Research Associate in Creative Industries; Quantitative

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We are seeking a fixed-term Research Associate. This is a full-time post, 1.0 FTE, which can be worked flexibly, including hybrid or primarily remote working. The postholder will work as part of the Creative Industries Policy & Evidence Centre (Creative PEC), funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, on the workstream on Arts, Culture and Heritage, led by Dr Mark Taylor with Professor Dave O’Brien (University of Manchester).

This workstream will analyse trends in the arts, culture and heritage sectors, including audience behaviours, patterns of attendance, participation and engagement, organisational resilience and sustainability, funding trends, and inequalities. This role will incorporate various research activities, including the quantitative analysis of secondary survey data; organising, structuring and analysing alternative data sources; and mapping and visualising data. In addition to analysis, the role will also involve writing reports and other policy documents and engaging with policy stakeholders.

We expect our research to result in several high-quality academic publications and policy outputs. You will have the opportunity to lead on some team‑authored outputs, and you will be supported to develop your own longer‑term development as an academic or applied researcher.

• Analyse survey datasets hosted at the UK Data Service relevant to Arts, Culture and Heritage (for example, the DCMS Participation Survey; Labour Force Survey; Understanding Society).
• Analyse data hosted through the ONS Secure Research Service relevant to Arts, Culture and Heritage (for example, the ONS Longitudinal Study; Longitudinal Education Outcomes).
• Analyse data available in other formats (for example, data accessed through API; webscraped data).
• Contribute to the writing and production of State of the Nation reports.
• Contribute to and lead on preparations of presentations for dissemination events associated with State of the Nation reports.
• Contribute to and lead on preparation of academic journal articles.
• Contribute to and lead on preparation of presentations to be delivered at internal seminars and national and international conferences.
• Assist in communication about the project e.g.: blogs and other media outputs.
• Liaise closely with the workstream team, the broader PEC team, stakeholders in the creative industries, and PEC governance structures.
• Keep up to date with ongoing research associated with current projects.
• Contribute to organising an end‑of project dissemination event aimed at both academic and non‑academic audiences, and other impact, knowledge exchange and dissemination activities, including conference attendance.
• Undertake relevant skills development activities to support your transition to becoming an independent researcher.
• Contribute to the design and development of further research proposals, if necessary.
• Manage your own time and adhere to agreed timetables.
• Make a full and active contribution to the principles of the ‘Sheffield Academic’, including the achievement of excellence in research and scholarly pursuits to make a genuine difference in your subject area and to the University’s achievements as a whole.
• Carry out other duties, commensurate with the grade and remit of the post.

Our diverse community of staff and students recognises the unique abilities, backgrounds, and beliefs of all. We foster a culture where everyone feels they belong and is respected. Even if your past experience doesn’t match perfectly with this role’s criteria, your contribution is valuable, and we…