Postdoctoral Research Associate

Cambridge University Press & Assessment (CUPA); Cambridge; Hybrid; GBP 35,000 - 46,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

28 days annual leave plus bankholidays

Private medical and permanent health保险

Job summary

Cambridge University Press & Assessment (CUPA) in Cambridge invites applications for a Postdoctoral Research Associate, Research Dissemination. The role leads an action research programme at the interface of scholarly communication and research culture, working with the University Library and Cambridge researchers.

This 12-month fixed-term post, with hybrid working (40–60% on-site), offers a salary of £35,200 to £45,700 per annum and the opportunity to develop your research career while shaping

Qualifications

• PhD in a relevant subject, or submission expected before role begins.
• Experience developing research objectives and conducting independent and collaborative research.
• Experience designing qualitative or mixed-methods studies and interpreting findings.
• Understanding of research ethics and responsible data management.
• Ability to engage critically with scholarly communication, dissemination, assessment, attribution or open research.
• Strong organisation and written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Design and deliver a rigorous research programme, refining questions and methods.
• Design, deploy and analyse a survey of Cambridge researchers to establish a baseline of publishing practices, motivations and dissemination preferences.
• Review evidence on research credit, attribution, research culture and dissemination models, to inform practical research and interventions.
• Conduct qualitative research with STEM and AHSS teams, including interviews and participant observation, with appropriate ethics and data management.
• Co-design, facilitate and evaluate practical interventions and prototypes with researchers, exploring attribution and dissemination pathways.
• Plan and support cross-disciplinary workshops and engagement to develop community-endorsed recommendations.
• Analyse and communicate findings through a final open project report, presentations and publishable academic work.
• Coordinate day-to-day research activity, participant relationships, documentation, reporting and milestones.

Skills

Qualitative research

Survey design

Independent judgement

Scholarly communication

Research ethics

Education

PhD in a relevant subject

Job description

Postdoctoral Research Associate, Research Dissemination

• Salary: £35,200 - £45,700 per annum
• Location: Cambridge hybrid, with in-person work at the University Library.
• Contract: 12 month, Fixed Term starting early 2027.
• Hours: Full-time, 35 hours per week

Can the future of research publishing begin with what researchers actually need?

Join Cambridge University Press & Assessment and University of Cambridge Libraries & Archives for a 12-month, practice-based research project at the intersection of scholarly communication and research culture. Working with colleagues across the University Library, the Press, and Cambridge University's research communities, you will have the opportunity to develop your research career while helping shape practical, evidence-led approaches to sharing and recognising research outputs.

About the role

You will lead the day-to-day delivery of an action research programme investigating how researchers publish and share their work, how they receive credit, and where current systems fall short of their needs. Reporting to the Policy Director at Cambridge University Press & Assessment and working closely with the University Library's Scholarly Communication Specialist Dr Samuel Moore, you will generate original evidence, test approaches with research teams, and develop recommendations to inform future publishing and open research decisions.

Additional responsibilities and accountabilities include:

• Design and deliver a rigorous research programme, refining research questions, methods and protocols with the project leads and exercising independent academic judgement.
• Design, deploy, and analyse a survey of Cambridge researchers to establish a baseline of publishing practices, motivations, pressures and dissemination preferences.
• Review evidence on research credit, attribution, research culture and emerging dissemination models, and use the findings to inform practical research and intervention design.
• Conduct qualitative research with STEM and AHSS research teams, including interviews and participant observation, with appropriate research ethics, consent and data management.
• Co-design, facilitate and evaluate practical interventions and prototypes with researchers, exploring attribution, incentives, modular outputs or alternative dissemination pathways without assuming a predetermined solution.
• Plan and support cross-disciplinary workshops and engagement with researchers, publishing colleagues and other stakeholders to develop community-endorsed recommendations.
• Analyse and communicate findings through a final open project report, presentations, conference contributions and publishable academic work, with clear methods and appropriate caveats.
• Coordinate day-to-day research activity, participant relationships, documentation, reporting and milestones to ensure delivery of the project on time.

This position has been classified as a hybrid role, requiring the selected candidate to typically spend 40-60% of their time collaborating and connecting face-to-face at their dedicated location. Aside from our hybrid principles, other flexible working requests will be considered from the first day of employment, including other work arrangements should you require adjustments due to a disability or long-term health condition.

About You

You will have a PhD in a relevant subject, or have submitted your PhD with completion expected before the role begins. You will have experience developing research objectives, conducting individual and collaborative research, designing and carrying out qualitative or mixed-methods studies, interpreting findings rigorously and writing for publication. You will understand qualitative and survey methods, research ethics, consent and responsible data management, and be able to engage critically with questions of scholarly communication, dissemination, research culture, assessment, attribution or open research. You will bring strong organisation, independent academic judgement and excellent written and verbal communication skills, and be able to work inclusively with researchers and stakeholders across disciplines.

Your application will be even stronger if you can also demonstrate the following desirable criteria:

• Research or professional experience in scholarly communication, publishing, open research, research culture or research assessment.
• Experience working in STEM and/or arts, humanities and social sciences research contexts.
• Experience of action research, participatory research, co-design or intervention-based research.
• Experience designing or analysing surveys of researchers.
• Familiarity with contribution, research credit or attribution frameworks such as CRediT.
• Experience presenting research at workshops, conferences or sector events and contributing to published outputs.
• Experience working in partnership across academic and professional-service environments.

We are a Disability Confident (DC) employer that is committed to equality and inclusion ensuring our recruitment process is accessible to all. The DC scheme's Offer of an Interview commitment applies to applicants who opt in, and disclose a disability or a long-term health condition, and who best meet the minimum criteria for the role. In instances where interviewing all qualifying candidates is not practicable and/or appropriate, we prioritise those who best meet the minimum criteria, as we would for applicants who do not have a disability or long-term health condition.

Cambridge University Press & Assessment is an approved UK employer for the sponsorship of eligible roles and applicants under the Skilled Worker visa route. Please refer to the gov website for guidance to understand your own eligibility based on the role you are applying for.

Rewards and benefits

• 28 days annual leave plus bank holidays
• Private medical and Permanent Health Insurance
• Discretionary annual bonus
• Group personal pension scheme
• Life assurance up to 4 x annual salary
• Green travel schemes

We aim to support candidates by making our interview process clear and transparent. The closing date for all applications will be 15 November. Shortlisted candidates can expect interviews to take place on the week commencing 30 November