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PGR Research Culture Associate (Phase 2), Department of Biology, University of York (Hybrid)

York Internships, University of York
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This is a 12 week part-time (7.5 hours per week) internship on a hybrid working basis. As an eligibility condition of the funding, please note that this project is only open to postgraduate researchers (PGR), and PhD students in particular.


 

Expectations are clearer if they are written.  Beyond standard job descriptions and general staff training, it’s not well understood what specific guidance and expectations research teams set themselves to run effectively, and how they accommodate the specific needs of each member.

In March 2024 we ran an ‘Enhancing Research Culture Workshops’ session within Biology, but open to all staff, to introduce the concept of ‘Lab Handbooks’ (or ‘Research Team Charters’, which generalises the concept beyond the experimental sciences).  The idea is for each research team to co-create a written document of mutually agreed guidance for its own operations and workplace norms.  

The concept itself has been lauded as a progressive step in research culture - with a number of staff engaging in person or with our online recording of the session, as well as a small number of labs initiating their own document.  Our premise is that Charters promote reflective research supervision, communication and trust, accountability and more equitable and reproducible research outputs.  However, little is known about current usage at the University of York, whether these benefits are actualised, or what the motivations and barriers are for further uptake of Research Team Charters.

Biology is an ideal environment, not only to pilot this exploratory project, but also to provide impact:

  • Biology is one of the largest departments in the University.  Its research culture is already at a critical mass for existing activities.  
  • Biology is heavily organised around traditional laboratory-based academic research groups, which are the primary stakeholders in each ‘Lab Handbook’.  
  • The proposed supervisory team is in a good position to draw on networks both inside and outside a formal academic hierarchy, and to extend this to wider University/Faculty.


Project details: 

NB. As an eligibility condition of the funding, this project is only open to postgraduate researchers (PGR), and PhD students in particular.

The Research Culture Associates scheme provides postgraduate researchers with paid opportunities to get involved in research culture projects across the institution. Each Associate position involves working with a supervisor on a short project to help progress and develop our research culture on a particular topic.

The Research Team Charters project will consist of two consecutive phases, each consisting of an internship placement.  Candidates can apply for each separately, though they may request in their application to undertake both phases.  

The first intern (starting Semester 1) will focus on existing precedents for handbooks and co-creating a new example in situ within the Biology department, to build a pilot case study.

The second intern (starting Semester 2) will use this case study to solicit extensive feedback from the wider staff community, and consolidate the findings into recommendations and dedicated new resources for future practice. Please note that this advert is for the second phase of the project.

Phase 2 - detailed aims:

  • Finalise and rollout the surveys based on the case study e.g:
    • Distributing one survey to Science teams and one to non-Science teams
    • Surveying / interviewing researcher and research-adjacent experiences and current practices 
    • Surveying / interviewing their feedback on the case study and perceptions for future practice (comparative if possible) as appropriate to different groups


 

  • Based on findings, generate recommendations and resources for best practice such as: 
    • Appending the literature review with a factual report
    • Providing a template for researchers to create their own charter commensurate with University of York values
    • Supporting a staff workshop, website design and/or other promotional materials
    • Creating a blog post / account of the internship


 

We are looking for someone with: 

Essential:

  • An interest in making the University a welcoming place to undertake research through evidence, policy and best practice
  • Competency in reading, writing and revising working documents in standard scientific English
  • Competency in interpersonal communication in English
  • A professional commitment to research integrity and ethics
  • Competency in searches and reviews of interdisciplinary scientific literature and web resources
  • Competency in organising, anonymising and summarising qualitative data such as questionnaires

Desirable:

  • Prior engagement with research culture, workplace enrichment, equity and diversity, and/or outreach activities, especially those with elements of fact-finding or delivering a key message to an unfamiliar audience
  • Experience as an intern, student, researcher or technician in core STEM subjects with a practical laboratory focus undertaking research or technical development


 


What the intern can gain from this internship:

  • Further understanding of interdisciplinarity with purpose: distinguished from their peers in single discipline research
  • Experience in qualitative and quantitative statistical analysis, open research practices and research ethics
  • Networking and community opportunities 
  • Further understanding of the research environment, the landscape of the hidden academic curriculum, and potential career routes
  • Access to research planning and pathways to policy change in a Russell Group higher education institution
  • Opportunities to engage with other projects, groups and departments through York’s Building Research and Innovation Capacity (BRIC) Team and parallel research culture activities



 

Application details


 

This post is brought to you by York Internships. This post is for 12 weeks, working 7.5 hours per week on a hybrid working basis. Interviews are expected to take place on 25th November.


Please note that if you are offered an internship through York Internships, it is a condition of the agreement that you participate fully in the training elements of your project, which includes maintenance of a learning journal and completion of a short project report or video about your experience. 

 

Employers choose to advertise their roles via York Internships, therefore we ask that you do not contact employers directly with your application. If you have any questions about your application, please email careers-placements@york.ac.uk.
 


 

 

How to apply:

 

To apply, please click the red ‘apply’ link.

  • Please download the York Internships application form. You can find this on the York Internships company profile as an attachment. Alternatively, the application form is attached to the internship vacancy. Once you have completed this, please re-upload along with your CV.
  • Please note that if you do not receive a confirmation email following your application, we have not received it. Therefore please be sure to save a copy of your application in case you need to reapply, and email careers-placements@york.ac.uk if you wish to check your application status.
  • Please note that details of this project will not be accessible through Handshake following the closing date; please save a copy of this opportunity for your reference. 
  • If you have not heard from York Internships within two weeks of the application deadline, please assume that on this occasion your application has been unsuccessful. 
  • You are encouraged to seek support when putting together your application. You can access CV and interview advice at york.ac.uk/careers/applications


 

INTERNSHIP ELIGIBILITY: YOU MUST READ THIS INFORMATION BEFORE APPLYING. If you have any questions at all about your eligibility, please contact careers-placements@york.ac.uk at the earliest opportunity - do not wait for the application closing date to contact the team.  

The hourly rate for this position is subject to tax, National Insurance and people’s pension. The intern will be paid monthly in line with the casual payroll process based on the submission of timesheets via Dashboard.

This internship is open to all students of the University of York who will be registered with the University, and who will be based in and have the legal right to work in the UK, for the duration of the internship. If you have any questions at all about your eligibility, please contact careers-placements@york.ac.uk at the earliest opportunity - do not wait for the application closing date to contact the team.  


 

Project work during semester will be limited to a maximum of 20 hours per week. For postgraduate students we consider semesters to include the summer vacation. Please note that students studying on a student visa may not exceed 20 hours of paid work (including voluntary work) per week during semester.

 

Right to work documentation: Any applicant who is offered this internship will be asked to provide evidence of their right to work in the UK before beginning the internship. This will involve providing a copy of your passport to the University’s HR Team. If you are a non-EU national your passport should contain details of your student visa confirming that you have obtained permission to work. You will be contacted with further instructions on how to complete a Right to Work check if you are offered the role.

 

You must be eligible to work in the UK and have a valid National Insurance (NI) number to complete this internship.  If you are in the application process for an NI number at the time your internship is due to start, you can start work, however please note the University of York Casual Worker Team will require you to provide your NI number as soon as possible. Further information on NI numbers can be found on the UK Government website.