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APPLY NOW! Our latest paid, part-time Citizen Scientist Research Placement opportunity

    Friday 26 May 2023

    Pathways: Walking-and-Writing with Asylum Seekers in Nottingham

    About the project

    How do refugees and asylum seekers living in temporary accommodation make connections with their local landscape? How might we engage marginalised communities with new forms of creative exchange? And how might we bring together walking and writing in order to overcome barriers to inclusion and foster meaningful collaboration?

    Recent studies indicate that ‘walking methodologies’ can reduce power disparities in research. The benefits of participatory arts with refugee communities are also well-documented. To date, however, little work has been done on the potential for bringing together walking practices and creative writing in order to support displaced communities. Seeking to address this gap and to challenge the conceptualisation of asylum seekers as ‘speechless’, our project takes writing beyond the classroom. Building on work undertaken by local partner Refugee Roots, and supported by researchers from Nottingham Trent University and The University of Nottingham, the project will enable you to collaborate with asylum seekers on the development of a new walking-and-writing group. During the placement, you will run five weekly workshops with asylum seekers living in Nottingham, exploring the politics and practice of walking and writing through a range of creative and site-specific interventions.

    The ideal candidate will have:

    • Excellent interpersonal skills.
    • Strong written and verbal communication skills.
    • The ability to carry out some desk-based research.
    • Some relevant background experience in refugee education and/or community work.
    • Some knowledge and experience of creative writing and/or spoken word.

    How do our placements work?

    • Co(l)laboratory Citizen Scientist Research Placements are designed to give practical research experience to local candidates with experience and understanding of relevant community issues, and who have a strong motivation to make a difference for local communities through research.
    • This placement is part-time and will last between 8-12 weeks, depending on the candidate’s needs. Please contact us to discuss your specific needs.
    • Flexible working fully supported to enable you to fit the placement work around your life.
    • All placement candidates will receive a total bursary £1,156.62. This equates to £10.42 per hour (2023-2024 National Living Wage), paid in regular instalments.
    • Candidates will be given working space and support during their placement.
    • After successful completion of the research placement, candidates will receive a certificate formally recognising their participation in the Co(l)laboratory Citizen Scientist Research Placements programme.

    Who can apply?

    • Research Placements are open to anyone who is a current resident of Nottingham or Nottinghamshire.
    • All candidates must have the right to work in the UK.
    • This scheme is NOT open to those with previous professional or postgraduate research experience (includes Research Masters and PhD degrees).
    • This scheme is not open to those who are current registered university students.

    How to apply

    To apply, please go to the online application form linked below. You will be asked to complete a short form which asks for some brief personal details and for your answers to 3 short application questions. These 3 questions are limited to 2500 characters per answer and are as follows:

    1. Why are you interested in undertaking this specific research placement project?
    2. What relevant skills and experience do you have which would help you to be successful in this research placement?
    3. What do you hope to gain from undertaking this research placement?

    Shortlisted applicants will be invited to a short, 25 minute interview. The purpose of the interview is to give you a chance to meet the project team, and for them to ask you a short series of questions to help them understand what you want out of this opportunity and what you can bring to it to make it a success.

    Go to the online application form