Research Associate

We are looking for a Postdoctoral Research Associate (full-time) to join Dr. Yixian Sun’s new research project on sustainability governance of forest-risk commodities in key consumer and producer countries (AnDforFRCs).

About the role

This innovative project is funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s Forest Governance, Market and Climate Programme (FGMC).

Partner institutions include Universitas Gadjah Mada (Indonesia), University of Victoria (Canada), University of British Columbia (Canada), University of Freiburg (Germany), University of International Business and Economics (China), and National University of Singapore (Singapore).

The successful applicant will be responsible for conducting research, in close collaboration with partners at UIBE and UBC, on China’s governance in three forest-risk commodity sectors (natural rubber, palm oil and mining) and support a range of stakeholder engagement activities.

This is an exciting opportunity to produce highly impactful research for researchers with a strong interest in environmental governance and sustainable development.

You will join Dr. Sun’s team based in the Department of Social and Policy Science at the University of Bath and engage with researchers at the Bath Centre for Earth System Research Governance.

You will have the opportunity to develop cutting-edge research using mixed methods on forest-risk commodity governance:

• Initiatives seeking to govern sustainability impacts of China’s commodity trade and investment
• Interrelationships between various governance initiatives in China and the political economy dynamics in the existing governance landscape
• Future scenarios of forest-risk commodity policies and governance in China based on views gathered from related stakeholders

Our ideal candidate will:

• Hold a PhD degree in a relevant social science subject area such as International Relations, Political Science, Development Studies, Environmental Studies, and Public Policy.
• Have a strong research interest in environmental politics and governance and China’s role in global environmental governance.
• Possess good qualitative and/or quantitative skills.
• Have conducted research in China and/or collaborated with Chinese universities and industry stakeholders
• Offer excellent analytical, problem-solving, and project management skills.
• Be self-motivated.
• Have excellent interpersonal and communication skills to engage with a range of audiences and stakeholders.

Additional information

As a member of the Research Staff at the University of Bath, you will be encouraged and expected to take up to a minimum of 10 days professional development pro rata per year.

This role is offered on a full time (36.5 hours per week) fixed term basis to start as soon as possible.

The contract will end in March 2027, but can be renewed subject to funding availability.

We consider ourselves to be a university where difference is celebrated, respected and encouraged. We have an excellent international reputation with staff from over 60 different nations and have made a positive commitment towards gender equity and intersectionality receiving a Silver Athena SWAN award. We truly believe that diversity of experience, perspectives, and backgrounds will lead to a better environment for our employees and students and encourage applications from all genders, backgrounds, and communities, particularly from under-represented groups, and value the positive impact that will have on the university. We are committed to maintaining a safe and secure environment for our students, staff, and community by reinforcing our Safer Recruitment commitment.

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