Find a job 
Featured Companies 
Featured Universities 
For Companies At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead research on hydrogen transitions and justice, ensuring fair benefits for all communities.
- Company: Cranfield University, a leader in technology and management education.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, flexible working options, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on energy justice and sustainability across multiple countries.
- Qualifications: Doctorate in energy systems governance or related fields; strong social science research skills.
- Other info: Join a diverse and inclusive community committed to innovation and collaboration.
The predicted salary is between 37337 - 44906 £ per year.
Organisation: Cranfield University
Faculty or Department: Faculty of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Based at: Cranfield Campus, Cranfield, Bedfordshire
Hours of work: 37 hours per week, normally worked Monday to Friday. Flexible working will be considered.
Contract type: Fixed term contract
Fixed Term Period: 30 Months
Salary: Research Fellow - Full time starting salary is normally in the range of £37,337 to £44,906 per annum. Senior Research Fellow - Full time starting salary is normally in the range of £48,039 per annum
Posted Date: 14/01/2026
Apply by: 11/02/2026
Role Description: You will be advancing the development and application of socio-technical systems thinking and justice principles to ensure the benefits and disbenefits of hydrogen transition are borne fairly. You will be joining the Global Hydrogen Production Technologies (HyPT) Center which aims to develop net-zero and responsible hydrogen pathways across the UK, USA, Canada and Australia. You will become a member of the cross-cutting policies, economics and market thrust as well as the UK team. You will lead social aspects of hydrogen infrastructure development and justice work streams across the four jurisdictions. You will be expected to evaluate the incumbent governance regimes, including formal laws and regulations, against principles of flexibility and learning with a view to establish a set of adaptive governance principles and identify best practices. Analysing how hydrogen transition may impact vulnerable or indigenous peoples, in particular whether and how it can undo past injustices, is very important for this role. You are expected to work and coordinate this strand of work with our local partners across the four jurisdictions. You will also support Cranfield's role to devise activities for embedding multidisciplinarity and interdisciplinarity between technical and social science teams.
About You: You will be educated to doctoral level in governance of energy systems or institutional perspectives to energy transitions or socio-technical perspectives to energy systems change or energy justice or energy policy and regulation. With excellent communication skills, you will have expertise in social science research methods and development of new concepts and frameworks. For appointments at Senior Research Fellow level, demonstrated ability to win and deliver research grants or manage research teams is an essential criteria.
About Us: As a specialist postgraduate university, Cranfield's world-class expertise, large-scale facilities and unrivalled industry partnerships are creating leaders in technology and management globally. Cranfield's expertise in Automotive, Energy and Photonics covers a wide range of research, teaching, short course, and consulting expertise across these three main areas. Our automotive team drive sector leading work on motorsport engineering, mechatronics, autonomous vehicles and battery technologies. Our energy team, developed from our ongoing relationship with oil and gas, works on developing reliance on renewable energy from the world around. Addressing this changing energy landscape includes work on new technologies and services related to low carbon energy and transition to net zero. Our engineering photonics team is one of the UK's leading optical sensing and instrumentation research centres, encompassing; fibre optic sensors, optical flow measurement instrumentation, speckle interferometry, spectroscopic gas detection and medical imaging.
Our Values and Commitments: Our shared, stated values help to define who we are and underpin everything we do: Ambition; Impact; Respect; and Community. We aim to create and maintain a culture in which everyone can work and study together and realise their full potential. We are a Disability Confident Employer and proud members of the Stonewall Diversity Champions Programme. We are committed to actively exploring flexible working options for each role and have been ranked in the Top 30 family friendly employers in the UK by the charity Working Families.
Working Arrangements: Collaborating and connecting are integral to so much of what we do. Our Working Arrangements Framework provides many staff with the opportunity to flexibly combine on-site and remote working, where job roles allow, balancing the needs of our community of staff, students, clients and partners.
How To Apply: For an informal discussion about this opportunity, please contact Prof Nazmiye Ozkan, Chair in Sustainable Energy Transitions, on (T): 01234 45 7296 or (E): n.ozkan@cranfield.ac.uk. Please do not hesitate to contact us for further details on E: hrrecruitment@cranfield.ac.uk. Please quote reference number 5213. Closing date for receipt of applications: 11 February 2026. Please note that we reserve the right to close this advert prior to the stated closing date should we receive sufficient numbers of applications. Therefore, we would encourage you to complete and submit your application as soon as possible.
Senior/ Research Fellow in Energy Transitions and Justice in Cranfield employer: Cranfield Water
Contact Detail:
Cranfield Water Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior/ Research Fellow in Energy Transitions and Justice in Cranfield
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to people in the energy sector, especially those connected to hydrogen transitions. Attend events, webinars, or even local meet-ups to make connections that could lead to job opportunities.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your expertise! Prepare a portfolio or presentation that highlights your research and projects related to energy justice and socio-technical systems. This can be a great conversation starter during interviews or networking events.
✨Tip Number 3
Don’t just apply; engage! When you apply through our website, follow up with a friendly email expressing your enthusiasm for the role. It shows initiative and keeps you on their radar.
✨Tip Number 4
Practice makes perfect! Conduct mock interviews with friends or mentors to refine your answers, especially around governance and energy transitions. The more comfortable you are, the better you'll perform when it counts.
We think you need these skills to ace Senior/ Research Fellow in Energy Transitions and Justice in Cranfield
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your application to highlight how your skills and experiences align with the role. We want to see how you can contribute to advancing energy transitions and justice, so don’t hold back on showcasing your relevant expertise!
Showcase Your Research Skills: Since this role involves a lot of research, be sure to emphasise your experience with social science research methods. We’re looking for someone who can develop new concepts and frameworks, so share any relevant projects or publications that demonstrate your capabilities.
Communicate Clearly: Excellent communication skills are key for this position. When writing your application, keep it clear and concise. We want to understand your ideas and how you plan to tackle the challenges in hydrogen transition and justice without any confusion.
Apply Through Our Website: Don’t forget to submit your application through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, it shows us you’re serious about joining our team at Cranfield University.
How to prepare for a job interview at Cranfield Water
✨Know Your Stuff
Make sure you’re well-versed in socio-technical systems thinking and energy justice principles. Brush up on the latest research and case studies related to hydrogen transitions, especially how they impact vulnerable communities. This will show your depth of knowledge and commitment to the role.
✨Showcase Your Communication Skills
Since excellent communication is key for this position, practice articulating complex ideas clearly and concisely. Prepare to discuss how you’ve effectively communicated research findings in the past, especially in interdisciplinary settings. This will demonstrate your ability to collaborate with diverse teams.
✨Prepare for Scenario Questions
Expect questions that ask how you would handle specific challenges related to governance regimes or social impacts of hydrogen infrastructure. Think through potential scenarios and your approach to evaluating and establishing adaptive governance principles. This will highlight your problem-solving skills.
✨Connect with Cranfield's Values
Familiarise yourself with Cranfield’s values: Ambition, Impact, Respect, and Community. Be ready to discuss how your personal values align with theirs and provide examples of how you’ve embodied these values in your previous work. This will help you stand out as a cultural fit for the team.