Community Researcher (PhD Scholarships x 20)

Nottingham Trent University; Nottingham; Remote; GBP 20,000 - 24,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

PhD fees funded

Tax-free stipend

Inter-university training

Job summary

Collaboratory is offering twenty 3-year, full-time PhD studentships across the East Midlands, allowing you to work on local community issues while earning a degree.

You will receive funded PhD fees, a tax-free stipend of £21,805 per year, extensive training from regional universities, and expert support throughout the programme, with a PhD awarded on completion. The start dates vary by location (Feb 2027 to Apr 2027) and the role offers flexible working patterns.

Qualifications

• Experience working in local community settings.
• Motivation to engage deeply with complex issues and make a positive impact.

Responsibilities

• Undertake a 3-year research project on local community issues across the East Midlands.
• Collaborate with partner universities and local communities to deliver research outputs.

Job description

Help us make a difference to the lives of people across the East Midlands through research. Develop yourself as an expert problem solver and earn a PhD degree.

About the role

Collaboratory Research Hub is seeking candidates to undertake one of twenty 3‑year, full‑time research projects, each focused on local community issues. Every project is supported by a comprehensive studentship package, which includes:

• PhD fees are funded in full (worth approximately £15–17k across the programme).
• Tax‑free stipend: a monthly stipend based on £21,805 per annum (approximately £1, 817.08 per month), with annual increases.
• Extensive training and development: delivered by Nottingham Trent University, the University of Nottingham, De Montfort University, Loughborough University, and the University of Leicester.
• Expert academic and community support: guidance from research academics and community professionals throughout the programme.
• Award of a PhD degree upon successful completion.

Practical details of the role include:

• Fully flexible working to help fit your personal commitments around your work.
• Full‑time hours (minimum 37.5 hrs per week) for 3 years.
• Start date for successful candidates is Thursday, 1st April 2027 (Nottingham and Leicester)
• Start date for successful candidates is Monday, 1st February 2027 (Loughborough)

Available Research Projects:

Explore all available projects in full here:

https://collaboratoryresearchhub.ac.uk/2027-studentships/

Nottingham and Nottinghamshire PhD Projects

1. Circular Cooking: Co‑designing Food, Energy, and Resource Resilience with Nottingham Communities (CIRCoN)

2. Connecting Older Communities Through Digital Heritage, Storytelling, and Co‑Creation

3. Creative Futures Mansfield: Neurodivergent Young People, Aspiration Rising and Civic Cultural Opportunity

4. Engaging Muslim Communities in Local Climate Action: Exploring the Role of Faith‑Based Community Partnerships in Nottingham

5. Tackling local health inequalities through community‑based university‑NHS exercise social prescribing interventions

6. A Systems Approach to Nutritional Vulnerability: Modelling Population Risk During Food Supply Disruptions

7. Making STEM More Inclusive Through Playful Robotics

8. Rooted Pathways: Community‑led routes into STEM apprenticeships and careers for Nottingham’s Black and racially minoritised communities

9. Strategies for equipping the next generation for the low‑carbon future

10. Supporting People and Pets: Food Banks, Food Insecurity, and Wellbeing in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.

11. Improving health and wellbeing in Nottingham through improved understanding of the link between air pollution and health

Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Projects

1. ‘Brotherhood’: Community Participation, Belonging, Mental Wellbeing and Positive Futures for Boys and Young Men

2. Beyond the Foodbank: A Systems Thinking Approach to Strengthening Community Support Services

3. Cultivating Trusted Adults: Co‑Designing a Sustainable Mentoring Framework to Mitigate Youth Climate Distress Across Leicester's Urban Commons

4. How Unpaid Caring Shapes Working Lives: Employment Trajectories, Personal Costs and Support Needs in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland

5. Local News in Leicester and Leicestershire: A Civic Identity Balance Sheet to Guide Future Action

6. SOAR: Social Occasions of Access and Resilience: An Interactional Analysis of Cultural Heritage Benefits across Leicester, Leicestershire, and Rutland

7. Reframing urban nature: How can stakeholder collaboration enable public acceptance of biodiversity transitions in local places?

8. Young people’s aspirations and structural disadvantage in a changing local labour market.

9. Growing Futures: Co‑designing Nature‑Based Pathways to Wellbeing, Environmental Stewardship and Sustainable Employability for Young Adults.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: 11:59 pm, Sunday 29 November 2026

Interviews:

04 January – 12 February 2027

Who are we looking for?

We are seeking passionate, careful, detail‑oriented problem‑solvers. Ideal candidates will have experience working in local community settings and a genuine motivation to engage deeply with complex issues while making a positive impact.

About you

We are looking for individuals with strong potential for success who demonstrate resilience and can work independently under their own initiative. You should be motivated to contribute meaningfully to communities through your research.

What is Collaboratory?

Collaboratory is a UKRI‑funded research programme, led by Universities for Nottingham and the Leicester Universities Partnership, that places community knowledge and experience at the heart of research. This eight‑year initiative is pioneering a new approach to collaboration, working closely with local communities and community‑focused organisations to develop and deliver research that aligns with the needs and priorities of local communities.

For your application to be considered, you must meet our eligibility criteria. Full details are available on our website at: https://collaboratoryresearchhub.ac.uk/phd-eligibility-criteria-2027/

For any informal queries about the roles, please contact the team at: [e-mail]