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Research Assistant- Liverpool Business School

Details


1108073


Liverpool John Moores University


16/02/2026


6 Months


TBC


Smart Casual

Pay


£17.58


£2.12

Description

Role

***ringfenced to postgraduate LJMU students and recent graduates only***

Liverpool Business School are seeking to appoint two fixed-term Research Assistants to support the delivery of the funded project Enhancing Student Resilience in Enterprise Education: Addressing “Functional Freeze” in VUCA Contexts.

The project examines how exposure to VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity) within enterprise education influences student resilience, decision-making, and the phenomenon of “functional freeze”. It adopts a large-scale mixed-methods design, involving:

·       Quantitative surveys with approximately 500 undergraduate students

·       Observational data from VUCA simulation exercises

·       Semi-structured interviews and focus groups

·       Development of applied outputs, including a resilience-building toolkit and curriculum guidelines.

Duties and responsibilities

The Research Assistant will support the delivery of a funded applied research project examining student resilience and the occurrence of “functional freeze” in VUCA-oriented enterprise education. The postholder will contribute to data collection, administration, preliminary analysis, and dissemination activities, ensuring the project is delivered on time and to a high standard.

Key Duties and Responsibilities-Research Support and Data Collection

• Support the administration of quantitative surveys (pre-, mid-, and post-intervention) involving approximately 500 undergraduate students.

• Assist with the coordination, scheduling, and recording of semi-structured interviews and focus groups.

• Support observation and documentation during VUCA simulation exercises embedded within enterprise modules.

• Ensure accurate data handling, storage, and anonymisation in line with GDPR and LJMU ethical requirements.Data Management and Analysis

• Prepare datasets for analysis (e.g. cleaning survey data, transcription of interviews)

.• Support basic quantitative analysis (e.g. descriptive statistics) and qualitative coding under the guidance of the PI and project Team.• Maintain clear and auditable research records.Project Administration

• Assist with participant recruitment and communications.

• Support ethical approval documentation, amendments, and reporting.

• Contribute to progress monitoring against the project plan and milestones.Dissemination and Outputs

• Assist in the preparation of project reports, case studies, and toolkit materials.

• Support dissemination activities, including conference preparation, webinars, and contributions to the EEUK ETC Toolkit

• Assist with preparation of presentation materials and summaries for non-academic stakeholders.

General

• Work collaboratively with the project team.

• Undertake other reasonable duties consistent with the role and project objectives.

Skills and experience
Essential Criteria

 
• Postgraduate degree (or near completion) in Business, Management, Psychology, Education, or a related discipline.
• Demonstrable interest in enterprise education, student wellbeing, or applied educational research.
• Experience of supporting research activities (e.g. surveys, interviews, focus groups).
• Basic understanding of qualitative and/or quantitative research methods.
• Strong organisational skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to handle confidential data responsibly.
• Good written and verbal communication skills.Desirable Criteria
• Experience using survey platforms (e.g. JISC, Qualtrics, MS Forms).
• Familiarity with basic data analysis software (e.g. SPSS, Excel, NVivo).
• Experience working with student participants.
• Interest in VUCA, resilience, cognitive load, or entrepreneurship education.
• Experience contributing to reports or academic/practitioner outputs.

Location
LJMU

Additional information
***ringfenced to postgraduate LJMU students and recent graduates only***

 
Applications willl close at 11.59pm on Tuesday 10th February 2026.
 
Interview dates 12th Feb 2026.

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