Research Associate - Digital Innovation & Transformation

Salary: £37,369 to £46,970 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: 28 October 2026

We are excited to offer an opportunity for a Research Associate in Digital Innovation and Transformation to join Newcastle University Business School. Working with Professor Savvas Papagiannidis, you will contribute to research on how artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies are changing organisations, society and higher education.

You will join a leading business school in the heart of Newcastle, at the gateway to Newcastle Helix. Newcastle University Business School is part of a Russell Group university and holds triple accreditation from AMBA, AACSB and EQUIS. The School brings together a diverse community of researchers, educators, students and external partners with a shared interest in rigorous, relevant research and teaching.

This two-year, full-time fixed term role sits within a portfolio of research and education activity led by Professor Savvas Papagiannidis. The work focuses on digital transformation and information systems, with particular attention to the adoption, governance and consequences of artificial intelligence, including generative AI. The role offers scope to contribute to research examining how digital technologies reshape organisational strategy, innovation, business models and user experience.

You will support the development and delivery of research projects, helping to generate evidence that is useful to academic, policy, practitioner and public audiences. You will also contribute to teaching and learning activity concerned with the effective, responsible and evidence informed use of AI in higher education. This may include supporting the design and evaluation of educational interventions, such as Theory Hub, contributing to teaching materials and producing scholarship of teaching and learning outputs.

Reporting to Professor Savvas Papagiannidis, you will work across research, education and impact activities. You will undertake literature reviews, support case study research and collect, analyse and interpret qualitative or quantitative data. You will help prepare research outputs, including reports, journal papers, conference presentations and materials for non academic audiences. You may contribute to stakeholder engagement with industry partners, policymakers and academic colleagues, helping to translate findings into practical insights, frameworks and recommendations.

The role will also involve contributing ideas on research design and methodology, assessing findings to identify opportunities for further investigation, and supporting funding applications and the development of future research proposals.

You will hold a doctorate in a relevant discipline, such as information systems management, business, digital innovation or a closely related field. You will have demonstrable knowledge of technology adoption, diffusion and implementation within digital transformation.

We are particularly keen to hear from applicants who can critically evaluate theories and concepts to develop original research responses. You will be able to analyse research data accurately, draw well supported conclusions and communicate complex ideas clearly to different audiences.

You will bring experience of collaborative research and an ability to manage your own work effectively while contributing to shared project objectives. Experience of presenting at conferences or publishing in high-quality outlets will be valuable, as will an interest in the organisational, societal or educational implications of artificial intelligence.

You will be organised, attentive to detail and comfortable managing competing responsibilities to agreed deadlines. We welcome applicants who value inclusive ways of working, ongoing professional development and collaboration across disciplines and sectors.

Newcastle University is committed to supporting researchers at every career stage through the Researcher Development Concordat. You will have access to mentoring, annual research planning discussions, peer review support for research and innovation funding applications, and pooled funding that supports career development and research activity. The University is committed to a positive research…