School of Psychology
Hourly Pay Rate:
£19.51 hourly pay + £2.35 per hour holiday pay
Hours Per Week
16
Duration of role:
Long term - little shy of 2 years
All Locations
Hybrid
Closing Date:
14 Jun 2026

Job Description

The current opportunity is available for current Manchester Met students, to apply you must be based in the UK for the duration of the role.
   
The main purpose of this role is to provide research support to the British Academy/Leverhulme Funded Project Titled 'Public figure death: political implications of discourse and communication in young adults'  by assisting across all aspects of the project including, including recruitment, administration, data analysis, write-up, and dissemination activities.
 
Dates: 13 July 2026 - 26 May 2028
Hours: 16 hours per week.
Location: Hyrbid (Brooks Campus and home working)

Key Tasks
Research Activities
We are seeking a Level 7 Research Assistant to support a funded research project (British Academy/Leverhulme) exploring how individuals construct and negotiate ideas of what is “appropriate” or “inappropriate” when responding to the death of public figures. 

This project uses a mixed-methods design, combining qualitative workshop-based methods (including live performance and immersive environments) with quantitative data collection and analyses. 
 
The ideal candidate will play a central role across all aspects of the project, including recruitment, administration, data analysis, write-up, and dissemination activities. 

Key Responsibilities:
Recruitment and Participant Management 
  • Support the recruitment of participants via the participation pool, university channels, social media and others. 
  • Manage participant communication and administration (e.g., invitations, scheduling, follow-ups) 
  • Assist in coordinating workshop attendance and logistics 
Project Administration 
  • Provide administrative support for the project 
  • Maintain accurate and secure project documentation and data records 
  • Ensure processes align with ethical approval and data protection requirements 
Data Analysis 
  • Contribute to the analysis of qualitative data (e.g., workshop discussions, transcripts), including identifying patterns in discourse 
  • Support analysis of quantitative questionnaire data (e.g., pre/post/follow-up measures of attitude change) 

Write-Up and Publication 
  • Contribute to the write-up of research findings, including drafting sections of academic papers 
  • Support preparation of outputs for peer-reviewed journals and conference submissions 
  • Assist in developing materials for dissemination to both academic and non-academic audiences 

Impact and Public Engagement 
  • Contribute to impact activities, including:  
  • Public-facing summaries (e.g., webpage content, infographics) 
  • Media engagement (e.g., accessible articles) 
  • Podcast development linked to the project 
  • Support the translation of findings for wider audiences beyond academia 
Miscellaneous
You have a legal duty, so far as is reasonably practicable, to ensure that you do not endanger yourself or anyone else by your acts or omissions. In addition, you must cooperate with the University on health and safety matters and must not interfere or misuse anything provided for health, safety and welfare purposes.
 
You are responsible for applying the University’s Equal Opportunities Policy in your own area of responsibility and in your general conduct.
 
Such other relevant duties commensurate with the grade of the post as may be assigned by the Manager in agreement with you. Such agreement should not be unreasonably withheld.
 
You have the responsibility to engage with the University’s commitment to Environmental Sustainability in order to reduce its waste, energy consumption and carbon footprint.
 
You have the responsibility to engage with the University’s commitment to delivering value for money services that optimise the use of resources and therefore should consider this when undertaking all duties and aspects of your role.

Person Specification

This role is only open to current Manchester Met students who meet the criteria below:
 
Essential
  • Studying for, or holding a post graduate degree, equivalent qualification or substantial relevant experience, and evidence of continuous professional development in Psychology, Counselling or closely related discipline.
  • Demonstrable expertise in qualitative research methods, with a strong emphasis on discursive approaches* (e.g., discourse analysis, discursive psychology, rhetorical or constructionist approaches).
  • Confidence in analysing naturally occurring or interactional data, including identifying patterns in how language is used to construct meaning.
  • Ability to work independently on qualitative data analysis and interpretation.
  • Strong academic writing skills, with the ability to contribute to peer-reviewed publications.
  • Knowledge of research ethics, particularly in handling sensitive qualitative data.
  • Proficient in the use of Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Teams and Qualtrics.
  • Experience of making a demonstrable, independent contribution to projects.
  • Experience of preparing written reports of results.
  • Experience of data collection.
  •  Experience of prioritising work independently and as part of a team in order to deliver individual and team objectives.
Desirable
  • Interest in research related to death, dying, bereavement, grief, or parasocial relationships.
  •  Interest in Counselling and Psychotherapy, and Psychology.
  • Interest in social norms, judgement, and ‘etiquette’ (see Dayes et al., 2023)  in everyday discourse.
  •  Experience of workshop-based, participatory, or creative research methods.
  •  Familiarity with quantitative survey data and basic analysis.
  •  Experience contributing to research dissemination or impact activities (e.g., public engagement, accessible writing, media outputs).

How to Apply

Please apply via the Apply button, completing the form on the next page and attaching your covering letter and CV in either .docx (preferred for accessibility) or .pdf format.

The deadline for applications is 11:59pm on 14 June 2026.

Manchester Metropolitan University is committed to supporting the rights, responsibilities, dignity, health and wellbeing of staff and students through our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion. 
  
We are committed to providing accessible and inclusive recruitment. If you require or would benefit from support or reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process and in work, please contact us by e-mailing [email protected]. This information will only be used and shared with those who require it to implement any change(s) and only at the point this is required.
If you have any queries, or need any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us.

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