Details
1117199
University of Nottingham
21/09/2026
3 Months
8 Hours per week - To be arranged with the hiring manager directly.
Smart Casual
Pay
-
-
Description
Role
The School of Politics and International Relations (SPIR), University of Nottingham, in conjunction with the Rights Lab, is recruiting a team of Research Assistants to support the delivery of an AHRC Curiosity Award, which seeks to study “weaponised forced migration” – the use of trafficked victims for espionage or sabotage, and their exploitation for propaganda purposes. We are recruiting for 2 research assistants to support the literature review for the first two work packages in the project, WP1-"The Conceptual Framework", WP2-"The Historical Framework".
Start Date: 21/09/2026
End Date: 14/12/2026
Working Hours: 8 Hour per week for 12 weeks – to be arranged with the hiring manager directly
Pay Rate: £17.02 per hour
Holiday Pay Rate: £2.05 per hour
Location: Law and Social Sciences building (option to work from home in discussion with hiring manager)
Duties and responsibilities
- Meet regularly with line manager to plan and undertake research
- Conduct research activities in line with prescribed research protocols
- Draft initial write-ups of research, analysis, and synthesis
- Review, collate, and summarise academic literature, specifically targeting an agreed list of journals
- Collect, record, and analyse archival and interview data, whether online or in-person
- Review historical archival documents collected from public archives
Skills and experience
Essential
- Current University of Nottingham Social Sciences PhD or postgraduate students
- Experience of reviewing, collating, and summarising existing academic literature
- Experience of identifying and analysing original datasets or other primary sources
- Experience of working as part of a team
- Strong eye for detail
- Excellent time management and ability to work to a deadline
- Professional manner in all communications
Desirable
- Familiarity with academic research on human rights/modern slavery and hybrid threats – intelligence, subversion, sabotage, and propaganda
- Experience conducting qualitative or mixed-method research
- Experience of interpreting archival material
- Experience using Microsoft Excel, MS Word
Location
Law and Social Sciences building (option to work from home in discussion with hiring manager).
How to apply
Applications will close on 14/09/2026.
Ensure that you demonstrate how you meet the requirements outlined above in your written application. You will always need to tailor your application to the role you are applying for. Applications may close early if a suitable candidate is found, so apply early to avoid disappointment.
This role is being managed by The Flexible Staffing Team at the University of Nottingham, we are committed to promoting equality of opportunity, and we welcome applications from candidates who reflect the diversity of our communities.
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