Postdoctoral Research Assistant

Full time, Fixed Term (26 months)

We are inviting applications for one Postdoctoral Research Assistant in the Department of Geography.

This appointment is being made in relation to a new three-year Wellcome Trust grant entitled “Oppressive Heat: Heat Stress, Debt Bondage and British Overseas Investment in Cambodian Construction” (2024-2027). 

The grant explores how the thermal experience of climate change is shaped not only by a person's physical location, but also their social position. The jobs we do, the roles we play in society, the conditions we work in, and our freedom within those roles, all shape our exposure to the changing climate. Aiming to reframe the narrative of heat stress under climate change around the lived experience of labour regimes and working relations, OPPRESSIVE HEAT will assemble a novel, exploratory suite of conceptual and methodological tools to explore the dynamic workplace geography of thermal exposure under climate change. 

The research will centre on Cambodia, one of the world’s most climate vulnerable countries and also a key site of labour exploitation and modern slavery, it will work to support Cambodian and global union advocacy, generate vital context-specific data directed towards UK and Cambodian Occupational Safety and Health policy, whilst also opening up a vital high-impact field of scholarship on the health dimensions of labour exploitation under climate change.

The successful applicant will be based in the RHUL Department of Geography and will work with the Principal Investigator, Dr Laurie Parsons, Co-Investigator Dr Jenni Cole, and other members of the research team including external partners and stakeholders.

The successful applicant will be tasked with interpreting the lived experience of work under climate change and will focus on developing a social and medical understanding of life and work under conditions of thermal exposure. They will conduct substantive fieldwork with working populations within and related to the construction sector in Cambodia. They will analyse qualitative and quantitative data and disseminate findings by developing articles for peer-reviewed publications. They will generate impact-focused material to influence non-academic audiences, as well as coordinate relationships and events with external stakeholders to deliver knowledge exchange towards impact. They will provide administrative support to the Principal Investigator and research team, as required. The role will also support the postholder’s professional development, including tailored training, mentoring, international research visits, and conference attendance.

We welcome applications to join our diverse and interdisciplinary team from recent PhD graduates in human geography or cognate fields (including medical social science, sociology, anthropology, development studies, health humanities, etc.), as well as from applicants with postdoctoral experience, or those who are near completion of their PhD. Applicants must have experience of undertaking fieldwork in low- or middle-income countries and must have sufficient knowledge in fields of work, labour, or employment. We particularly welcome applicants who are able to demonstrate sufficient knowledge in one or more areas: health and wellbeing under climate change; thermal vulnerability or heat stress in the workplace; climate change impacts, labour regimes and work relations in the global South; and/or the dynamics of the global political economy. 

In return we offer a highly competitive rewards and benefits package including:

The post is based in Egham, Surrey where the College is situated in a beautiful, leafy campus near to Windsor Great Park and within commuting distance from London.  

For an informal discussion about the post, please contact Dr Laurie Parsons on laurie.parsons@rhul.ac.uk

For queries on the application process the Human Resources Department can be contacted by email at: recruitment@rhul.ac.uk 

Please quote the reference: 0924-272

Closing Date:   23:59, 21 October 2024 

Interview Date: To be Confirmed

Closing Date: 21 Oct 2024

Section: Research

Salary: £39,233 to £46,397 per annum - including London Allowance