Postdoctoral Research Associate

Durham University - Department of Sociology

Location:	Durham
Salary:	£38,784 to £46,049 per annum
Hours:	Part Time
Contract Type:	Fixed-Term/Contract

Placed On:	24th February 2026
Closes:	9th March 2026
Job Ref:	25001734

The Role and Department

The Institute for Medical Humanities is an interdisciplinary space for scholars to collaboratively draw from approaches from the social sciences, literary studies, visual art, and philosophy to address key questions in health research. The Institute currently hosts the Wellcome-funded Discovery Research Platform, a 7-year project supporting research across 6 methods labs and non-academic sectors to co-develop experimental methods to address health challenges.

The Role

Applications are invited for a Postdoctoral Research Associate to support the 3-year project ‘Amplifying the mental health of Black university students: A Black, Mad and Disability Studies Intersectional Inquiry’, funded by the Economic Social and Research Council. This project will investigate and address Black students’ poor mental health across the lifecycle at 4 institutions (Durham University, University of Nottingham, University of East London, and University of Hertfordshire). Through the project, the research team will theorise and develop innovative methodologies to tackle this issue in dialogue with Black students, university wellbeing services, and third sector organisations.

The successful applicant will be based at the Institute for Medical Humanities, working closely with Dr Arya Thampuran (Narrative Practices Lab). They will be expected to lead data collection, manage the day-to-day running of the project, maintain contacts with universities, and support the analysis of Black students’ experiences. The PDRA will also engage in academic journal writing with the core team to support their own academic careers. The PDRA will have the further opportunity to participate in the Black Health and the Humanities Network (co-led by Dr Thampuran), bridging narrative analysis with anti-racist, decolonial frameworks.

This post is fixed term for 2 years as per the terms of the funding.