Research Associate - Business of Bordering

Benefits

• Highly competitive annual leave entitlement, including bank holidays and the ability to purchase additional days.
• A generous pension scheme.
• Flexible working opportunities and hybrid working options for some roles.
• Commitment to your development and wellbeing.
• A wide range of retail discounts and rewards on shopping, eating out and travel.
• Access to staff networks and peer support.
• Recognition awards and family‑friendly policies, including paid time off for parenting, caring emergencies and fertility treatment.
• Menopause support and other employee well‑being initiatives.
• Other benefits available.

We are seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate (postdoc) to work on the ESRC funded “The Business of Bordering” research project. The postholder will work under the supervision of Dr. Lucy Mayblin (University of Sheffield), in collaboration with Dr. Joe Turner (University of York) and Dr. Martin Lemberg‑Pedersen (University of Southern Denmark).

The project, starting in September 2026, focuses on the wide range of companies contracted directly or indirectly by governments to contribute to border control. The research will focus on the UK and Denmark and will explore how these states experiment with, propagate and normalise private border security businesses. The postdoc will focus on the Danish part of the research, building a database of border security tenders and contracts and conducting qualitative field research.

The postdoc should be fluent in Danish, have excellent English, and ideally possess experience with financial datasets, public/private contract analysis, and company profiling. Training will be provided; enthusiasm for independent desk‑based data compilation is essential.

• Reading and reviewing relevant literature.
• Building a dataset of border security contracts in the Danish context under supervision.
• Desk‑based policy analysis and stakeholder mapping in Danish and English.
• Conducting qualitative field research, including elite interviews and observations at border security sector events.
• Attending and presenting at academic seminars, workshops and conferences.
• Assisting in the writing of the project website/blog, newsletters, reports and scholarly publications.
• Contributing to conference presentations, practitioner workshops and research advisory group meetings, and assisting in their running.
• Carrying out other duties in line with the post’s remit.

We foster a culture where everyone feels they belong and are respected. Even if past experience does not match perfectly, your contribution is valuable; we encourage you to apply.

• Essential: A PhD (or close to completion) in a relevant social science or humanities discipline, or equivalent experience.
• Essential:
  Fluency in Danish.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in both Danish and English.
• Ability to work independently.
• Desirable:
  Familiarity with Danish borders and immigration systems, or other Danish government policy systems.
• Desirable:
  Familiarity with relevant research areas such as border and migration studies literatures, political economy, outsourcing, arms trade, security technologies.
• Desirable:
  Experience with financial data, e.g., investigative journalism techniques or other financial analysis approaches.
• Desirable:
  Experience with stakeholder mapping.
• Desirable:
  Experience with policy discourse analysis.

• Grade: 7
• Work arrangement:
  Full‑time
• Duration:
  From 1 September 2026 for 30 months
• Line manager:
  Project Principal Investigator
• Direct reports:
  None
• Contact:
  Lucy Mayblin, Senior Lecturer Sociology,
• Website:

We are a Disability Confident Leader. If you have a disability and meet the essential criteria for this job you will be invited to take part in the next stage of the selection process.