Research Associate

Job title:

Research Associate

Company

Cardiff University

Job description

School / DirectorateWelsh School of ArchitectureAdvertResearch AssociateThe Welsh School of Architecture (WSA) is seeking to appoint a highly motivated Research Associate.The successful applicant will be part of the Centre for a Low Carbon Built Environment, based at the WSA working with colleagues with long term experience of the different stages of retrofitting.The successful candidate will investigate, through engagement with residents and relevant stakeholders in the sector, what changes are needed to increase the successful uptake of whole energy system retrofitting in owner-occupied housing. This will involve the following activities:1. Carry out a sprint literature review of programmes, funding and finance schemes targeted at owner occupiers and identify and evaluate programmes where other financial incentives such as insurance or mortgages reductions have been applied.2. Carry out semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders in the grant/housing/financial sector to identify key issues and benefits around owner occupier retrofit and how these could be overcome.3. Develop, carry out, analyse and present outcomes of semi-structured interviews with residents to a sample of the owner occupier residents in Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council who have qualified to have energy saving measures installed in their homes (approx. 20-30 households). The interviews will seek to explore residents’ experiences, knowledge and wisdom as well as valued aspects of their home and the retrofit process to understand where gaps lie and what needs to change to encourage others to invest personal finance.4. Collate and finalise a report summarising outcomes from semi-structured interviews to provide an overview of the opportunities and challenges around owner occupier whole energy house retrofits and what needs to happen, and by who, to stimulate further uptake more widely.For informal enquiries about the post please contact Professor Jo Patterson (Director of Research) / Dr Emmanouil Perisoglou (Lecturer)This post is full-time and available immediately. This post is fixed-term for 12 months.Salary: £39,347- £44,263 per annum (Grade 6).
Appointments to roles at Cardiff University are usually made at bottom of scale.Date advert posted: Tuesday, 30 July 2024
Closing date: Sunday, 18 August 2024This post has previously been advertised to employees of Cardiff University only. We now invite external applications.Please be aware that Cardiff University reserves the right to close this vacancy early should sufficient applications be received.Cardiff University is committed to supporting and promoting equality and diversity and to creating an inclusive working environment. We believe this can be achieved through attracting, developing, and retaining a diverse range of staff from many different backgrounds. We therefore welcome applicants from all sections of the community regardless of sex, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, trans identity, relationship status, religion or belief, caring responsibilities, or age. In supporting our employees to achieve a balance between their work and their personal lives, we will also consider proposals for flexible working or job share arrangements.Applications may be submitted in Welsh, and an application submitted in Welsh will not be treated less favourably than an application submitted in English.Cardiff University is a signatory to the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), which means that in hiring and promotion decisions we will evaluate applicants on the quality of their research, not publication metrics or the identity of the journal in which the research is published. More information is available at:Post Reference Number18864BRJob DescriptionThe successful candidate will conduct research within the area of the accelerating retrofitting at scale through engaging with owner occupiers and contribute to the overall research performance of the School and University, carrying out research leading to the publishing of high-quality research and to pursue excellence in research and to inspire others to do the same.Main Duties and ResponsibilitiesResearch

• Conduct research that supports the acceleration of retrofitting at scale through engaging with owner occupiers and contributes to the overall research performance of the School and University through the production of measurable outputs including bidding for funding, publishing in national academic journals and conferences, and the recruitment and supervision of postgraduate research students.
• Investigate, through relevant literature, engagement with residents and stakeholders in the sector, what changes are needed to increase the successful uptake of whole energy system retrofitting in owner-occupied housing.
• Develop research objectives and proposals for own or joint research including research funding proposals.
• Attend and or present at conferences/seminars at a local and national level as required.
• Undertake administrative tasks associated with the research project, including the planning and organisation of the project and the implementation of procedures required to ensure accurate and timely reporting.
• Prepare research ethics and research governance applications as appropriate.
• Review and synthesise existing research literature within the field of owner occupier retrofitting.
• Participate in School research activities.
• Build and create networks both internally and externally to the university, to influence decisions, explore future research requirements, and share research ideas for the benefit of research projects.

Other

• Engage effectively with industrial, commercial and public sector organisations, professional institutions, other academic institutions etc., regionally and nationally to raise awareness of the School’s profile, to cultivate strategically valuable alliances, and to pursue opportunities for collaboration across a range of activities. These activities are expected to contribute to the School and the enhancement of its regional and national profile.
• Undergo personal and professional development that is appropriate to, and which will enhance performance.
• Participate in School administration and activities to promote the School and its work to the wider University and the outside world.
• Any other duties not included above, but consistent with the role.

Salary Range Max.44,263GradeGrade 6Salary Range Min.39,347Job CategoryAcademic – ResearchAdditional InformationInformation about project.The research is funded through the UKRI Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council £5m Place Based Impact Acceleration Account ‘The SWITCH to Net Zero Buildings’. This flexible fund allows academics and researchers to bid to run short and medium term projects to embed the impacts from previous research in to industry, within the Swansea Bay City Region, on the theme of net-zero buildings.The Centre for a Low Carbon Built Environment (LCBE) at the Welsh School of Architecture (WSA) have been leading the implementation of whole house energy system projects for the last 15 years in collaboration with local authorities and social landlords, residents and supply chains. This research Centre has provided evidence that implementing appropriate, affordable and replicable demand reduction solutions with renewable energy supply and energy storage can not only reduce carbon emissions but also significantly reduces energy bills which in turn reduces fuel poverty, provides more comfortable and healthy internal living conditions as well as a higher quality-built environment. The LCBE team continue to carry out research on a range of projects pushing appropriate and replicable whole house energy system approach forward. These include the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Green Transitions Ecosystem project ‘Transforming housing and homes for future generations’, Monitoring and Evaluation of the Homes As Power Stations programme and monitoring of Swansea Councils new build stock.The Welsh School of ArchitectureThe Welsh School of Architecture (WSA) is consistently ranked amongst the top schools of architecture in published UK and Worldwide league tables and has been ranked within the top 50 of Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World Rankings for the past 4 consecutive years.The WSA also had 90% of its research impact judged as outstanding (4*) in the 2014 REF (Research Excellence Framework). This placed us at the top of the table for impact in the assessment panel for Architecture, Built Environment and Planning.Our research underpins the BSc and MArch degree programmes as well as the specialisms we teach through advanced Masters programmes that cater to graduates across the broad spectrum of built environment professions. We set high standards for our students and expect great things from them, this is why we stand by the quality of our graduates and are proud of what they achieve.The distinctiveness of this School lies in its tradition of combining creativity with the understanding needed to realise designs through practice, its reputation for high quality research, the calibre of its staff and in its unique location in a friendly, liveable and affordable capital city that is a gateway to the stunning landscape of Wales.Career PathwayResearchPerson SpecificationEssential CriteriaQualifications and Education
1. Postgraduate degree at PhD level in a related subject area or equivalent or relevant industrial experience.Knowledge, Skills and Experience
2. An established expertise and proven portfolio of research and/or relevant industrial experience associated with the design, collection, analysis, interpretation and presentation of qualitative data sets from interviews and surveys with a wide range of population groups including members of the public.3. Knowledge of current status of research in the specialist field of the deployment of low carbon solutions associated with energy demand reduction, renewable energy supply and/or energy storage and their implementation into housing.4. Proven ability to publish in national journals and at national conferences and/or other research outputs.5. Knowledge and understanding of competitive research funding to be able to develop applications to funding bodies.Communication and Team Working
6. Proven ability in highly effective written and oral communication skills with experience of communicating with a range of different types of organisation and levels of ability, including members of the public.7. Proven ability to supervisory and organisational skills collating information from a variety of sources and disseminating material to appropriate stakeholders including Government, industry, academia, NGOs and the public.Other
8. Proven ability to engage and collaborate effectively and flexibly within interdisciplinary groups.9. Proven ability to work without close supervision.Desirable Criteria
10. Relevant professional qualification(s).11.Evidence of collaboration with industry, government, NGOs and/or the public/community organisations.12.Proven ability to adapt to the changing requirements of the Higher Education community.13.Evidence of ability to participate in and develop both internal and external networks and utilise them to enhance the research activities of the School.

Expected salary

£39347 – 44263 per year

Location

Neath Port Talbot – Swansea

Job date

Wed, 31 Jul 2024 23:53:02 GMT

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