Research Associate - Geography

About Us

The Department of Geography at King’s College London was established independently in 1947 and is a vibrant community of over 700 students (including over 100 PhD students), and 100 academic, teaching and research staff. We host two undergraduate and six master’s programmes. We undertake field research in over 95 countries across seven continents. Our holistic approach encompasses both human and physical geography perspectives on global challenges and pressing environmental, geopolitical, urban and rural issues. Our research findings contribute to public debates and policy development at national and international scales, making important contributions to climate change, disasters, smart cities, risk regulation, water, human migration and wildfire hazards. We are also deeply committed to tackling pressing matters of social justice around the world.

About The Role

Are you an interdisciplinary researcher with an interest in disaster preparedness? Would you like to work on an exciting impact-focused research project, aiming to improve household preparedness in multi-hazard contexts? Come and join the growing community of hazard and risk researchers in the Department of Geography at King’s College London!

We’re looking for a researcher to work on our new project, funded through Lloyd's Register Foundation. Our aim is to enhance disaster preparedness, particularly at the household level, in contexts where there are multiple, interrelated hazards. You will study the drivers behind the development and use of household preparedness plans, develop and test a suite of resources (or tools) to help households prepare for disasters in places where they are affected by multiple, interrelated hazards, and support dissemination of research in international contexts (including UN forums).

In This Role, You Will

• Conduct desk and field-based research on disaster preparedness and contribute to the overall research performance of the School and University by the production of measurable outputs (e.g., academic papers, conference presentations, policy briefs).
• Undertake administrative tasks associated with the research project, including the planning and organisation of aspects of the project.
• Build and create networks both internally and externally to the university, to influence decisions, explore future research requirements, and generate impact from your work.
  
  

You’ll be part of an interdisciplinary team, working with geoscientists and geographers with experience of working at the natural-social science interface, and the science-policy-practice interface. You will have the opportunity to complete international fieldwork, develop policy and stakeholder engagement skills, and strengthen knowledge in effective monitoring and evaluation of research impact.

This project is funded by a Lloyd’s Register Foundation grant, awarded to Dr Joel C Gill (Cardiff University) and Dr Faith Taylor (King’s College London). A brief summary of the project, written for a public audience, can be found on the funder’s website by clicking this link.

This is a full time post (37 Hours per week), and you will be offered a fixed term contract until 31 January 2026

About You

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

Essential Criteria

• Postgraduate degree at PhD level (or nearing completion / submission) in a related subject area or relevant experience
• An established expertise and proven portfolio of research and/or relevant experience in the field of disaster risk reduction. This should include experience of qualitative data collection (e.g., semi-structured interviews, focus groups) and using this to address research questions.
• Knowledge of current status of research in disaster preparedness
• Proven ability to publish in national/international journals, national/international conferences and/or other produce other research outputs
• Proven ability in effective and persuasive communication
• Ability to supervise the work of others to focus team efforts and motivate individuals
• Proven ability to demonstrate creativity, innovation and team-working within work
• Proven ability to work without close supervision
  
  

Desirable criteria

• Knowledge of the current status of research in multi-hazard risk management
• Evidence of engagement in policy processes
• Evidence of monitoring and evaluation processes (e.g., using a Theory of Change)
• Experience of working in an interdisciplinary and/or international team
• Evidence of ability to participate in and develop both internal and external networks and utilise them to enhance the research activities of the School.
  
  

Downloading a Copy Of Our Job Description

Full details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document, provided at the bottom of the next page after you click “Apply Now”. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.

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 (maximum 2 pages), 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 on week commencing 3rd June 2024

We are able to offer sponsorship for candidates who do not currently possess the right to work in the UK.