Research Associate - Community Engagement & Participatory Design in Milton Keynes

The Open University is the UK’s largest university, a world leader in flexible part-time education combining a mission to widen access to higher education with research excellence, transforming lives through education.

This post is based on campus in Milton Keynes (remote work with monthly on-campus catch-ups is available), with regular travel to Cardiff. The role requires familiarity and comfort with two-site delivery. The post is fixed-term, 0.5 FTE (18.5 hours per week), funded by the Open Societal Challenges award, and runs from 1 October 2026 to 30 April 2027.

The Open University's Institute of Educational Technology has been awarded funding from the Open Societal Challenges (OSC) scheme to deliver BELONG, a one-year citizen inquiry in heritage contexts. The project tests whether engaging underrepresented communities as citizen curators and co-designers can foster a sense of belonging and build research capacity in groups typically excluded from heritage and scientific institutions.

The Research Associate will deliver this pilot across two sites: Milton Keynes (in partnership with MK Museum and MK Living Archives) and Cardiff (in partnership with National Museum Wales). You will facilitate participatory workshops, coordinate data collection, and work with community members to co-design AI enhancement features for the nQuire citizen-inquiry platform. The role runs for 7 months (October 2026 to April 2027) across two phases:

• Phase 1 (three sessions per site) focuses on heritage exploration and foundational data literacy.
• Phase 2 (three sessions per site) transitions participants into co-designers, who test digital tools and propose improvements.

You will work collaboratively with museum partners, the research team, and community participants to build research capacity and generate evidence on inclusive community engagement. The role offers excellent opportunities to develop expertise in participatory design, community engagement, and qualitative research with underrepresented populations. Early Career Researchers are encouraged to apply.

You will be part of the BELONG project team led by Dr Maria Aristeidou (PI, Institute of Educational Technology), Prof Christothea Herodotou (Co-I and nQuire academic lead) and Sarah Roberts (OU Wales). You will work directly with heritage partners at MK Museum, MK Living Archives, and National Museum Wales. The team is committed to co-ownership, flexibility, and genuine collaboration with community participants throughout the project. You will also be a member of the Digital Participation, Social Justice and Equitable Learning programme in IET, which will include you in wider discussions in the field and knowledge exchange.

Key Responsibilities

The person appointed to this post will undertake duties to include:

• Facilitating participatory workshops with small groups (8 at each site) at both Milton Keynes and Cardiff sites (6 sessions per site over 6 months), using community-centred approaches that build research agency and are sensitive to varying levels of prior community attachment.
• Delivering data collection across Phases 1 and 2, including pre/post surveys, semi-structured interviews, field notes, and nQuire platform analytics.
• Supporting Phase 2 co-design workshops where participants explore digital tools and propose AI enhancements to nQuire.
• Documenting community-authored specifications that feed into the platform development roadmap.
• Conducting qualitative analysis of workshop transcripts, interview recordings, field notes, and participant artefacts.
• Producing cross-national comparison summaries and contributing to project reports and academic outputs.
• Travelling between Milton Keynes and Cardiff to deliver sessions (includes occasional overnight stays or weekend sessions to be agreed with the heritage partners), managing logistics, and liaising with heritage partners to ensure smooth workshop delivery.
• Contributing to the dissemination of findings through academic publications, internal project reports, and public engagement (blogs, webinars, events).

All staff are expected to:

• Follow the University's Research Ethics, Health and Safety and Equal Opportunities policies.
• Ability to carry out the role in a way that is consistent with equality legislation and University policies.
• Attend and complete appropriate staff development events and courses.

About You

• PhD in Community Engagement/Participatory Design/Citizen Science/Museum Education or related field.
• Experience of designing or facilitating participatory and/or community-engaged research, including co-design or co-production methods.
• Demonstrated experience of working with underrepresented communities, and sensitivity to the barriers they face in accessing institutions.
• Strong qualitative research skills, including interview conduct, transcription, coding, and thematic analysis.
• Excellent communication and facilitation skills; ability to create an inclusive, safe space where participants feel valued and heard.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks independently and as part of a team, with strong organisational and time management skills.
• Ability to travel between two sites (Milton Keynes and Cardiff) regularly, including occasional overnight stays in Cardiff and possible weekend sessions.
• Proficiency in using digital tools and platforms (e.g., survey software, qualitative analysis tools, online collaboration spaces).
• Experience of working in museum, heritage or community contexts.
• Familiarity with digital tools and platforms for participatory data collection and analysis (e.g., nQuire, online survey platforms, collaborative design tools).
• Knowledge of AI accessibility and inclusive design principles.
• Track record of contributing to academic outputs (publications, reports, conference presentations).

What's in it for you?

At The Open University, we offer a range of benefits to recognise and reward great work, alongside policies and flexible working that contribute towards a great work life balance. We are open to discussions about flexible working. Whether it’s a job share, part time, compressed hours or another working arrangement. Please reach out to us to discuss what works best for you.

The Open University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion which is reflected in our mission to be open to people, places, methods and ideas. We aim to foster a diverse and inclusive environment so that all in our OU community can reach their potential.