Postdoctoral Research Fellow - Disability Under Siege Network - Grade 7 - 100017

Position Details

Disability Under Siege Network, School of Education

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £32,348 to £42,155, with potential progression once in post to £44,737.

Grade 7

Full Time

FTC for 12 month duration

Closing date: 4 September 2022

Background

A 12-month postdoctoral research fellowship is available on the GCRF Network+ project Disability Under Siege. This AHRC-funded project explores the provision of education for children with disabilities in areas conflict and crisis, focussing particularly on Jordan, Lebanon, and Palestine. It is a co-created programme bringing together a community of researchers, educational practitioners, cultural institutions, advocacy organisations and disability led groups in the UK and Middle East. The Network aims to contribute to research efforts by providing intellectual and logistical resources that local practitioners need to transform education provision for children with disabilities in conflict-affected countries.

The Disability Under Siege Network has the following aims:

1. Re-shape public understanding of disability in contexts of conflict and crisis;

2. Support research and evidence building to change public policies and practices regarding disability inclusion in education;

3. Foster and support cultural events as a means to further research and evidence building to highlight priorities around disability inclusion in education;

4. Enhance local, regional and international capacity to address issues of access, quality and participation in education for those with disabilities in formal and non-formal educational settings;

5. Legacy-building through the coordination and integration of outputs from the programme and scaling/transferring findings to other relevant global contexts.

Our research partners include Birzeit University (Palestine), Birmingham City University (UK), Islamic University of Gaza (Palestine), and the Centre for Lebanese Studies at the Lebanese American University (Lebanon), which bring complementary expertise in the fields of education under occupation, inclusion, public health and social action, arts and culture, disability and social justice.

Summary of Role

The Postdoctoral Research Fellowship will provide the successful candidate with an opportunity to conduct a 12-month research project based on their own proposal, broadly located within the social sciences and humanities and focussing on disability

We would particularly welcome interdisciplinary research proposals for a clearly delineated scope of work that can be achieved within a 1-year time frame around the following themes:

a) Understanding constructions of disability arising from armed violence, including its gendered nature, age and legal status;

b) Disability as a social movement, including a range of actors, including disability led organisations, arts and cultural formal and non-formal sectors, education - formal and non-formal education sectors, the politics of international organisations and funding priorities;

c) Methodological developments with respect to improving systems for state / ministry / school level data collection and disaggregation by disability, gender, legal status and other demographic intersections; methodological developments for 'measuring' disability'; problematizing the 'measurement' of disability and debates pertaining to internationally recognized measures;

d) Attitudes to and constructions of intellectual/cognitive disabilities held by those with disabilities, families, communities, service providers, policymakers; life outcomes with regards to health and well-being, leisure, education, employment etc;

e) Politics of production of knowledge on disability, decolonization of disability, mapping of sources of knowledge of disability in academic research, social movements, communities, policy-makers, international organisations, social and cultural practices (film, social media, narratives, theatre, music, graffiti, street performance) etc;

f) Disability, arts and digital methodologies, and applications for pedagogy and curriculum in inclusive education.

You will be asked to submit a research proposal as part of the application process. In addition to a salary, funding of up to £10,000 will be available for research expenses. There will be opportunities to apply for additional funding to support impact activities during the course of the fellowship. In addition, regular events and workshops will be organised throughout the duration of the fellowship for a cohort of Early Career Researchers associated with the project. The aim of these workshops will be to provide peer support and opportunities to share learning, skills training, and informal opportunities to present and get feedback on their work.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

The responsibilities may include some but not all of the responsibilities outlined below.

• Develop research objectives and proposals for own or joint research, with assistance of a mentor if required
• Analyse and interpret data
• Apply knowledge in a way which develops new intellectual understanding
• Disseminate research findings for publication, research seminars etc
• Supervise students on research related work and provide guidance to PhD students where appropriate to the discipline
• Contribute to developing new models, techniques and methods
• Undertake management/administration arising from research
• Contribute to Departmental/School research-related activities and research-related administration
• Contribute to public engagement activities of manifest benefit to the College and the University, often under supervision of a project leader
• Contribute to writing bids for research funding
• Collect research data; this may be through a variety of research methods, such as scientific experimentation, literature reviews, and research interviews
• Present research outputs, including drafting academic publications or parts thereof, for example at seminars and as posters
• Provide guidance, as required, to support staff and any students who may be assisting with the research
• Deal with problems that may affect the achievement of research objectives and deadlines
• Promotes equality and values diversity acting as a role model and fostering an inclusive working culture.

Person Specification

Essential:

• A PhD (completed or close to completion) or equivalent research experience in a subject relevant to research area (eg disability studies, education, sociology, development studies, cultural studies, or other social science or humanities related field)
• Strong methodological skills, whether quantitative and/or qualitative methodologies, and an interest in interdisciplinary and innovative research methods
• Demonstrated high level analytical capability
• Commitment to engaging with non-academic partners and to achieving research impact
• Commitment to co-production and involvement of users in research
• Understanding of and ability to contribute to the planning and organising of the research project
• Ability to work both independently and as a member of a team, co-ordinating own work with others to avoid conflict or duplication of effort
• Ability to communicate complex information clearly and to a wide range of audiences
• Ability to assess resource requirements and use resources effectively

Desirable:

• First-hand experience of living and/or working in the Middle-East region, and an understanding of issues facing the region
• Ability to undertake field research in Jordan, Lebanon or occupied Palestinian Territories
• Knowledge of the Arabic language.

You are required to complete a Form, which is to be used to apply for funds from the Disability Under Siege Network Early Career Researcher Fund. Please find the form here.

Before you apply, please note the following;

All applications MUST be written in English (translation support will be provided upon request)

Please make sure you complete ALL sections in this form.

We strive to make this application process as accessible as possible, if you have any queries or access requirements us at disabilityundersiege@contacts.bham.ac.uk "> disabilityundersiege@contacts.bham.ac.uk

For an informal chat or feedback on your proposal, please also get in touch at disabilityundersiege@contacts.bham.ac.uk "> disabilityundersiege@contacts.bham.ac.uk

Once completed please attach this form, a copy of your CV, and any other relevant information your application, which should be completed through the University of Birmingham's official application system

Informal enquires to Vera Kubenz, email: v.i.kubenz@bham.ac.uk

Valuing excellence, sustaining investment

We value diversity and inclusion at the University of Birmingham and welcome applications from all sections of the community and are open to discussions around all forms of flexible working