Details
1115237
UCL
31/07/2026
3 Months
Part-time; 13.5 hours per week
Not Applicable
Pay
£22.54
£4.22
Description
Role
Unitemps are recruiting for a Research Assistant in University Autonomy and Academic Freedom (UCL Students and Graduates). This role is for UCL Students and Graduates. This role has a start date of July 31st (or asap after) and a projected end date of October 31st 2026. This is a part-time role at 13.5 hours per week (projected). Payment is set at £22.54 per hour + £4.22 holiday pay. This role is remote working (from home).
The UCL European Institute and the UCL Clinical Operational Research Unit are co-producing a report on the vulnerability of UK universities to political interference, led by Christina Pagel (Professor of Operational Research) and Uta Staiger (Director, UCL European Institute). It is a follow-on from previous work led by Prof Pagel on the vulnerabilities of UK public bodies.
Academic freedom and institutional autonomy are declining measurably in several long-established democracies in Europe, including the United Kingdom. The Academic Freedom Index documents recent declines in the UK and shows that greater institutional autonomy is associated with stronger protection for the freedom of individual academics. At the same time, UK universities depend on a set of government-controlled levers - fee limits, visa and immigration policy, research funding, quality-based block funding, and regulation through the Office for Students - that are usually discussed as distinct aspects of higher education sector sustainability or regulatory reform.
The report’s distinctive contribution will be to explore these levers as a single architecture of potential state power over university independence and comparatively assess it against case studies from across Europe. It will draw together evidence that already exists (including a body of recent UK and European grey literature, the Academic Freedom Index, and notes from a 2026 transatlantic expert consultation in Berlin) and assesses how the identified vulnerabilities might be exploited. It will also draw on qualitative interviews with university leadership, sector representatives and academic experts in the UK.
This work aligns closely with UCL's strategic priorities. It speaks to the themes of UCL's Disagreeing Well programme and the Academic Ambition on Truth, Democracy and Rule of Law, in which both leads are involved. As such, it will seek to build on and contribute to academic and institutional work at UCL on academic freedom, free speech, and the role of universities.
Duties and responsibilities
The work will be in two phases.
Phase 1: UK desk synthesis: the vulnerability map, the Academic Freedom evidence on UK declines, and the core "architecture of leverage used at scale" argument.
Phase 2: the European and international comparative scoping, protective features from other systems and existing monitoring systems, and the write-up of the leadership/sector/stakeholder interviews.
The initial funding is for Phase 1, with the possibility of extension into Phase 2 as funds and progress allow.
Phase 1
The post-holder will:
- Synthesise the supplied materials and the key literature they cite into a structured first draft of the UK sections of the report (about 20 pages final length), agreed in outline with the project leads.
- Map the main domains of UK university “independence vulnerability”, drawing on the preliminary analysis already done.
These domains include but are not limited to:
– Domestic student income (government control of the fee cap and its links to regulatory judgements on quality).
– International student income (visa policy, the international student levy, and immigration compliance requirements).
– Research funding (direct and indirect (overhead) costs, cross-subsidy, and influence over priority-setting (e.g. UKRI, NIHR) and academic advisory appointments).
– Quality-based block funding (teaching and research assessment (REF/TEF) and associated funding).
– Regulation (the powers and reach of the Office for Students, and free speech regulation, protest regulation).
- For each domain, document the existing safeguards and the vulnerabilities to political interference, using academic literature, grey literature, government and regulatory documents, and news reporting. Identify, for each, specific levers a government could pull.
- Draw the analysis together to set out how these levers could be combined and used at scale. The central argument that they form one architecture of state leverage rather than separate policy problems and to indicate which vulnerabilities are most open to political abuse.• Incorporate evidence from the Academic Freedom Index on recent UK declines and on the link between institutional autonomy and individual academic freedom.
The time available is tight, so pragmatic prioritisation will be necessary and will be agreed with the project leads. That said, we will actively seek additional funding which could be used to extend the costed time for the post-holder, if the post-holder were interested in extending their role.
Working arrangements
The days and times worked are flexible and the work is carried out remotely; no on-site time at UCL is required.
There will be a check-in with the project leads each week, plus ad-hoc contact as needed.
The post is 175 hours in total (five weeks full-time equivalent) and can be worked part-time over a longer period by agreement, up to the agreed deadline. Ideally, we would prefer candidates to work more concentratedly and finish earlier.
Skills and experience
Essential
- Undergraduate degree (2:1 or above) in a relevant discipline: for example politics, public policy, higher education policy, law, or a related social science, or equivalent research or professional experience at postdoctoral level.
- Proven ability to synthesise large and varied bodies of evidence (academic literature, grey literature, and government or regulatory documents) into clear, well-structured, policy-facing prose.
- Strong literature-search skills and sound judgement about the quality and reliability of sources.
- Excellent written English, and the ability to write for a policy and sector audience rather than a purely academic one.
- Ability to work independently, manage competing priorities, and deliver to a tight deadline.
- Initiative in seeking out information from a range of sources, and care in citing and caveating it accurately.
Desirable
- A postgraduate qualification (MSc, MRes , PhD) in a relevant field.
- Knowledge of UK higher education funding and regulation (for example the fee regime, OfS, UKRI, REF/TEF, or visa and immigration policy as it affects universities).
- Familiarity with the academic freedom and institutional autonomy literature, and with the Academic Freedom Index / V-Dem data.
- Knowledge of, or a demonstrable ability to get quickly up to speed on, comparative higher education systems and the politics of university independence in Europe and internationally (including the United States).
- Experience of producing reports for policy, government, think-tank, or higher education sector audiences.
- Familiarity with constitutional or administrative law as it relates to public bodies and institutional independence.
Location
UCL; remote working (from home)
Additional information
This job will close for applications at 11.59pm on Monday July 20th. Interviews will be held shortly after.
*Please note to be eligible to work within this role, you must have the right to work in the UK, be physically based in the UK and be able to travel to our London based office for a RTW check (if required).
*If you have a full-time contract of employment with UCL, you are not able to work through UCL Unitemps at the same time.
Unitemps reserves the right to close this advert for applications prior to the date specified above, if a high volume of suitable applications are received so pleased don't delay applying.
Unitemps payroll is monthly, one month in arrears, please see the payroll dates here.
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