Research Associate (Post-Doctoral Researcher) in Aberystwyth

The Department of International Politics is inviting applications for a position as Research Associate to conduct research as part of the ESRC-funded Secondary Data Analysis project “The Unarmed Civilian Protection in South Sudan Dataset”. The Research Associate will work closely with Project Lead Prof Berit Bliesemann de Guevara and Visiting Researcher Dr Luke Abbs on turning project partner Nonviolent Peaceforce’s existing rich text data into a gold-standard numerical dataset suitable for quantitative analysis.

Tasks include creating a codebook, coding a major part of the primary incident data, and analysing the data. The Research Associate will co‑author all research outputs, participate in the training of the project partner’s staff, and have the opportunity to present preliminary project findings at relevant conferences. The successful candidate will be well versed in quantitative research in the field(s) of conflict, humanitarianism, peacekeeping, nonviolent resistance, or similar.

Main Duties & Responsibilities:

• In collaboration with the Project Lead and the Visiting Researcher, create a gold-standard new dataset using Nonviolent Peaceforce’s text data, specifically conceptualising key variables, sampling primary data, and hand‑coding a major part of the incident data.
• Support the delivery of project outputs, including the creation of a codebook and toolkit for this dataset, participate in the training of the project partner’s staff, and analyse the data using appropriate methodology.
• Co‑write and publish academic articles, training manuals, and policy briefs.
• Facilitate dissemination, impact, and knowledge sharing activities, including presenting findings at a major academic conference.
• Engage and communicate with project partner Nonviolent Peaceforce and other stakeholders.
• Organise and facilitate online and offline capacity‑building activities for project partner Nonviolent Peaceforce and other stakeholders.
• Participate in and contribute to departmental research events and the wider research community, e.g. a presentation at the International Politics Research Seminar.
• Liaise with research‑relevant departments at Aberystwyth University as required.
• Undertake other duties as assigned by your line manager, commensurate with the role’s grade.
• Promote equality of opportunity, and to support and uphold the University’s commitment to diversity and inclusion in all aspects of your work.

Further Particulars:

The need for effective protection of civilians from armed violence is growing globally. Unarmed civilian protection (UCP) – a non‑violent mechanism used by civilians to protect other civilians and/or themselves from physical harm in contexts of violent conflict – has become a significant source of safety for many civilians in violent contexts. The expansion of UCP practice is reflected in a growing body of UCP research, but which at date has been predominantly qualitative in nature. The very limited attempts at quantitatively evaluating the protective impact of UCP and inform best practice are not least due to the fact that there is no publicly available dataset on UCP.

Building on recent innovations in non‑violent resistance and peacekeeping literatures, this project will make a much‑needed quantitative contribution to the study and practice of UCP by creating the world’s first comprehensive quantitative dataset on UCP initiatives: the Unarmed Civilian Protection in South Sudan (UCP‑SS) Dataset. To this end, the project partners with Nonviolent Peaceforce (NP), the world’s largest UCP organisation, using existing primary data collected by NP’s South Sudan mission to create a new dataset on UCP activities and types of violence in South Sudan and conduct first in‑depth analyses of UCP effectiveness and trends across South Sudan using this new dataset.

The project outputs (deliverables) will consist of the new UCP‑SS dataset and its underpinning codebook; a toolkit, new reporting template and training for NP and its partners to improve data collection and continue using quantitative data analysis to monitor and improve UCP practice in South Sudan and other locations; and two academic articles to introduce the new dataset and present analysis results. The academic project outcome will be a transformative boost for UCP research through quantitative analysis to complement the existing rich body of qualitative research.

Organisationally, the project will help project partner NP to inform its design, monitoring, evaluation and learning (DMEL) through quantitative methods and evidence, with the potential to share this practice with other UCP organisations in future. Societally, the project will help improve both research and practice of UCP as one of the mechanisms to provide protection of civilians – one of the pressing issues of our time amid growing instability and decreasing aid budgets – thereby contributing to create safer spaces for conflict resolution efforts.

This post is funded through the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).

Who you are – Qualifications, Experience, Knowledge and Skills required:

Essential:

• PhD in a relevant field (e.g. conflict, humanitarianism, peacekeeping, nonviolent resistance, or similar).
• Knowledge of quantitative research techniques, methods, and analysis.
• Experience designing, collecting data for, and conducting quantitative analyses in the field(s) of unarmed civilian protection or community self‑protection, peace and conflict studies, humanitarianism, international peacekeeping, non‑violent/civil resistance, or similar.
• Advanced skills in statistical software (e.g. Stata, R or Python).
• An understanding of data management and archiving.
• Excellent English‑language communication skills, both oral and written, with the ability to convey information in a clear, concise manner to collaborators from different cultural backgrounds and with varying degrees of English language proficiency.
• Ability to work to deadlines, to operate flexibly, and to work independently.
• An ability to understand the bilingual nature of the University and an awareness of the procedures in place to support working bilingually.

Desirable:

• An emerging track record of articles in top peer‑reviewed journals in the social sciences.
• Experience of working with geospatial data and spatial models.
• Knowledge of quasi‑experimental and causal methods.
• Moderate to advanced skills in GIS software (e.g. QGIS).
• Oral (spoken) and written Welsh Level B1.

We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and communities, and those that are currently underrepresented in our workforce. This includes but is not limited to Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic candidates, candidates with disabilities, and female candidates. We are a Bilingual Institution which complies with the Welsh Language Standards and is committed to Equal Opportunities. Applications submitted will be treated equally.

Benefits:

• Flexible working policy
• Hybrid Working
• 36.5‑hour week for full‑time roles
• Generous leave entitlements – 27 days annual leave plus bank holidays and university closed days
• Commitment to Professional Development
• Enhanced contribution to our workplace pension schemes
• Staff recognition and reward schemes
• Opportunity to learn the Welsh language for free
• Staff relocation bursary
• Maternity, Paternity, Parental and Adoption Leave
• Staff discount for gym facilities, hospitality and retail on campus.

Employment Visa:

Under the UK Government’s points‑based system scheme, this role does not meet the criteria to be sponsored by Aberystwyth University (AU) for a Skilled Worker Route (SWR) application.