Policy & Research Fellow, Ethics of Emerging Technologies in Birmingham

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £36,636 to £46,049 with potential progression once in post to £48,822

Grade: 7

Full Time, Fixed Term contract up to September 2027

Closing date: 9th June 2026

UK and International Travel may be required for this role

Background

To create and contribute to the creation of knowledge by undertaking a specified range of activities within an established research programme and/or specific research project.

Role Summary

• Contribute to the preparation, analysis and dissemination of research outputs from the ERSC funded “Ethics and Expertise beyond times of crisis: Learning from international varieties of ethics advice” research grant (Principal Investigator: Jessica Pykett).
• This project investigates how ethics advice is used and/or not used by governments and policy makers in crisis situations.
• Contribute to identifying relevant funding calls and developing external research funding bids on the ethics of emerging technologies.
• Work with other members of the research team including international Co-Investigators and non-academic partners.
• Operate within area of specialism and advance interdisciplinary approaches to research.
• Play a lead role in analysing, interpreting and presenting research findings and results including in academic publications, blogs, policy briefs and wider impact and engagement.

The successful applicant will be supported in establishing a strong research profile to include research publication, impact on policy and practice, and potential for securing external research funding.

Main Duties

• Develop research dissemination objectives and analytic strategies for the project research, with line management from Jessica Pykett (PI).
• Collect engagement and impact data through a variety of research methods, such as stakeholder mapping, literature reviews, collating and analysing policy documentation, research interviews and group interviews.
• Analyse and interpret data.
• Apply knowledge in a way which develops new intellectual understanding.
• Collaborate in the preparation of outputs from the research.
• Disseminate research findings for publication, research seminars, conferences etc.
• Develop and make substantial contributions to representing the University and collaborating partners externally through knowledge transfer, good working relationships, enterprise, business engagement, and public engagement activities of manifest benefit to the University and collaborating partners.
• Undertake management/administration arising from research.
• Prepare and lead policy and civil society engagement workshops.
• Organise and write notes of meetings and events, such as workshops and roundtable meetings.
• Deal with problems that may affect the achievement of research objectives and deadlines.
• Co-ordinate own work with others to avoid conflict or duplication of effort.
• Comply with data protection, ethics and research governance guidelines; prepare and deposit datasets in UK Data Archive.
• Assist with the evaluation of activities and maintain records relating to the impact of work.
• Promote equality and values diversity acting as a role model and fostering an inclusive working culture.
• Carry out other work within the scope of the role, as reasonably requested.

Person Specification

• First degree in area of specialism and normally, a higher degree in a relevant humanities or social science discipline - such as anthropology, bioethics, critical data studies, history, human geography, law, philosophy, political theory, policy studies/public administration, science and technology studies - or equivalent qualifications and experience.
• Knowledge and understanding of government advisory systems, ethics, digital rights literatures and emerging technologies.
• Ability to communicate complex information clearly to a variety of audiences, as evidenced through a track record of academic or equivalent high quality and high impact publications, and national/international presentations.
• Fluency in qualitative research methods, policy analysis and discourse analysis, and ability to contribute to developing innovative methods.
• Knowledge of policy and civil society networks and external developments relevant to the policy landscape.
• Demonstrable capacity to undertake knowledge exchange, impact and influence activities with policy makers.
• Understanding of and ability to contribute to the planning, organising and administration of the research programme, managing events, engagement and consultative activities.
• Experience of facilitating academic and other cross-sectoral workshops and events.
• Excellent organisational skills, including the capacity to manage large quantities of data and literature effectively.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to develop good working relationships with colleagues, academics, senior officials and others.
• Ability to cope with a full and varied workload, to prioritise and work to deadlines.
• Ability to assess resource requirements, use resources effectively and monitor certain costs.
• Knowledge of the protected characteristics of the Equality Act 2010, and how to actively ensure in day to day activity in own area that those with protected characteristics are treated equally and fairly.

Informal enquiries to Jessica Pykett, email: j.pykett@bham.ac.uk

Use of AI in applications: We want to understand your genuine interest in the role and for the written elements of your application to accurately reflect your own communication style. Applications that rely too heavily on AI tools can appear generic and lack the detail we need to assess your skills and experience. Such applications will unlikely be progressed to interview.

We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy.