Research Assistant – Examining the multilingual experiences and repertoires of DHH children growing up in migrant contexts of Germany and the UK

**The appointment is available on a fixed term basis for 36 months at 50% fte**

The School of Education, University of Leeds, seeks to recruit a Research Assistant for a AHRC funded research project that examines the multilingual experiences and repertoires of deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children growing up in migrant contexts of Germany and the UK. The project is a collaboration between the Universities of Leeds, Cologne and University College London. 

 The transnational focus, leveraging Britain’s established institutional support for multilingual children and Germany’s recent high migration, will result in an analysis and explanation of the contexts of language development for DHH migrant children, the expansion of scientific knowledge on multilingual linguistic repertoires in diverse contexts, the development of informed guidelines for researching, assessing and explaining language use and development in marginalised communities, and the development of practical guidelines for sustainable linguistic support for DHH migrant children across Europe, contributing to informed policy development. 

 The successful candidate will be working with Professor Ruth Swanwick (PI) in the School of Education, University of Leeds and Dr Kate Rowley (Co-I) at Deafness, Cognition and Language, University College London. They will assist the PI and Co-I in coordinating activities in the UK and liaising with the University of Cologne project team. The role involves contact building with participant families and organisations, data collection, preparation and analysis and will contribute to impact activities and outputs, including sustainable network development and publications.  The successful candidate should be part of the Deaf community and/or communicate in BSL.

What we offer in return

26 days holiday plus approx.16 Bank Holidays/days that the University is closed by custom (including Christmas) – That’s 42 days a year!Generous pension scheme options plus life assuranceHealth and Wellbeing: Discounted staff membership options at The Edge, our state-of-the-art Campus gym, with a pool, sauna, climbing wall, cycle circuit, and sports halls.Personal Development: Access to courses run by our Organisational Development & Professional Learning team.Access to on-site childcare, shopping discounts and travel schemes are also available.

And much more! 

To explore either post further or for any queries you may have, please contact: 

 Professor Ruth Swanwick

Email: [email protected]

Closing Date: 16 Jan 2026

Section: Research

Salary: £33,951 to £39,906 per annum pro-rata