Research Assistant/Associate Creative PEC

Salary: 

Research Assistant:  £32,296 to £33,882 per annum

Research Associate: £34,866 to £45,163 per annum

*A London Weighting allowance is available if the post holder is to be based in the London office  

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: 19 January 2025

The Role

The Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre (Creative PEC) is recruiting a Research Assistant/Associate in “Creative Industries” based at either Newcastle University Business School or RSA House in London.

Are you an economist, or other quantitative social scientist, who is interested in the Creative Industries and would like to contribute to a research agenda that will shape policies at the national and international scale? Do you have the ability to understand, analyse and process data for academic and non-academic audiences? Are you interested in data science? We are looking for an energetic and committed individual who wants to make an impact on society while producing excellent quantitative academic research and develop a high level of expertise in a fast-growing field. 

At Newcastle University, you will be joining the Creative PEC Research Unit, reporting to the Research Director, Professor of Macroeconomics, Giorgio Fazio, and working closely with Hasan Bakhshi, Professor of Economics of Creative Industries and the Creative PEC’s Director. You will also be a member of the Economics Subject Group in the Business School.

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 has been hosted by Newcastle University in partnership with the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) in London. The Creative PEC continues to grow the evidence base, helping to shape and address industry and government priorities for the Creative Industries, including through the UK Government’s forthcoming Industrial Strategy.

You will be joining the team at an exciting time as it positions itself vis-à-vis the new UK Government and local and combined mayoral authorities as the UK’s lead authority on evidence-based policy for the Creative Industries. Newcastle University has made an ambitious commitment to making the Creative PEC one of the world's leading centres for the economics of Creative Industries. This commitment has translated into substantial investment that includes Professor Bakhshi’s Chair and a Fellowship under the prestigious Newcastle University Academic Track (NUAcT) scheme, which also includes a PhD Studentship (see here for greater detail).

You will have a passion for using quantitative economic research to inform public policy and a desire to contribute to a research agenda that will shape Creative Industries policies at the national and international scale. This role will involve carrying out research on the Creative Industries and, specifically, on the public policies impacting on the sector nationally and internationally. You will be well versed in quantitative methods and tools and will be able to collect and analyse large primary and secondary data sets. You will also be adept at translating research for the benefit of non-academic stakeholders. Working closely with the Creative PEC’s Policy Unit, you will assist the Creative PEC in managing its engagement activities with policy stakeholders. You will thrive on publishing research reports and articles in international peer-reviewed outlets.

In this role, which can be based at either the Creative PEC’s offices in Newcastle University or its London offices at RSA House in London SW1, you will carry out quantitative research on the Creative Industries and, specifically, on the public policies impacting on the sector nationally and internationally. Working closely with the PEC’s Policy Unit, you will assist the Creative PEC in managing its engagement activities with policy stakeholders both locally and nationally.

Together with the Creative PEC’s Research Consortium and our global Network of PEC Research Fellows, the Creative PEC’s Research Unit will address a dynamic research agenda that is both responsive to the needs of policymakers and industry, while at the same time pushing forward the knowledge frontier through peer-reviewed academic publications. The Research Unit’s agenda is complementary to that of the Research Consortium and the Research Fellows. Working closely with the Creative PEC’s Director, the Research Unit is also responsible for managing and collecting a new flagship longitudinal survey of UK Creative Industries businesses.

For more information about the Creative Industries Policy & Evidence Centre, please click here.

We encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing team. We believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of the UK population. This is initially a two-year full-time opportunity with the possibility of extension after the initial period.

To apply, please complete an online application and upload a CV and cover letter. Your cover letter is a supporting statement, and you should outline how you meet the essential criteria of the role detailed in the person specification section.

For informal enquiries regarding the role, please contact Giorgio.Fazio@newcastle.ac.uk.

Key Accountabilities

• Conduct original quantitative research on the Creative Industries according to the Creative PEC’s policy priorities
• Collect, analyse and present primary and secondary data sets - providing commentary on the results of the analysis in both written and oral forms - for the benefit of the Creative PEC’s academic and non-academic audiences, in the form of PEC reports, academic articles, data visualisations and technical and non-technical blogs
• Compare and evaluate economic, social, and cultural policies for the Creative Industries locally, nationally and internationally
• Collaborate with the PEC’s Policy Unit on policy development and co-author high-impact policy briefings
• Work successfully in a multidisciplinary team of researchers and with other investigators and colleagues to publish world-leading research with impact on the Creative Industries  
• Contribute to the culture and general strengths of the Creative PEC and Newcastle University Business School, through the organisation and participation in research seminars, and policy and engagement events
• Availability for occasional work outside normal working hours (including national/international travel)

The Person 

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Strong skills in quantitative economics and statistics
• Demonstrable interest in public policy
• Eagerness to conduct research that can influence policy and industry
• Superb team player and communicator (written and oral)
• Excellent written and oral presentation skills
• Propensity for multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary work

• Knowledge of quantitative methods and data analysis tools and software, such as STATA, R, Python, etc
• Demonstrable knowledge of and research background in economics and statistics
• Understanding of public policy and its role in the Creative Industries
• Ability to assess and evaluate concepts/theories and develop original solutions to policy problems
• Strong understanding of research integrity

Attributes and Behaviour

• Ability to manage multiple analytical tasks at the same time
• Communicate complex information with clarity
• Ability work to tight deadlines
• Address audiences from different backgrounds
• Work in multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary teams of researchers and non-researchers
• Experience of or interest in managing research projects
• Availability for occasional work outside normal working hours (including national/international travel)

Qualifications

Research Assistant Position

• Studying for a PhD (or equivalent professional experience), in a relevant subject, such as Economics, Data Science, Public Policy, Innovation studies, Management, Sociology, Geography or another quantitative social science

Research Associate Position

• PhD in a relevant subject, such as Economics, Data Science, Public Policy, Innovation studies, Management, Sociology, Geography or another quantitative social science

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.  We are a Disability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme.

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

Requisition ID: 27846