Researcher - Community Land in Europe Project, Centre for Mountain Studies

UHI Perth

Full Time, Fixed Term for 4 Years (48 months): start date 1st October 2026

35 hours per week

UHI Perth is one of Scotland’s leading Colleges of Further and Higher Education, and a large partner in Scotland’s youngest University, the University of the Highlands and Islands. An opportunity has arisen to join our vibrant research team at the Centre for Mountain Studies - UHI Perth (CMS).

The project

The Community Land in Europe project is externally funded by a Leverhulme Trust Research Leadership Award. The project aims to develop a comprehensive understanding of the range and nature of community land ownership across Europe and how it affects sustainable development outcomes in rural areas. The project team comprises the project lead, a doctoral student and a postdoctoral researcher.

The role

The researcher will identify and ‘map’ examples of community land ownership across Europe, as well as organisations and social movements promoting and facilitating its expansion. This will broadly comprise four sequenced tasks:

• Gather and translate relevant European literature to reduce linguistic and epistemological bias, and map approaches to community land ownership and governance and their impacts.
• Compile a list of organisations and social movements through desk‑based mapping and collaboration with international partners, including NGOs, advocacy groups, universities and CLAN network members.
• Collect primary data through a mixed‑methods online survey of all identified organisations and movements, creating a multifunctional database.
• Follow up with survey respondents to deepen understanding of local and national contexts, using qualitative methods to explore political, historical and cultural factors shaping public policy and social innovations in community land ownership.

The successful candidate will work closely with the project lead in informing other aspects of the research project. For this purpose, experience of both utilising and supervising the use of qualitative methods and Q methodology would be beneficial. The research team will adopt an enhanced ethical approach to the research throughout, seeking ways in which community groups and local residents can benefit from the presence, conduct and findings of the researchers.

Job location

The role is based at the Centre for Mountain Studies, UHI Perth. Under current hybrid working guidelines, support staff can work up to 40% from home and 60% on campus, depending on role requirements. The post holder may be required to travel across Europe for fieldwork and attending relevant events and conferences.

Further information

Informal enquiries about this post may be directed to bobby.macaulay.perth@uhi.ac.uk

Closing Date: 23:45 on Sunday 31st May 2026

Interview Date: 22nd/23rd June 2026