Senior Research Associate - Digital Innovation for Healthy Ageing

The role

This part time three year post is to work on a large UKRI/ESRC funded research project. The post holder will work with Principal Investigator Dr Helen Manchester and Co-Investigator's Professor Kirsten Cater, Dr. Paul Clarke, Dr. Kirsty Sedgman and Dr. Paul Mitchell to deliver an innovative and ambitious project, 'Connecting through culture as we age: Digital Innovation for Healthy Ageing.'

The aim of the project is to tackle the complex problem of how to increase participation in social and cultural life for all as we age, which has been shown to make a vital contribution to raising quality of life. The project will address the fundamental issue that arts and cultural participation drops dramatically in older populations and that disabled, Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) and socioeconomically deprived older people are even less likely to participate. It will tackle inequalities related to accessibility and content of digital arts and cultural provision, enable vital R&D and establish new business models to encourage digital innovation in the arts and cultural sector to support healthy ageing. Arts and cultural organisations have been slow to adopt digital innovation, but there is huge potential in the use of emerging technologies to enable diversification of content and build new older audiences. The pandemic has only increased demand and the urgency of harnessing digital technologies to enhance content and the accessibility of cultural participation, so that those who are socially isolated may be able to benefit, increasing their quality of life.

What will you be doing?

The successful candidate will be working alongside co-researchers, exploring and documenting methods and approaches to inclusive digital innovation and co-design. They will also be working alongside policy, professional and practice partners, including the arts and cultural sector, charities and community organisations and policy actors to deliver project events, impacts and knowledge exchange. Role holders at this level will also be experienced researchers and will be expected to be specialists in a particular field relevant for the project, drawing upon knowledge gained from postgraduate research and/or working within relevant research roles within creative industries and/or digital innovation and co-design.

You should apply if

You are an experienced researcher with an excellent track record in digital culture, creative arts, design and/or cultural studies, including substantial experience in interrogating and developing processes of digital innovation, including (service) design, co-design in the digital, design and/or arts and cultural realm. You should also have proven expertise in knowledge exchange, including working with policy makers, practitioners in community and creative industries and/or within innovation contexts. You will be capable of leading on the design of project knowledge exchange activities and events and have proven ability to communicate with diverse audiences through written and oral presentation of project findings.

We welcome applications from all members of our community and are particularly encouraging those from diverse groups, such as members of the LGBT+ and BAME communities, to join us.