bring your whole self to work. With a generous holiday allowance, as well as additional university closure days, we are committed to supporting our staff and students and are open to a flexible working approach.

Apply by 11.59 pm GMT on the closing date. For assistance, contact Recruitment on +44(0)2380 592750 or recruitment@soton.ac.uk quoting the job number.