Research Associate in Open Book Futures

LOUGHBOROUGH UNIVERSITY; Loughborough; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A prestigious educational institution is seeking a Research Associate for a 6-month role focusing on archiving and preserving Open Access books. The successful candidate will conduct research on library workflows and document preservation practices, collaborating with various partners in the Open Book Futures project. Ideal candidates will have a PhD and relevant research experience. Informal enquiries can be directed to Prof. Jenny Fry or Dr. Gareth Cole.

Benefits

Generous annual leave allowance

Competitive pension schemes

Childcare support initiatives

BUPA Cash Plan

Employee Assistance Programme

Qualifications

• Experience with conducting qualitative and quantitative research.
• Ability to work collaboratively with project partners.
• Knowledge of digital preservation practices.

Responsibilities

• Conduct research on National Library workflows for Open Access books.
• Organise workshops and perform process mapping.
• Collaborate on research into digital preservation of doctoral theses.

Skills

Research skills

Data analysis

Workshop facilitation

Report writing

Interpersonal skills

Education

PhD in a relevant field

Job description

Overview

School of Design and Creative Arts

Research Associate in Archiving and Preserving Open Access Books - Open Book Futures (OBF) project

1 FTE, Fixed Term appointment for six months with an anticipated start date of 1 November 2025.

Loughborough University is an amazing place to work. We're ranked top ten in every national league table and a hold a global reputation for sporting excellence. With an atmosphere of determination, ambition, and desire to make a difference, our collaborative environment inspires both staff and students to be the very best they can be. With over 3,000 members of staff you can expect huge variety and new opportunities every day.

Role overview

Here’s more about the role and what we’re looking for:

A Research Associate is required to contribute to the Research England and Arcadia Foundation funded Open Book Futures (OBF) project, which is composed of partners including universities, libraries, publishers, and infrastructure providers. Details about the project can be found here: https://copim.pubpub.org/open-book-futures-project .

The Research Associate will work with the existing Research Associate based at Loughborough University on contributions to the OBF project and collaborate closely with project partners on two main areas of research:

• Conducting research on National Library (e.g. British Library) workflows and procedures to identify how Open Access books are digitally preserved within these libraries. This will involve organising / running workshops, note taking, process mapping and report writing.
• Conducting research on the digital preservation and archiving practices for doctoral theses. This will involve doing questionnaire surveys, interviews / focus groups, qualitative / quantitative data analysis and report writing.

In addition, the Research Associate will be expected to build relationships with the wider project through related work packages.

The post is for a full-time contract for six months from the contract start date.

Informal enquiries should be made to Prof. Jenny Fry ( [e-mail] ) or Dr Gareth Cole ( [e-mail] ).

The closing date for receipt of applications is Friday 26 September 2025 and we expect to hold interviews in the week beginning Monday 6 October.

For more information on the role please refer to the Job Description and Person Specification.

Our Benefits

• Generous annual leave allowance up to 44 days (inclusive of Bank Holidays & University closure days)
• Competitive pension schemes
• A range of childcare support initiatives and benefits including childcare vouchers; on-site university nursery (with salary sacrifice scheme); and holiday play schemes.
• We offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies.
• BUPA Cash Plan (100% scheme)
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Season ticket loan scheme
• On campus parking with charging points for electric vehicles
• Fantastic range of sports facilities and preferential membership packages available
• Fantastic CPD and inclusive resources for development