Research and Innovation Assistant

Research and Innovation Assistant

You will be working on the ESRC‑funded project, ‘Universities in communities (Cuba): creating the capacity for change’.

• Helping to design and deliver a 12‑18 month participatory action research project in the Leicester area, which will develop university, local government and community links, based upon learning from an extended period working with project partners in Cuba.
• Supporting the overall administration and delivery of this 3‑year research project, developing skills and experience in research.

You will be joining the Division of Education, which sits within the School of Applied Social Sciences, within the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences. We are a dedicated and experienced team who teach across a range of education‑focused undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, and research education in the UK and internationally, particularly participatory research on education for social justice.

We are seeking a creative, community‑minded individual with a professional or academic background in community development, voluntary or public sector project delivery, sustainability or public engagement. The role focuses on supporting participatory action research through which universities collaborate with local government and civil society organisations to support the priorities and needs of their local communities. The project is focussed upon learning with and from the highly‑integrated collaborations in Cuba through Municipal University Centres, in part to inform the work of civic university initiatives in the UK.

You will have a relevant master’s‑level qualification or equivalent professional experience in the voluntary, public or community sector. You will have a proven collaborative and participatory approach and a real interest in how universities, local government and communities can work together to make change. You will be an imaginative and creative person and it is expected that your ideas and priorities will be essential to defining the direction of the Leicester project.

You will be able to undertake an extended period of engagement with Cuban universities. It is hoped that this will be in person.

For further information please contact Rosi Smith, Senior Lecturer in Education and project lead, via email

• Literature Review
• Data Collection
• Data Analysis
• Project Management
• Report Writing
• Ethical Compliance
• Presentation Skills

• Analytical Thinking
• Attention to Detail
• Communication
• Organisation
• Teamwork
• Adaptability
• Resilience
• Honest and Compassionate
• Innovative and Creative
• Community Minded
• Problem‑Solving