Senior Research Associate: SOILL Step up

Lancaster University; Bailrigg; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 46,000; Full time

Job summary

Lancaster University is seeking a Senior Research Associate to support the SOILL Step up project at Bailrigg, Lancaster, UK. The role focuses on creative evaluation, policy impact, and engagement with local communities, with data gathering including surveys and interviews.

Working as part of a team, you will analyse text-based data to generate insights for the wider soil health community and the European Commission. This fixed-term, full-time post reflects the project’s 2026–2027 horizon.

Responsibilities

• Provide expertise in creative evaluation and impact assessment.
• Participate in data gathering (surveys and interviews) and analyze mostly text-based data.
• Develop insights for sharing with the soil health community and the European Commission.

Job description

Senior Research Associate: SOILL Step up

Design
Location: Bailrigg, Lancaster, UK
Salary: £39,906 to £46,049full time/fixed term
Closing Date: Wednesday 11 November 2026
Interview Date: To be confirmed
Reference: 1034-26-R

As part of the landmark Soil-Deal for Europe, SOILL-Step up builds on the SOILL-Startup project for the implementation of the ambitious objectives of the Horizon Europe Mission. The aim is to establish 100 Soil Health Living Labs and Lighthouse projects. The project runs across 2026 and 2027 and aims to support and empower a growing soil health community in Europe. Lancaster University are one of the supporting organisations in this project with a focus on evaluation, impact and new engagement activities.

Key duties of the role include providing expertise in creative evaluation and understanding different dimensions or aspects of impact. There is no requirement for technical knowledge of soil health measures, our area of concern will be more focused on areas including effect on policy at local, national or EU level, or the degree of engagement with local communities by the living lab. You will be involved in data gathering activities such as developing surveys and interviewing members of Soil living labs. There will also be significant amount of analysis of this (mostly text based) data. Working as a team this analysis will be used to develop insights for sharing to the wider soil health community and the European Commission.

Lancaster University is a research-intensive university, ranked in the top 1% of universities globally and in the top 10 in the UK.

The School of Arts offers a rich and strong range of arts disciplines, includingArchitecture, Creative Writing, Design, English Literature, Fine Art, Media and Film, and Theatre. These areas are underpinned by a commitment to academic excellence, innovative teaching and impactful research.

The School of Arts is ambitious and creative and engages strongly with local partners, particularly in Morecambe Bay and throughout the northwest of England. We build on capacities to attract participation from academics and industry partners for significant events and projects. We are excited to play a role in defining the roles of arts in public life and discourse

We are committed to family-friendly and flexible working policies on an individual basis as well as the Athena SWAN Charter, which recognises and celebrates good employment practice undertaken to address gender equality in higher education and research. Furthermore, we are active and progressive around sustainability, wellbeing and decolonising agendas.

Please note: unless specified otherwise in the advert, all advertised roles are UK based.

Find out what it's like to work at Lancaster University , including information on our wide range of employee benefits, support networks and our policies and facilities for a family-friendly workplace.

The University recognises and celebrates good employment practice undertaken to address all inequality in higher education whilst promoting the importance and wellbeing for all our colleagues.

We warmly welcome applicants from all sections of the community regardless of their age, religion, gender identity or expression, race, disability or sexual orientation, and are committed to promoting diversity, and equality of opportunity.