Post-doctoral Research Associate

at  Kings College London

Job id: 105865. Salary: £44,105 - £51,485 per annum, including London Weighting Allowance.
Posted: 29 January 2025. Closing date: 19 February 2025.
Business unit: Social Science & Public Policy. Department: India Institute.
Contact details: Louise Tillin. Louise.Tillin@kcl.ac.uk
Location: . Category: Research.
About us
King’s India Institute seeks an accomplished post-doctoral fellow to work on the project Diaspora Politics and the International Mainstreaming of National Populisms. This project examines the external dimensions of the national populist parties and leaders which have gained power in formal democracies around the world, in places as varied as Brazil, the United States, India, and Turkey. The project has a focus on the Indian diaspora.
About the role
The post-doctoral fellow based at King’s will conduct research into how British political parties represent and engage with subjects of importance among members of the British Indian community. The research will examine how issues related to India, Indian religions, minority rights and issues affecting the Indian diaspora in the United Kingdom are understood and represented within British political parties. The fellow will conduct qualitative research during a local election, as well as hold focus group discussions in a number of cities. The fellow will also work with the PI on a survey of elected representatives and will support research on other work packages of the grant as required.
The fellow will be responsible for conducting original research on the project theme, producing high-quality publications (single and co-authored), the presentation of research at workshops and conferences, and other forms of public engagement and dissemination. They will also build relationships with, and participate in meetings of, the wider international project team. The post-doctoral fellow will receive additional mentorship from a senior academic at one of the partner universities.
The project is funded by the Open Research Area call of the national research funding agencies of France (ANR), Great Britain (ESRC), Canada (SSHRC) and Germany (DFG), which aims to strengthen international cooperation in the social sciences. Japan’s national research funding agency JSPS is an associated partner. Our university partners include the University of Goettingen, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Sciences-Po and Kyoto University.
This is a full time post and you will be offered an fixed term contract until 31.03.2027
About you
To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

Essential criteria

• PhD qualified in relevant subject area (eg Political Science, Anthropology, Sociology, South Asian Studies or related field)
• Demonstrable expertise in Indian politics, diaspora politics and/or British party politics
• Training and experience in applying relevant research methodologies and research ethics
• Collegiality and willingness to work on own initiative and as part of a team in conducting research
• Demonstrable ability to take leadership in organisational tasks related to research

Desirable criteria

• A developing record of high-quality scholarly publications appropriate to career stage
• Knowledge of an Indian language

Downloading a copy of our Job Description
Please note that this is a PhD level role but candidates who have submitted their thesis and are awaiting award of their PhDs will be considered. In these circumstances the appointment will be made at Grade 5, spine point 30 with the title of Research Assistant. Upon confirmation of the award of the PhD, the job title will become Research Associate and the salary will increase to Grade 6.
Further information
We pride ourselves on being inclusive and welcoming. We embrace diversity and want everyone to feel that they belong and are connected to others in our community.
We are committed to working with our staff and unions on these and other issues, to continue to support our people and to develop a diverse and inclusive culture at King’s.
We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the advert. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible.
To find out how our managers will review your application, please take a look at our ‘How we Recruit’ pages.
Interviews are due to be held later February / early March
We are able to offer sponsorship for candidates who do not currently possess the right to work in the UK

Please refer the Job description for details