Senior Research Associate (MIRL) - 0050-26

We invite applications for a new Senior Research Associate position available with immediate effect. Lancaster University is a founding partner of the BBC micro:bit initiative, and is actively growing its research, impact and teaching engagement activities in this area in collaboration with the Micro:bit Educational Foundation and other industry partners.

As part of this venture, we are seeking to recruit a two-year, full-time Senior Research Associate to lead a range of educational research activities in this group, including the educationally-sound evaluation and publication of research prototypes. This post provides a unique opportunity to collaborate closely with experts at Lancaster University, the Micro:bit Educational Foundation, and the UK and international research community.

We invite applications from experienced and enthusiastic individuals in the field, who have already attained a PhD in a highly relevant field of study. You must be able to demonstrate a passion for, and experience of, collaborating with teachers and children to discover the most effective tools for education. Prior experience working at the intersection of research and education is essential, as is the capability to undertake real-world user studies of prototype software and systems.

Your role will require you to lead in the creation of top-level publications in the field and collaborate with existing software and hardware development teams to maximize the impact of our work. Effective interpersonal skills and experience working collaboratively are therefore essential attributes. We also value highly the ability to learn rapidly and to adapt to new technologies beyond your current skills and expertise. Working seamlessly as part of an interdisciplinary team spanning academia and industry will also be expected.

The School of Computing and Communications offers a highly inclusive and stimulating environment for career development, and you will be exposed to a range of further opportunities over the course of this post. We welcome applications from people in all diversity groups. We are committed to family-friendly and flexible working policies on an individual basis, as well as the Athena SWAN Charter, which recognises and celebrates good employment practice undertaken to address gender equality in higher education and research.

This position is available for a two-year full-time contract based at Lancaster’s main campus. For further information or an informal discussion please contact Prof. Joe Finney (email: j.finney@lancaster.ac.uk). We warmly welcome applicants from all sections of the community regardless of their age, religion, gender identity or expression, race, disability or sexual orientation, and are committed to promoting diversity and equality of opportunity.