Senior Research Assistant

Northumbria University - Department of Humanities and Social Sciences

Full time for years 1 and 2 then 14.8 hours in year 3

ABOUT THE ROLE

Working as part of a multi-disciplinary team for the European Commission-funded project ‘ECLIPSE’, you will support the Principal Investigator in the delivery of research activities on preventing and combatting online and offline hate speech and related mis/disinformation by engaging law enforcement agencies and policymakers and by raising awareness among European policy-makers and citizens about these phenomena through innovative methods. The postholder will coordinate research activities, manage interdisciplinary collaboration, and lead the development of co-designed methodologies involving key stakeholders such as law enforcement agencies (LEAs), civil society organisations (CSOs), and international bodies. The postholder will specifically:

• Contribute to the management of the Work Packages within the ECLIPSE consortium, ensuring the timely delivery of milestones and deliverables.
• Coordinate activities with consortium partners and end-users to translate social, behavioural, and legal insights on hate crime/speech and misinformation into practical requirements for digital tools and training frameworks.
• Collate, process and present research data in an appropriate mode and use suitable IT tools to facilitate progression of the project.
• Prepare presentations and deliver these to your immediate supervisor and the project team and to engage in discussion on your research.
• Disseminate, with appropriate support and guidance, the results of research and scholarly activity through high quality publications, project reports, policy materials, development of learning materials, presentations at conferences or exhibiting work at appropriate events and via the media, etc.
• Contribute to ECLIPSE project management and reporting, including input to periodic reports and consortium meetings.
• Support the broader goals of the ECLIPSE project, including occasional administrative or coordination support and involvement in event planning or community engagement.
• Develop links with external organisations and to contribute to consultancy activities.
• Develop an awareness of University structures, policies and procedures and relevant issues in the higher education, research, social and political environment.

ABOUT THE TEAM

This Research Project is being delivered within the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences. The Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at Northumbria University stands at the forefront of academic excellence and societal impact, offering a vibrant and intellectually rich environment for both educators and researchers. With a diverse portfolio the department is distinguished by its commitment to research-led teaching and real-world engagement.

As a nationally recognised centre for criminological research and social policy, we are ranked 3rd in the UK for research power in social policy (REF 2021). Our academic community is deeply engaged in cutting-edge research across themes such as crime, justice, inequality, global development, and media, shaping public discourse and informing policy at regional, national and international levels. Initiatives like the North East Homeless Think Tank exemplify our applied impact, while collaborations with organisations such as Northumbria Police, Durham Constabulary, the Youth Offending Team, British Council, and BBC demonstrate the breadth of our partnerships.

ABOUT YOU

Applicants should hold a PhD (or be close to submission of their thesis ie.1 month) and have demonstrable specialist expert knowledge in hate crime/hate speech online and offline.

Further information about the requirements of the role is available in the person specification.

If you would like an informal discussion about the role, please contact georgios.antonopoulos@northumbria.ac.uk.