Research Fellow (Multiple positions, fixed term)

University of Nottingham; Nottingham; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 47,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading university in the UK is seeking two full-time Research Fellows to work on a project exploring the impacts of New Labour’s policies on youth. Candidates must have submitted their PhD thesis. The role involves data analysis using statistical techniques and contributes to policy discussions. A fixed-term contract until February 2028 with competitive salary.

Qualifications

• Familiarity with time series modelling, age-period-cohort modelling, and structural equation modelling is required.
• Experience with geo-coded data analyses and Propensity Score Matching is relevant.
• Excellent organizational skills and ability to work independently or as part of a team.

Responsibilities

• Conduct literature reviews and stakeholder engagement.
• Summarize findings and contribute to the final report.

Skills

Strong theoretical, empirical research, and writing skills

Experience with time series modelling

Experience with age-period-cohort modelling

Experience with structural equation modelling

Proficiency with SPSS

Proficiency with AMOS

Proficiency with Stata

Proficiency with R

Experience in cleaning, recoding, and managing datasets

Education

PhD thesis submitted

Job description

Area
Sociology & Social Policy

Location
University Park

Salary
£35,116 to £46,735 per annum pro-rata depending on skills and experience. Salary progression beyond this scale is subject to performance.

Closing Date
Tuesday 30 September 2025

Interview Date
Monday 03 November 2025

Reference
SOC188525

We are now recruiting 2 full-time Research Fellows to work with Stephen Farrall and colleagues at Warwick (Emily Gray) and Queen Mary College, University of London (Maria Grasso) on their research into politics and crime. The research is funded by the Leverhulme Trust. The School and the University more widely are committed to providing a diverse and inclusive environment for staff and students, drawing on the widest range of talents and backgrounds.

The research aims to explore the long-term impact of New Labour’s social and economic policies on the lives of those born in the early-1990s and 2000s, using data from the 1970, Next Steps, and Millennium Cohort Studies. It will assess how these policies affected familial, educational, and economic contexts, and their influence on attitudes, anti-social behavior, offending, drug use, and social exclusion. The goal is to understand how a government’s social and economic agenda can shape life courses.

This involves detailed analyses and collaboration with Justice Futures to understand systemic complexities across social and criminal justice policies during the Blair Government, informing current policy discussions. The primary analytic techniques include time series modelling, age-period-cohort modelling, and structural equation modelling. Applicants should be familiar with at least one of these methods and specify their expertise in their application. Experience with geo-coded data analyses and Propensity Score Matching is also relevant. Expert interviews will be part of the analysis.

Essential skills include:

• Strong theoretical, empirical research, and writing skills
• Experience with one or more of the following: time series modelling, age-period-cohort modelling, structural equation modelling
• Proficiency with statistical packages such as SPSS, AMOS, Stata, or R
• Experience cleaning, recoding, and managing large, complex datasets suitable for longitudinal analysis

Desirable but not essential: experience conducting qualitative interviews. The role requires excellent organizational skills and the ability to work independently and as part of a team. Responsibilities include literature review, stakeholder engagement, summarizing findings, and contributing to the final report. Office space is provided; residence in Nottingham is not required.

This is a fixed-term, full-time position until 29 February 2028. Job share and secondment options may be considered. Candidates must have submitted their PhD thesis prior to employment start date, though viva completion is not required at that time.

Interviews are scheduled for the week beginning 3 November 2025.

For more details, visit our website or apply online. We value diversity and are committed to equal opportunity employment, welcoming applications from UK, European, and international candidates.