Social Science jobs in United Kingdom

About us

The UCL Department of Information Studies (DIS) in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities launched a new BSc Information in Society programme at UCL East in 2024. The department also offers postgraduate qualifications for the library, archive, and information professions, publishing, information and data science and digital humanities, and collaborates in the delivery of an inter-faculty BSc in Information Management for Business. We have a strong international reputation for research and are deeply committed to teaching quality.

About the role

The Department of Information Studies wishes to appoint an innovative researcher to a full-time lectureship in Humanities Data Science, beginning in 2025/26. We welcome applicants with expertise applying data science solutions to humanities research problems. The humanities discipline, period, region, or language of research specialism is open. However, the candidate's research should primarily be to contribute to humanities or social science academic conversations. Our department proudly teaches students from a wide range of national, religious, and cultural backgrounds. Applicants with both local and cross-cultural or international specialisms are particularly encouraged to apply.

The teaching focus will be undergraduate level as part of the Information in Society BSc at the UCL East Campus within the School for the Creative and Cultural Industries (SCCI). There may be scope to contribute to the teaching of postgraduate programmes in the Department of Information Studies at the UCL Bloomsbury campus. The successful candidate will be expected to supervise doctoral, Masters and undergraduate dissertations and undertake academic related administrative duties.

In the first instance, we are seeking a candidate who can effectively develop and teach research methods and data visualisation modules to upper year undergraduate students on the Information in Society BSc programme. Teaching may evolve in future years to reflect the interests of the candidate and the needs of the department. This initial teaching will include a range of information, data, and humanities research methods that will enable students to choose and apply appropriate methods for their dissertations. This will include qualitative, quantitative, and visual approaches to analysis and communication. A keen understanding and respect for disciplinary differences will be an asset in our interdisciplinary department. The successful candidate will have a strong grounding in the critical study of epistemology in the humanities and be able to engage students in thinking about methods and research design.

Strong data visualisation skills would also be an asset to the programme. A candidate with a balance of technical proficiency, criticality, and creativity is encouraged to apply. They will be comfortable guiding students through both the practical and theoretical dimensions of working with diverse data types. They should be able to support students in developing visual storytelling skills that are grounded in ethical, accessible, and contextually aware design principles. Familiarity with a range of tools and programming environments for data visualisation is key. Students on the programme learn Python earlier in their degree. We particularly welcome applicants whose work engages with inclusive, cross-cultural, or socially engaged approaches to data and knowledge production.

The appointment is a full-time, open ended role beginning 2025.

About you

To apply for the role, click the 'Apply Now' button at the bottom or top of the page.

It is essential that the following documents are uploaded in your application. Please upload them separately in the required document fields.

• CV
• Statement in support of your application. This can be uploaded as a Word or PDF document under 'other attachment'. The free text box under 'questionnaire' can be left blank if your supporting statement is already uploaded under 'other attachment'. There is no recommended character limit for the supporting statement. This should make reference to a piece of research which evidences excellence in your field - please see further information below.
• A citation, link (as part of the supporting statement) or upload for a publication related to your research which evidences the high quality of your research delivery. This should be a publication that would be available through standard university subscriptions, or which is open source or where an upload can be provided. Where a publication is co-authored then please ensure that your supporting statement specifies your contribution. Please provide an explanation in your supporting statement why this publication was selected.

Supporting statement guidance : please copy and paste the person specification criteria outlined on the job description into your supporting statement and describe underneath each criterion how you meet it, giving examples. You will be scored on how you meet each criterion.

• A job description and person specification can be accessed at the bottom of this page.
• This role meets the eligibility requirements for a skilled worker certificate of sponsorship under UK Visas and Immigration legislation. Therefore, UCL welcomes applications from international applicants who require a visa.
• If you have any queries about the role, need reasonable adjustments or a more accessible format to apply for this job online or have any queries about the application process, please contact Terrie or Sarah at dis.admin@ucl.ac.uk .
• The UCL Ways of Working supports colleagues to be successful and happy at UCL through sharing expectations around how we work - please visit www.ucl.ac.uk/ways-of-working to find out more.

What we offer

As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents, we also offer some great benefits some of which are below:

• 41 Days holiday (27 days annual leave 8 bank holiday and 6 closure days)
• Additional 5 days' annual leave purchase scheme
• Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE)
• Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan
• Immigration loan Relocation scheme for certain posts
• On-Site nursery
• On-site gym
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay
• Employee assistance programme: Staff Support Service
• Discounted medical insurance

Visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/reward-and-benefits to find out more.

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

As London's Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world's talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL's workforce. These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; LGBTQI+ people; and for our Grade 9 and10 roles, women.

Athena Swan Status

Our department holds an Athena SWAN Bronze award, in recognition of our commitment to advancing gender equality. You can read more about our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/equality-diversity-inclusion/