Postdoctoral Research Associate (PDRA)

Job title:

Postdoctoral Research Associate (PDRA)

Company

University of Edinburgh

Job description

Job Description:Grade UE07- £39,347- £46,974College of Arts, Humanities & Social Science- Moray House School of Education & SportFull Time- 35 hours per weekFixed Term- 24 months until 31 December 2026The Opportunity:Grasping Data goes beyond current emphases on privacy and protection by co-creating cutting-edge, child-centred tools and pedagogies with young children, helping them understand and directly benefit from their own data. We will achieve this by advancing diverse research fields of early learning, cognitive psychology, child-centred design, data ethics, data visualization, and computer science to explore the potential of Data Physicalization for children in their early years (aged 3-8) to construct (with adults) physical representations of their personal data that they can touch, explore, talk about and learn with. Our focus on the youngest learners pushes the boundaries of helping all ages to understand and benefit from data in an increasingly digital world.Grasping Data is led by Prof. Andrew Manches at the University of Edinburgh’s leading School of Education and Sport in collaboration in collaboration with the School of Informatics and the University of Glasgow’s School of Computer Science. Together with project partners (SSERC, Glasgow Science Centre, and Edinburgh Zoo) and participants (children 3-8yrs) and their families and educators) we will undertake fundamental, design-led and qualitative research in data visualization with children, families and educators in Scotland. As part of the project, we will explore (1) children’s understanding of and perspectives on personal data and (2) new means for children to actively engage with their personal data through visual and physical data representations and bespoke activities.This post is one of three Post Doctoral Research Assistant (PDRA) positions each of which will explore “Grasping Data” from the perspective of education, data visualization/physicalization and physical computing, respectively. The post holder will be physically based at Edinburgh Futures Institute (efi.ed.ac.uk) and will work within a large interdisciplinary team led by investigators in education (Prof. Andrew Manches and Dr Cara Wilson), data visualization (Dr Uta Hinrichs) and physical computing (Prof. Stephen Brewster), and the partner organizations mentioned above.The post-holder will support and lead in the design and study of the impact of visual and physical representations of personal data and bespoke activities – working directly with children – to facilitate an active and critical engagement of children with their personal data. The post-holder will help lead initial work in schools and closely collaborate with the Grasping Data research leads across education, visualization and physical computing as well as project partners. This will include, in particular, liaison and collaboration with two other PDRAs of the Grasping Data project in design informatics and physical computing.This post is full time at 1.0 FTE. We will consider requests for hybrid working (on a non-contractual basis) that combines a mix of remote and regular on-campus working, so long as the core qualitative in-person research can be accommodated. This job requires (following appointment) Protection of Vulnerable Groups Scheme (PVG) Registration as working directly with young children.Your skills and attributes for success:

• A PhD or equivalent professional qualification (or near completion) in social science, humanities, Education, Human-Computer Interaction or design that utilises qualitative and/or mixed methods.

• Experience of qualitative or mixed-methods studies involving children and/or schools

• Knowledge and experience of academic publishing including e.g. first authorship and evidence of strong/independent writing capabilities in relevant venues such as CHI, DIS, IDC, TOCHI, TEI

• Demonstrated understanding of the ethical challenges and safeguarding requirements of working with children.

• Desirable: knowledge and/or experience of video interaction analysis and/or multimodal analysis.

• Desirable: experience and/or knowledge of current data physicalization practices

• Desirable: Experience and/or interest in working interdisciplinarily across the sciences, humanities, art and design.

As a valued member of our team you can expect:

• A competitive salary of £39,347 – £46,974 per annum

• An exciting, positive, creative, challenging and rewarding place to work.

• To be part of a diverse and vibrant international community

• Comprehensive Staff Benefits, such as a generous holiday entitlement, a defined benefits pension scheme, staff discounts, family-friendly initiatives, and flexible work options. Check out the full list on our

(opens in a new tab) and use our reward calculator to discover the total value of your pay and benefitsChampioning equality, diversity and inclusionThe University of Edinburgh holds a Silver Athena SWAN award in recognition of our commitment to advance gender equality in higher education. We are members of the Race Equality Charter and we are also Stonewall Scotland Diversity Champions, actively promoting LGBT equality.Prior to any employment commencing with the University you will be required to evidence your right to work in the UK. Further information is available on our (opens new browser tab)On this occasion the University will not consider applicants requiring sponsorship for this role. International workers will therefore only be able to take up this role if they can demonstrate an alternative right to work in the UK.ApplicationsApplicants must provide a recent CV and a cover letter, detailing how you meet each of the essential criteria outlined in the “Knowledge, Skills and Experience” section of the Job Description.All applications must contain the following supporting documents:

• Cover letter (1 page max.)
• Research statement outlining previous research experiences relevant to this post (2 pages max.)

• Full CV (resume) and publication list

• 2 named references

Key dates to noteThe closing date for applications is 10th September.Unless stated otherwise the closing time for applications is 11:59pm GMT. If you are applying outside the UK, the closing time on our adverts automatically adjusts to your browsers local time zone.It is anticipated interviews will be held w/c 23rd September.About Us: As a world-leading research-intensive University, we are here to address tomorrow’s greatest challenges. Between now and 2030 we will do that with a values-led approach to teaching, research and innovation, and through the strength of our relationships, both locally and globally.About the Team:This Institute specialises in the sociology of education, education policy, higher and community education and digital education.Our Institute for Education, Community and Society has a growing reputation for innovative e-learning research and practice and an established international reputation for research in the sociology of education, education policy, higher and community education including community approaches to life-long learning, children and young people’s learning and development and extensive research in equity, inclusion and diversity within and beyond education.This Institute was formed in August 2010 from the Department of Education and Society and the Department of Higher and Community Education.To find out more, visit https://www.ed.ac.uk/education/institutes/ecs

Expected salary

£39347 – 46974 per year

Location

Edinburgh – Midlothian

Job date

Thu, 29 Aug 2024 06:42:03 GMT

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