Postdoctoral Research Associate (Cybercrime Research Project) at University United K

Postdoctoral Research Associate (Cybercrime Research Project) at University of Oxford, United Kingdom (GBP 39,424 - 47,779 per annum)

Offered by Department of Sociology, University of Oxford
.

Oxford

Type

Full-time

Stipend

GBP 39,424 - GBP 47,779 per annum (Research Grade
7), with a discretionary range to GBP 53,483 (pro-rata)

Duration

3 years (fixed-term)

Location

Oxford

Where

Abroad

A relevant PhD/DPhil together with…

Openings

1

The Department of Sociology at the University of Oxford is seeking to appoint a Postdoctoral Research Associate to support the research project “Falling into Cybercrime:
The Socio-Economic Factors of Youth Hacking and Cybercrime”. The project is led by Associate Professor Jonathan Lusthaus and also includes Dr Lindsay Richards, and is based at the Department of Sociology, 42-43 Park End Street, Oxford.

The appointment is on Research Grade 7 and is fixed-term for 3 years
. The post is to start as soon as possible, preferably by October 2026, but the Department states there is some flexibility for a later start date if required. The Department is seeking a full-time postholder but is open to applicants seeking part-time arrangements, and the job description records that 0.8 FTE would be considered. The vacancy reference is 187326
.

This 3-year project is focussed on understanding the drivers of youth hacking and the risk factors associated with hacking populations falling into cybercrime. It takes both a global and a local approach.

• At the global level
  , it seeks to explain why some countries are more likely to produce significant numbers of hackers, and what risk factors make these populations more likely to fall into cybercrime.
• At the local level
  , it takes the UK as a case study to understand the same question in a more granular way: what drivers explain why British youths become hackers, and why a proportion of this group becomes involved in criminal hacking.

The project is based in the Department of Sociology and is supported by The Hacking Games. Working with the PI and CI, and alongside a doctoral researcher, the postholder will take a key role in carrying out this research and helping to coordinate it.

• Manage own academic research and administrative activities, including small-scale project management to co-ordinate multiple aspects of work to meet deadlines.
• Adapt existing and develop new research methodologies, and perform mixed methods research to meet the project aims.
• Prepare working theories and analyse quantitative data, along with qualitative data, from a variety of sources, reviewing and refining theories as appropriate.
• Take the lead in performing and reviewing quantitative analysis across the project.
• Assist the PI and CI with project management and coordination, as well as funder and partnership liaison.
• Contribute ideas for research streams, develop ideas for generating research income, and present detailed research proposals to senior researchers.
• Collaborate in the preparation of research publications and book chapters, and present papers at conferences or public meetings.
• Represent the research group at external meetings and seminars, and carry out collaborative projects with colleagues in partner institutions and research groups.
• The postholder may have the opportunity to undertake ad-hoc paid teaching and supervision of master’s projects in collaboration with principal investigators, with permission sought in advance for each opportunity.
• Hold a relevant PhD/DPhil, together with relevant experience, with respect to cybercrime, criminology, sociology, education or a related discipline.
• Possess strong mixed methods skills, with an emphasis towards quantitative methods. The job description states the postholder should begin the post with at least intermediate statistical skills, for example conducting well thought out regressions.
• Experience carrying out data collection. This includes involvement in survey design and deployment, accessing secondary datasets, and creating or curating new datasets based on public and other sources.
• Possess sufficient specialist knowledge about…