Research Assistant New

Project title: White Fertility - pro-natalism and the gender politics of ageing in an era of populism.  

PI - Dr Gemma Carney

This 8-week, part-time RA position is for a research assistant to work with Dr. Gemma Carney to undertake desk research to underpin the development of a proposal for a Special Issue on Gender, Politics and the demographic transition ? anti-migrant and pro-natalist approaches to ageing populations in Asia, Europe and America. The Research Assistant will work independently to scope out this field which is interdisciplinary, extending out from social policy and ageing across to gender studies, and area studies. 

The RA will spend 6 hours per week for 8 weeks gathering research, reading and reviewing relevant literature and researching relevant organisations which work on the topic. They will organise a webinar with these organisations (e.g. Hope Not Hate) and also contact some research leaders in the field about their interest in contributing to the Special Issue. 

Applicants must be available to work over the summer period. They must also have a strong track record in academic research at UG/PG level with a specific interest in demographic change/Far Right politics/gender politics/sociology of emotion/social policy. 

Skills
A demonstrable interest in researching gender politics, ageing and older people, particularly experience in the fields of sociology of emotion and Far Right populism.

Qualifications

Essential

An UG degree in social policy or related discipline.

Desirable

A master's or PhD (or studying towards a masters or PhD) in one of these areas is an advantage.

POST: AHSS Student Skills Assisant x 12 (Specialists in Digital, Academic, Employability/Transversal skills)

SCHOOL/DEPT: AHSS Faculty Office

DURATION: Fixed Term until 30th June 2025 (with the possibility of contract extension through to August 2025)

WAGE: £19.23 per hour (Salary may increase as of August 2024 but will be commensurate with Queen's University's Agenda for Change)

CLOSING DATE: Midnight on Sunday16th June 2024

EXPECTED INTERVIEW DATES: Monday 24th and Tuesday 25th June 2024

NO. OF HOURS PER WEEK: Minimum of 8 hours per week (with the possibility of 10/week)

JOB TITLE: AHSS Student Skills Assisant

QUESTION? Informal queries can be directed to Aileen Carson (Employability and Skills Development Officer with AHSS) a.carson@qub.ac.uk.

JOB SUMMARY:

We are looking for 12 exceptional students to join our Student Skills Development Team in the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (AHSS). As part of a dedicated team of Student Assistants, you'll provide peer-to-peer support and training for both Undergraduate and Postgraduate students, and to promote the student skills agenda.

The team will be made up of Digital (x4), Academic (x4) and Employability/Transversal (x4) assistants* to form the ‘Student Skills Development Team’ who will then be split into 3 sub-teams supporting either Undergraduate (UG), Post Graduate Taught (PGT), or Post Graduate Research (PGR) students across the faculty. Your responsibilities will include organising events, delivering training, offering support through 1-2-1s and group drop-in sessions, and creating engaging learning guides in written and video formats. Additionally, as a member to the Student Skills Development Team, you will actively represent the student voice in important committees and working groups, contributing to decisions that shape the future of student skills development within the AHSS Faculty and the wider university. See a summary of the overall team breakdown below:

Position: Student Voice Support Assistant

The post holder will form part of a team responsible for delivering efficient and effective provision of student voice and representation activities across the Students? Union, working on activities which support recruitment, training, support and reward of student representatives, and the general advocacy, governance and representation activities of the Students' Union.

Major Duties

1. Deal with enquiries from staff, students and elected student representatives regarding the representation activities of the Students' Union and the University, signposting non-routine enquiries when appropriate.
2. Support the Students' Union, academic Schools, Institutes and University departments with the recruitment, training, support and reward of student representatives.
3. Assist with the delivery of Students' Union democratic processes, including elections, referenda, meetings, policy submissions, and student participation in national students' union events.
4. Draft briefing notes and documents under direction of line manager.
5. Assist with the organisation of events, such as meetings, workshops, training sessions and conferences.
6. Provide secretarial support for meetings, taking notes, preparing agendas, and coordinating meeting logistics.
7. Undertake administrative and clerical activities to support the general activities and specific projects within the Students' Union.
8. Any other duties commensurate with the post.

Additional working hours may be available on a weekly basis to support the operational needs of the organisation.

NONE

Essential Criteria

1. Relevant experience of working in a student-led, or youth-led, organisation, to include both of the following:
   1. Experience of providing administrative support to student-led or youth-led activities.
   2. Experience of delivering and organising training, or experience of providing guidance on established processes and procedures, to student groups of youth groups.
2. Experience of working in a customer-facing environment and providing excellent customer service.
3. Experience (in a working environment) and up to date knowledge of a wide range of IT systems including MS Word, Excel and Outlook.
4. Well-developed time management skills including the ability to meet deadlines and to prioritise work.
5. Excellent attention to detail, demonstrable organisational skills and professional approach.
6. Excellent oral/written communication skill.
7. Ability to work on own initiative, as well as part of a team.
8. A commitment to education quality assurance and working for the welfare of students.
9. Understanding of and empathy with the role of student representatives and students' unions.
10. Ability and willingness to, where required, work flexible hours to meet the needs of the service (i.e. evening, weekend, public holiday work)

Desirable Criteria

1. Recent, relevant, experience of working within a democratic or membership environment (including local government, the voluntary or charitable sector and students' unions).
2. Experience of working in a higher education setting.
3. Experience of working to providing advice, supporting or guidance to student leaders / representatives in a higher education setting.
4. Knowledge or experience of academic and quality assurance issues faced by and/likely to be faced by students.
5. Knowledge of current issues impacting on Higher Education.

Note: ?Working? is considered to be undertaking activity in a paid role.