Research Assistant

The Role and Department

We are looking to hire a capable and independent researcher with demonstrable experience in analysing semi-structured, qualitative interview data. Candidates will have a background in Psychology or a social science discipline such as Sociology, Human Geography or Social Anthropology. Ideally, candidates will have already completed a PhD or nearly completed a PhD.

The role involves the analysis of around 20 transcribed, hour-long interviews from passengers and crew who were on flight BA009 in 1982, which flew through a volcanic ash cloud and almost crashed when all engines failed. The research focusses on the health impacts from the experience and behaviours of passengers and crew during the crisis.

The interview and transcription process should be completed by the end of July 2023. Due to a publication deadline in mid-2024, we require a full-time researcher, for 4.5 months, starting in August or early September 2023. Candidates must be fluent English speakers and will be able to work remotely, with regular online meetings with the research team: Prof Claire J. Horwell (Department of Earth Sciences, Durham) who is an expert in the health impacts of volcanic eruptions and Associate Professor Ian de Terte (Massey University, New Zealand), a clinical trauma psychologist.

We expect the successful applicant to work with the investigators to design the data analysis plan and then to conduct the data analysis on both interview data and secondary data. The researcher will be a co-author on the resulting manuscript/s.

Durham Earth Sciences is one of the very best UK Earth Science departments with an outstanding reputation for excellence in research and teaching. More information on the department, its research and its facilities can be found at .

This post is fixed term for 4.5 months, with funding available from August 2023, for this fixed period only; the project is time limited.