I-REACCH Evaluation Research Associate

Are you passionate about improving research culture across the Higher Education sector? The Wellcome Trust has funded a team of researchers to find new ways to innovate, influence policy, and make a difference to staff and student participation in how we work together and empathise with each other.

You will pro-actively help to shape the future direction of research culture at the University of Leicester. Our shared aim is to be inclusive, promote equity and extend diversity. Five workstreams are going to test new ideas and ways of enhancing the progression of people who often feel excluded from a university career structure.

Funded by the Wellcome Trust as part of its Institutional Funding for Research Culture scheme, you will be joining a dedicated team to deliver the I-REACCH (Inclusive Research Culture Achieved through Culture Change) project. As Evaluation Research Associate for I-REACCH, you will bring your research skills to support the formative and summative mixed-methods evaluation of I-REACCH innovations and will support the delivery of a new and exciting piece of work for Leicester University.

We are seeking someone to take on a research associate role for a work stream that aims to engage with research leaders to conduct formative and summative evaluation sessions for all I-REACCH interventions, and contribute to the formation of appropriate novel evaluation mechanisms and outputs that demonstrate I-REACCH’s innovation and impact. In this role you will lead the evaluation of the I-REACCH interventions with diverse and multiple stakeholders, mobilising a range of mixed methods with both qualitative and quantitative metrics and approaches.

About the I-REACCH programme

I-REACCH is a range of complementary pilot projects, focused on under-represented groups, which will combine data collection/analysis, bespoke intervention development, engagement and evaluation through five objectives (O).

O1. Trial active inclusive recruitment practices for increased diversity

O2. Develop bespoke inclusive tools for career progression

O3. Boost citizenship engagement and advocacy to enhance an inclusive culture

O4: Engage with research leaders to create empathic models of inclusive leadership for sustained change.

O5: Robustly evaluate each of the pilot projects

About the School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences (CMS)

As an Evaluation RA you will be located within the School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences (CMS) under the supervision of Dr. Genovefa Kefalidou (WP5 (Evaluation) Leader and I-REACCH Co-Investigator). CMS is one of the largest Schools in the College of Science and Engineering (CSE) and is leading research in designing, developing and evaluating Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Data Science interventions. Currently, one priority is to explore how best to design and evaluate user-centric multi-modal interventions to optimise User Experience (UX) within University processes and practices, incorporating Equality/Equity Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and Responsible Research Innovation (RRI) principles. The School promotes inter-disciplinary research and develops strategic research partnerships with the College of Life Sciences, Space Park Leicester, the Leicester Institute for Environmental Futures and the Leicester Digital Culture Institute.

Joining us with a PhD and relevant research experience, you will play a vital role in the co-delivery of the I-REACCH work package 5, which focuses on designing, conducting and analysing formative and summative evaluation sessions for I-REACCH prototype interventions and conduct research on UX evaluation across diverse contexts and stakeholders, exploring risks and sustainability of enhanced technology acceptance. Your leadership skills will ensure that the provision meets (and where possible exceeds) Wellcome Trust requirements and expectations including reporting milestones. The daily tasks will involve you liaising with colleagues to design and execute robust and high-quality evaluations to measure multiple UX and performance metrics, reviewing literature and undertaking appropriate mixed-methods data collection sessions. You will need to be highly pro-active and energized to develop your research skills to deliver our vision for a more inclusive research culture.

To deliver impact in these projects you will work closely with Dr. Genovefa Kefalidou (WP5 Leader and I-REACCH Co-I) and five other staff employed on the project including a Project Manager, Project co-ordinator, Research Culture Officer, Data officer and one other Research Associate, each with defined duties associated with specific objectives.

You will also closely work with our newly formed, innovative ‘Mirror Co-Investigator’ team comprising researchers, technicians and staff with lived experience of research culture challenges who are uniquely placed to shape our research activity and developments.

We want this post to add value to your career and offer a meaningful enhancement to your skills and experience through active mentorship, upskilling and career development.

We welcome informal enquiries and would be pleased to share more information about the post, so please do not hesitate to contact Dr. Genovefa Kefalidou ([email protected]) should you have any queries.