A highly motivated researcher to join the Social, Economic and Geographical Sciences group (SEGS) at the James Hutton Institute is required, to support social scientific research on environmental, land management, rural development and societal responses to climate change. The successful candidate will join a team of Research Assistants providing a set of complementary skills that can be called upon by colleagues in SEGS. The current focus of the post is to assist in research on the role of community-based initiatives in societal transitions to a low-carbon economy. The post will also contribute to other projects that might include Scottish Government-funded research on the governance and vibrancy of rural communities, and on the decision-making of land managers.
The candidate must have an Honours or Higher Degree in a relevant discipline (for example, Psychology, Sociology or Human Geography). The successful candidate will collaborate within multi-disciplinary and multi-country teams using both qualitative and quantitative methods.
This post is located on the Institute’s Aberdeen site, with occasional requirements to travel within Scotland and throughout Europe.
Main purpose of the job
The post holder will provide support and contribute to research conducted within SEGS, with a special focus on community action in the context of sustainability transitions, and land use and land management more generally. An important part of the work is also the facilitation of engagement with relevant stakeholders.
The candidate will join a multidisciplinary team of researchers using both qualitative and quantitative methods to investigate social processes and relationships in the context of resource use, land management and climate change.
Closing date Friday 8 August 2014.