Research Assistant/Associate in Fuel Poverty and Household Financial Decision Making

Salary: £33,951 to £38,784 per annum, pro rata.

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: 16 August 2026

The Role

We are excited to launch this opportunity for a Research Assistant/Associate to join the "Frozen Out: Fuel Poverty, Perceptions, and Household Decision-Making in the Northeast of England" project, a six-month ESRC-funded rapid response study led by Professor Abigail Marks (Newcastle University Business School), working with Co-Investigators Dr Jane Brown (NUBS) and Dr Emma Ormerod (School of Geography, Politics and Sociology). You will join a research team based in Newcastle University Business School, working within an established programme on household financial precarity, labour markets and spatial inequality, and co-producing outputs with the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS).

The project addresses an urgent evidence gap around how low-income households in Northeast England, including those in work but above means-tested thresholds, manage rising energy costs, why they rarely seek help, and how they choose where to borrow to stay warm. Over six months, the team will conduct 50 semi-structured interviews across Newcastle, Sunderland, Middlesbrough and surrounding ex-mining, coastal and rural communities, and deliver a policy briefing, a frontline practitioner toolkit, and public-facing guidance, co-produced with MaPS throughout.

You will be central to delivery: conducting the majority of the 50 interviews, managing AI-assisted transcription and correction, maintaining analytical memos, and supporting co-production workshops and output drafting under the supervision of the three co-leads.

We are particularly keen to hear from those with a passion for collaboration and the ability to engage sensitively with participants discussing financial hardship. We are looking for candidates with experience of qualitative interviewing, ideally with vulnerable or hard-to-reach populations, and an interest in fuel poverty, financial precarity, or regional inequality.

This is a fixed-term post for approximately 6 months (50% FTE), starting August 2026. Please note this role has a very tight recruitment timeline: interviews will be held in early August, so we encourage interested candidates to apply as early as possible and to hold early August availability for interview. The role will require travel across Newcastle, Sunderland, Middlesbrough and surrounding Northeast communities to conduct in-person interviews, sometimes in participants' homes (often paired for safety). Standard pre-employment checks apply. Flexible or part-time working options can be discussed.

We follow the Researcher Development Concordat: Researcher Development | Our Research | Newcastle University https://www.ncl.ac.uk/research/support/development/). We enable all colleagues to fulfil their research potential regardless of career stage. This commitment secures our thriving research culture and vibrant research environment. Our offer to each individual and their researcher development includes mentoring, annual research planning discussions, pooled research funding to support career development and research activities, and peer review support for the development of research and innovation funding applications. You will receive structured supervision across all three co-leads, giving exposure to complementary disciplinary perspectives, with opportunities for co-authorship and involvement in knowledge-exchange activities.

You will report to Professor Abigail Marks (Project Lead). We want you to feel confident applying for this role. If you'd like an informal discussion to clarify any points, please contact Abigail.marks@ncl.ac.uk.  We are committed to making the process accessible to everyone and will aim to provide additional support or adjustments to meet your needs.

Please submit a CV and covering letter. In your covering letter, please address:

• Your experience conducting qualitative (ideally semi-structured) interviews, particularly with vulnerable or hard-to-reach populations
• Your ability to manage sensitive fieldwork, including recognising and responding to participant distress
• Experience with rapid transcription, coding, or analysis under time pressure
• Your interest in fuel poverty, financial precarity, debt, or regional/place-based inequality
• Your ability to work independently and manage a demanding fieldwork schedule within a compressed 6-month timeline

As part of our commitment to career development for research colleagues, the University has developed 3 levels of Research & Innovation Role Profiles. These profiles set out firstly the generic competencies and responsibilities expected of role holders at each level and, secondly, the general qualifications and experiences needed for entry at a particular level.

Newcastle University is committed to the responsible use of research metrics as part of our research culture and research strategy. We advocate for the transparent, appropriate, and inclusive use of metrics, guided by expert judgment, to support high-quality, impactful research that is open, collaborative and sustainable. Click here for our full policy statement on the Responsible use of Research Metrics. Click here for a self-study e-learning module on the Responsible Use of Research Metrics.

Find out more about the Newcastle University Business School here.

Key Accountabilities

Project-Specific

• Conduct semi-structured interviews (approx. 60 minutes) with low-income households across Northeast England, including in participants' homes where appropriate
• Complete AI-assisted transcription review and correction within 48 hours of each interview, in line with the project's data management protocol
• Maintain analytical memos throughout fieldwork to support ongoing thematic analysis
• Support delivery of co-production workshops with MaPS and contribute to drafting of the policy briefing, practitioner toolkit and public-facing guidance
• Undertake trauma-informed interviewing training prior to fieldwork and apply safeguarding protocols for participant and researcher wellbeing

Research Assistant

• Collect, analyse and interpret research data and draw conclusions on the outcomes
• Co-ordinate own work with that of others, use problem solving to affect the achievement of research objectives and contribute to the planning of the project(s)
• Present information on research progress and outcomes to a Principal Investigator or groups overseeing the research project
• Write up results from own research activity and provide input into the research project’s dissemination, in whatever form (report, papers, chapters, books)
• Use research resources as appropriate

Research Associate

• Contribute ideas, including enhancements to the technical or methodological aspects of the project
• Determine appropriate methodologies for research
• Assess research findings for the need/scope for further investigations
• Contribute to the writing up of the research and its dissemination
• Present research findings, either at conferences or through publications
• Contribute to grant applications submitted by others and develop own research objectives and proposals for funding

The Person

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

Project Specific

• Experience of conducting qualitative interviews, ideally semi-structured, with vulnerable, low-income, or hard-to-reach populations
• Understanding of, or willingness to be trained in, trauma-informed interview techniques
• Experience with rapid transcription, coding or thematic analysis (familiarity with reflexive thematic analysis, e.g. Braun and Clarke, an advantage)

Research Assistant

• Attention to detail and ability to work at high levels of accuracy
• Ability to present complex information effectively to a range of audiences
• Proven ability to analyse data and write-up results
• Experience of working collaboratively with colleagues
• Excellent IT skills in all major office applications
• The ability to use personal initiative and creativity to solve research problems

In addition for Research Associate

• Awareness of the research environment
• High level of analytical and problem solving capacity
• Ability to communicate complex information with clarity
• Experience of presentations at conferences and/or in high quality publications

Attributes and Behaviour

• Commitment to working positively as a member of a multi-skilled research team
• Ability to negotiate and prioritise multiple, competing responsibilities and to work to deadlines
• Commitment to continued professional development
• Understanding of good practice in equality, inclusion and diversity
• Sensitivity and resilience when engaging with participants discussing financial hardship and distress

Qualifications

Research Assistant

• Honours degree in a relevant social science discipline (e.g. Sociology, Social Policy, Human Geography, Economics, Business, or a related field)

In addition for Research Associate

• PhD in a relevant social science discipline

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 Gold 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: 29635