Geography King’s College London in United Kingdom

25 Sep 2025
Job Information

Organisation/Company

KINGS COLLEGE LONDON

Research Field

Geography

Researcher Profile

Recognised Researcher (R2)
Established Researcher (R3)

Country

United Kingdom

Application Deadline

27 Oct 2025 - 00:00 (UTC)

Type of Contract

Other

Job Status

Full-time

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Not funded by a EU programme

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Offer Description

About us

The Department of Geography at King’s College London invites applications for a one-year (12 months), full-time (1.0 FTE) position as Postdoctoral Research Associate (PDRA). The post will be based in the research team of Professor Katherine Brickell in the Department of Geography at KCL’s Strand Campus in central London.

About the role

The Department of Geography at King’s College London invites applications for a one-year (12 months), full-time (1.0 FTE) position as Postdoctoral Research Associate (PDRA). The post will be based in the research team of Professor Katherine Brickell at KCL’s Strand Campus in central London. Hybrid working can be accommodated.

The PDRA will report to Professor Katherine Brickell (Department of Geography) and work closely with Dr Rosalie Warnock on their Leverhulme-funded research project “Sensory Lives: Neurodivergent Children and Families in Temporary Accommodation”. The PDRA will also liaise with research collaborators, including the Shared Health Foundation in Greater Manchester.

The research aims to better understand how homeless families with neurodivergent children experience Temporary Accommodation in the United Kingdom. Its goal is also to create spaces for their insights to be represented and registered in national discussions on the child homelessness crisis. See https://www.sensorylivesproject.org/ about for more information.

Under the direction of Professor Katherine Brickell and Dr Rosalie Warnock, the PDRA will take on responsibilities for year-two of the 24-month Sensory Lives study. In year one (January-December 2025), the team developed playful, creative and inclusive methods for working with neurodivergent children and their families, and conducted the bulk of data collection. The primary role of the PDRA is to support the design and UK-wide tour of a playhouse tent which will communicate children’s experiences to diverse audiences. The playhouse tent looks to re-centre children’s perspectives in discussions of homelessness and communicate neurological difference more inclusively in research and policy. The PDRA will work with children and families to co-design the playhouse tent; travel with the tent and facilitate public engagement with it; and conduct qualitative data analysis (of engagement with the tent). Other responsibilities may include: organising national stakeholder interviews; engaging in policy-applied and/or academic writing; active participation and leadership in team-based workshops; travel and managing travel logistics; delivering academic presentations at conferences; and project talks to the public and policy stakeholders.

This is a full-time position (FTE 1.0 or 37.5 hours/week) starting at salary Grade 6. The start date of 1 January 2026 is fixed, and the successful candidate will be offered a fixed term contract for 12 months.

Research staff at King’s are entitled to at least 10 days per year (pro-rata) for professional development. This entitlement, from the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers, applies to Postdocs, Research Assistants, Research and Teaching Technicians, Teaching Fellows and AEP equivalent up to and including grade 7. Visit the Centre for Research Staff Development for more information.

About you

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

Essential criteria

PhD in either human geography or a cognate discipline in the social sciences, or in the arts (e.g. applied arts or applied theatre) – to have been awarded by closing date of post advertised

Demonstrates excellent academic and practical knowledge of issues pertaining to/research including children and childhood and/or housing

Familiarity with at least one of the following areas: neurodiversity; homelessness; health and well-being; inclusive research and policy impact; gender and feminism; or audience studies

Demonstrates knowledge of societal issues impacting families in the United Kingdom

Experience in qualitative data collection and analysis

Proven ability to work effectively independently and collaboratively in team settings

Proven ability to build and manage relationships with research participants and/or community stakeholders in diverse community and local settings

Ability to travel in the UK with the playhouse tent and to engage tour audiences (NB. The PDRA will not be expected to travel for all showings)

Desirable criteria

Expertise of engaging with neurodivergent adults and/or children

Experience of co-design and participatory research

Experience of working at the arts-policy interface

Experience in speaking, writing, and communicating findings and outputs accessible to non-experts and/or the general public (e.g., policy briefs, public engagement, media, exhibitions)

Experience in promoting research through social media and other media channels

Downloading a copy of our Job Description

Full details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document, provided at the bottom of the page. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.

Further information

We pride ourselves on being inclusive and welcoming. We embrace diversity and want everyone to feel that they belong and are connected to others in our community.

We are committed to working with our staff and unions on these and other issues, to continue to support our people and to develop a diverse and inclusive culture at King's.

As part of this commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and through this appointment process, it is our aim to develop candidate pools that include applicants from all backgrounds and communities.

We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the advert. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible.

To find out how our managers will review your application, please take a look at our ‘ How we Recruit ’ pages.

Interviews are due to be held on 11th November 2025.

This post is subject to Disclosure and Barring Service clearances.

Grade and Salary: £45,031 - £52,514 per annum including London Weighting Allowance
Job ID: 123430
Close Date: 27-Oct-2025
Contact Person: Professor Katherine Brickell
Contact Details: [email protected]

Where to apply

Website

https://www.timeshighereducation.com/unijobs/listing/399166/postdoctoral-resear…

Requirements
Additional Information
Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

KINGS COLLEGE LONDON

Country

United Kingdom

City

London (Greater) (GB)

Contact

City

London (Greater) (GB)

STATUS: EXPIRED

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