NUAcT Fellow: Economics of Creative Industries

Salary: £45,585 to £48,350 with progression to £54,395 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: 22 April 2024 
 

This opportunity may remain open after the closing date if a suitable candidate is not found.  In this case applications will be reviewed again on May 20th 2024. We will ensure applicants are kept updated with the status of their application. 

We are committed to promoting Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) principles throughout our recruitment process. As part of this commitment, we offer pre-application support to all prospective candidates. If you require assistance or accommodations to facilitate your application process due to any barriers you may face, please contact: nuact.admin@newcastle.ac.uk to discuss how we can support you.

Please click here to download the candidate briefing pack for full details on how to apply for this vacancy.

Please note we will only consider applications which have attached all the supporting documents listed on pages 16 and 17 of the candidate briefing pack.  Download the summary cover sheet at https://www.ncl.ac.uk/nuact/apply/economist/

We are looking for an economist in areas relevant to the research programme of the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre (Creative PEC).

The Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre (Creative PEC) at Newcastle University

Since its inception in 2018, the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC)-funded Creative PEC has succeeded in bringing about a step change in the quantity and quality of evidence available to UK policymakers seeking to support growth in the Creative Industries.

Funding for a further five years has been awarded and since June 2023 the Creative PEC is co-hosted by Newcastle University in partnership with the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) . The Creative PEC will continue to grow the evidence base, addressing industry and government’s current priorities for the Creative Industries including those set out in strategy documents such as the Sector Vision, whilst at the same time advancing research into the longer-term challenges and opportunities facing the sector.

Closely defined together with stakeholders, the PEC research agenda will be both responsive to the needs of policymakers and industry, while at the same time pushing forward the knowledge frontier through research reports and peer-reviewed publications.

The Creative PEC’s research agenda is delivered by a newly developed Research Unit based at Newcastle University, a Research Consortium made by researchers at Newcastle, Sheffield, and Sussex universities and Work Advance, and a newly formed Global Research Fellows Network. The Centre will also regularly issue calls for commissioned and co-commissioned research projects in priority areas. In the new phase, the Creative PEC will also embark in a new flagship initiative for the Sector and collect new primary data via an omnibus-style longitudinal business panel survey.

As a NUAcT Fellow you will be a joining the newly formed Research Unit based at Newcastle University, led by the Creative PEC’s Research Director and Professor of Macroeconomics Giorgio Fazio, and made by two Post-Doctoral Research Associates, Dr Rodrigo Michel and Dr Alejandro Ramirez-Guerra. The Research Unit works closely with the Creative PEC’s Centre Director and Professor of the Economics of Creative Industries, Hasan Bakhshi.

This fellowship, together with the appointment of the new Chair, Prof Hasan Bakhshi, are part of an ambitious commitment of the University in making the Creative PEC one of the leading international centres for economics of Creative Industries.

As faculty member of Newcastle University Business School, you will join one of the largest groups of experts in creative industries economics and policy research in both the UK and globally. Beyond Prof Hasan Bakhshi and Prof Giorgio Fazio, this includes esteemed colleagues such as Dr Jonathan Jones, Dr Sara Maioli and Prof Jonathan Sapsed, all of whom are Creative PEC Co-Investigators, along with Creative PEC Research Associate Dr Daniel Simandjuntak. You will also benefit from being part of dynamic research community on creative industries research both within the Business School and the wider University. 

We are launching a global search for candidates to fill this exciting new position. In the NUAcT Fellow we are looking for an ambitious, academically gifted, creative, pioneering and collaborative economist. We expect the Fellow to develop their own research agenda while working together with other members of the Research Unit to shape and deliver the Creative PEC’s research agenda. In particular, the Fellow will assist the Creative PEC in managing the new flagship longitudinal business panel survey, conducting data analysis and producing research outputs. The survey represents one of the major investments in new data collections ever made in the sector and will be a crucial resource for researchers in the years to come.

The Candidate

This is a particularly exciting opportunity for an economist with strong analytical and quantitative skills, who is motivated by the desire to use academic research to make an impact on society. We especially welcome applications from researchers with experience of researching the economics of the creative industries or related fields like cultural economics. We also encourage applications by exceptional economists who do not have this experience, as long as they are able to propose a strong research agenda in this fast-growing area. Prospective candidate are encouraged to thoroughly review the application process and to reach out to Prof Giorgio Fazio or Prof Hasan Bakhshi for an informal conversation about the role.

We are particularly looking for researchers with strong analytical and quantitative skills, who are motivated by the desire to use academic research to make an impact on society.

Within the University, you will join the Business School and be a member of the Economics Subject Group. You will be located within the Creative PEC’s Research Unit for the duration of your fellowship to maximise the opportunities to collaborate with other Creative PEC researchers.

You will join the Creative PEC as a Newcastle University Academic Track fellow, becoming part of a cohort of outstanding researchers across a wide range of fields. The NUAcT scheme is designed to bring the research leaders of the future to Newcastle. Fellows receive an outstanding package of support, including up to £50K research expenses and a PhD studentship, as well as 5 years of dedicated time for research. The expectation is that after this period, subject to a successful review, NUAcT fellows will move onto an open-ended teaching and research contract. NUAcT fellows are asked to contribute to the development of a diverse and inclusive and collaborative research culture, and above all, to bring their curiosity and creativity to help the University in its mission to produce world-leading research for discovery and impact.

As a Creative PEC NUAcT Fellow, you will be expected to:

• Plan and carry out independent, original research on the creative industries and publish in high-quality academic research outlets
• Conceive of and deliver high-impact projects and make successful applications for further research funding
• Help develop, manage and deliver a major new longitudinal business panel survey from the Creative PEC
• Liaise with the Creative PEC’s Policy Unit and the Creative PEC’s stakeholders to identify and help address the research priorities of the Creative PEC’s Research Unit
• Supervise a PhD student undertaking research in creative industries economics and policies
• Initiate and participate in multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research collaborations, both within and beyond the Creative PEC’s Research Unit, that enable cutting-edge original research
• Work closely with the Creative PEC’s Director and Research Director to develop and help implement the Creative PEC’s research strategy

This is a fixed term role for a duration of 5 years. It is anticipated that you will move to an open-ended contract at the end of your fixed-term period, subject to successful review, becoming a permanent member of staff in the Newcastle University’s Economics Subject Group. 

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• To develop an independent research agenda leading to high-quality and impactful publications

• To develop and maintain the longitudinal business survey, conduct data analysis and manage the delivery of reporting based on this data

• To develop a balanced profile of activities that includes research-led teaching and contributions to the working environment. Whilst the focus of this position is on carrying out independent research, enthusiasm for teaching is expected

• To provide guidance and career support to other colleagues and students, including high quality supervision of PhD students, and students undertaking taught programmes

• To contribute to a positive and inclusive research environment, and actively support the University’s equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) agenda

Person Specification

• Desire to acquire, or already existing, in-depth subject knowledge in the areas of research relevant to the Creative PEC
• A vision and a clear plan for developing an independent research programme aligned with the aims of the Creative PEC
• Demonstrable achievement of strong analytical, quantitative skills and methodological skills needed to conduct high-quality research in this area of economics
• Successful track record in designing and delivering research projects – either as part of large and/or complex projects or as an individual researcher
• Good communication skills and the ability to describe complex concepts to non-experts and across different disciplines
• Knowledge of research funding and ability to contribute to bid writing

Desirable

• Experience of collaborative working, e.g. through working with different research groups, or partners beyond academia such as industry, policy makers or community partners
• Understanding how to maximise the impact of research, including through outreach, engagement, and partnership building activities
• Experience of delivering research-led teaching and supporting the careers of others, for example, through mentoring and supervision

Attributes and Behaviours 

• Willingness to participate in collaborating teams and openness to work in an interdisciplinary way
• Desire to contribute to a positive research culture aligned to the University’s four Guiding Principles and its Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy
• Willingness to contribute to broader activities that fall within the typical remit of an academic member of staff such as membership of committees, involvement in working groups, EDI activity, outreach, etc
• Willingness to develop others, for example, through teaching, mentoring, and supervision
• Motivation to contribute to and benefit from the NUAcT cohort activities

Qualifications 

• Excellent postgraduate degrees and PhD (or equivalent) in Economics or in another discipline relevant to creative industries research

Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.  As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.

We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society.  We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent.  We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.

At Newcastle University we hold a silver Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality.  We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC.

In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe. 

Requisition ID: 25901