Research Fellow in Conservation Humanities

Working with partners Rewilding Britain, you will be the UK post-doctoral researcher in a European Consortium project, “RURALEX – Knowledge in Crisis – The Dynamics of Environmental Expertise amidst Rural Change”, funded by HERA/CHANSE. The RURALEX project asks: How are people’s knowledges about the environment in rural parts of Europe changing, and how do such changes affect the social, cultural and ecological challenges currently faced by local communities?

The 17 researchers working on the RURALEX project will study this phenomenon in diverse cases across Europe. We will use established qualitative (interviews, archival studies) and novel (multispecies deep mapping, micro-phenomenology) to surface and share human-environment relations and knowledge.

The UK case study will work in areas of nature recovery and rewilding. Working with partners Rewilding Britain we will explore how people experience and value rewilding landscapes and if and how the associated changes impact ecological knowledges, environmental relationships and socio-ecological conflicts.

As the UK post-doctoral research fellow, you will lead on field work (interviews, analysis and publications), working closely with the UK PI and a research adviser. You will collaborate closely with the wider consortium and engage in project management, knowledge exchange and engagement activities.

With a track record in Environmental Humanities or related fields, you will have skills and experience in outdoor participatory field work using qualitative methods and an interest or expertise in environmental issues. Your previous research experience will have furnished you with proven skills and experience to manage your own workload whilst collaborating with others, project manage a strand of work across the consortium, engage with stakeholders across sectors and co-supervise an MA student. You will have the enthusiasm, confidence and critical thinking to learn new skills and apply them in novel contexts; you will have the curiosity, creativity and collaborative skills to co-develop and test novel methodologies.

The Faculty of Media, Arts, and Humanities brings together a wide range of disciplines including English, History, Art History, Philosophy, Media, Film, Music, Drama, Journalism and Language Studies. The faculty offers a vibrant platform for cutting-edge, interdisciplinary research in a friendly and supportive atmosphere.

RURALEX is affiliated with the Sussex Digital Humanities Lab (SHL Digital), an interdisciplinary Centre of Excellence at the University of Sussex that investigates the interactions between computational technology, culture, society and environment. SHL Digital is cross-campus Centre with members spanning the arts, humanities, engineering, informatics, social science, life sciences, and the University library. Its research has a wide disciplinary reach, from community archives to AI, media theory to conservation technology, critical heritage to intersectional feminism, digital humanities to experimental music technology and critical making.

The fellow will benefit from the SHL Digital’s active research community, dedicated support and tech team as well as its growing international network.

Our university is situated off the A27, next to the beautiful South Downs where you will enjoy everything that our 150-acre campus has to offer. We are accessible by public transport; Falmer train station is a five-minute walk to campus and several bus stops are located within campus. We also have dedicated cycling paths and encourage our staff to use these with our offering of a cycle to work scheme.

Sussex is a renowned, multi-accredited, research-led International University and this is only possible because of the people that work here. Whether you are a member of Faculty, part of a Professional Services team or a Student, it’s our people that make us great and we want you to be part of that.

Please contact Alice Eldridge ([email protected]) for informal enquiries.

The University of Sussex values the diversity of its staff and students, and we welcome applicants from all backgrounds.

Visa Sponsorship Queries: This role does not meet the eligibility for sponsorship due to its part-time nature. Please consult our Skilled Worker Visa information page for further information about Visa Sponsorship.

July 7, 2025 5:59 PM

To Be Confirmed - around 17th or 18th July 2025

15 September 2025

Fixed Term until 31 January 2028