Research Assistant/Associate (Modern British History)

Location: Newcastle, GB

Research Assistant/Associate (Modern British History)

Requisition ID

29789

Location

Newcastle, GB

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Contract Type

Fixed Term

Working Pattern

Full Time

Posted Date

1 Oct 2026

Salary

Research Assistant: £33,951 to £35,608 per annum

Research Associate: £36,636 to 41,064.00 per annum

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Closing Date: 29 October 2026

The Role

We are seeking to appoint a Research Assistant/Associate (RA) with a specialism in modern British history to work on an interdisciplinary project entitled, The Night Shift 1850-present: Reimagining Sleep, Work and Wellbeing for Healthcare Professionals in English and Scottish Hospitals, led by PI Dr Kristin Hussey and funded by the Wellcome Trust. The project is hosted in the School of History, Classics & Archaeology, which has a vibrant and active research culture: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/hca/about/

The Night Shift is an ambitious research project which aims to radically re-imagine sleep work and wellbeing for healthcare professionals working at night in England and Scotland. Working across medical, environmental and labour histories, the project will provide the first history of the British hospital ward at night. The Night Shift will develop a new framework to understand the lived experience of night shift work by bringing together historical insights with qualitative and Participatory Action Research.

The successful candidate will use historical and archival research to explore the development of night work in hospital settings from the nineteenth century to 2000. They will develop and apply conceptual and methodological approaches to historical night work. The postholder will also help to deliver a variety of public engagement outputs including an exhibition and public programme. Newcastle University is a signatory to the Concordat to support researchers’ career development which entitles researchers up to 10 days annually of personal CPD activities.

This post is a (maximum) 60-month fixed term Research Assistant/Associate in History, and a full-time appointment. The successful candidate will start work as soon as possible after 1 March 2027, ending no later than April 18, 2032. Flexible working is welcome, but the postholder must be willing to travel for fieldwork and other research/engagement activities.

Applicants with minority and/or host community backgrounds are particularly encouraged to apply. Should the successful applicant require a UK Visa for this role, they will be eligible to apply under the Endorsed Funder Route of the Global Talent Visa. The University will support the applicant through this process.

As part of our commitment to career development for research colleagues, the University has developed 3 levels of Research Innovation Role Profiles.pdf.  These profiles set out firstly the generic competencies and responsibilities expected of role holders at each level and, secondly, the general qualifications and experiences needed for entry at a particular level.

Newcastle University is committed to the responsible use of research metrics as part of our research culture and research strategy. We advocate for the transparent, appropriate, and inclusive use of metrics, guided by expert judgment, to support high-quality, impactful research that is open, collaborative and sustainable. Click  here for our full policy statement on the Responsible use of Research Metrics.

Contact for the post is Dr Kristin Hussey: [email protected]

To apply, please upload an up-to-date CV and cover letter outlining how you meet the essential job criteria. Please also upload one writing sample (e.g. journal article, book chapter, or thesis chapter) that you feel best reflects your research (10,000 words max).

Key Accountabilities

Research Assistant

Work closely with the project PI and others in the team on specific research studies/projects relating to The Night Shift 1850-present: Reimagining Sleep, Work and Wellbeing for Healthcare Professionals in English and Scottish Hospitals

Conduct archival and historical research across England and Scotland to trace the development of hospital night working practices and to analyse findings to illuminate lived experience by a wide variety of healthcare professionals

Attend core meetings with the rest of the team as well as workshops and conferences related to the project

Collaborate with project team and partners to deliver public and policy outputs including an exhibition, training materials and a policy toolkit

Collect, analyse and interpret research data and draw conclusions on the outcomes

Co-ordinate own work with that of others, use problem solving to affect the achievement of research objectives and contribute to the planning of the project(s)

Present information on research progress and outcomes to a Principal Investigator or groups overseeing the research project

Write up results from own research activity and provide input into the research project’s dissemination, in whatever form (report, papers, chapters, books)

Use research resources (including, where required, laboratories, workshops and specialist equipment) as appropriate

Research Associate

Contribute ideas, including enhancements to the technical or methodological aspects of the project

Determine appropriate methodologies for research

Assess research findings for the need/scope for further investigations

Contribute to the writing up of the research and its dissemination, either through seminar and conference presentations or through publications

Present research findings, either at conferences or through publications in reputable outlets appropriate to the discipline

Contribute to grant applications submitted