Postgraduate Research Assistant role profile

Communication

  • Communicates with colleagues in peer communities within and outside the University on research topics.
  • Communicates with research team on current and future research activity requirements.
  • Collects information from participants during research activity.
  • Communicates with academic and administrative colleagues within the University and externally on matters related to the research processes.
  • Contributes as part of the research team to the design and implementation of research methodologies including for example the writing of questionnaires.
  • Keeps accurate records, assists in the preparation of reports and/or publications as appropriate and makes presentations at a variety of meetings both in the University and externally

Teamwork, motivation and managing people

  • Contributes collaboratively to research projects as part of the research team.
  • Develops productive and effective working relationships with academic, administrative and research colleagues stakeholders and partners.
  • Contributes collaboratively to projects at School, department or subject area level.

Liaison and networking

  • Liaises as appropriate to facilitate research for example with external partners, stakeholders and colleagues.

Planning and organising resources

  • Plans own workload within parameters of overall research activity plan.
  • Manages discrete elements of research in terms of planning time and resources.

Teaching and learning support

N/A

Research and analysis

With support, advice and mentoring is required to:

  • Design and test appropriate research tools e.g. questionnaires.
  • Gathers data from multiple sources as part of research activity.
  • Contributes to analysis and evaluation using a range of analytical tools for example descriptive statistics, reliability and factor analysis.
  • Keep accurate laboratory records, assist in the preparation of reports and/or publications as appropriate and make presentations at a variety of meetings both in the University and externally
  • Conduct literature searches as appropriate.

Pastoral care

  • Shows general sensitivity when dealing with confidential and data protection issues.

Initiative, problem-solving and decision making

  • Contributes to the day to day operational decisions on a collaborative basis with others in the research team

Sensory, physical and emotional demands

  • Uses a range of equipment as appropriate to research activity i.e. anything from laboratory equipment to pcs, to medical equipment.

Work environment

  • Based in office, laboratory or in the field.
  • Could be required to wear specialist clothing.
  • Could be required to undertaken risk assessment.

Knowledge and experience

  • Graduate.
  • Possess sufficient depth of knowledge to be able to work effectively as part of research team.
  • Likely to be studying for postgraduate qualifications i.e MSc or MPhil or PhD.