Start date:                    As soon as possible

Closing date:                3 February 2016

Interview date:             TBC

Reference number:       SF10884

Post type:                     Full-time, Fixed-term, 36 months

The Department of Meteorology and the School of Agriculture, Policy and Development (SAPD) at the University of Reading (UoR) invite applications for a researcher with a background in human geography, social anthropology, development studies or a cognate discipline, who is committed to doing participatory, interdisciplinary research in the area of climate change adaptation and has an ability to work effectively with a range of stakeholders in both rural and urban research settings.

The post is part of the NERC/DFID-funded Future Climate for Africa Programme, entitled ‘Integrating Hydro-Climate Science into Policy Decisions for Climate-Resilient Infrastructure and Livelihoods in East Africa (HyCRISTAL)’. The locational focus of the HyCRISTAL project is East Africa and specifically Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda.

The project is led by Dr John Marsham at Leeds University and at the University of Reading by Dr Rosalind Cornforth in the Walker Institute (UoR), with several UK, US and East African-based co-investigators, as well as partners from a large number of research, governance, and Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda.

You will have:

• A background in a Social Science discipline with strong organisational and analytical skills, including statistical data analysis skills
• Detailed knowledge of East Africa
• Solid experience in participatory methods and stakeholder engagement approaches
• Experience of developing and managing online communication platforms
• Ability to communicate information about climate change adaptation with a wide range of stakeholders
• Fluency in English and conversant in Kiswahili
• The ability to travel to East Africa regularly.

Informal contact details

Contact role:    Line Manager/Supervisor

Contact name:  Dr. Andrew Ainslie

Contact phone: +44 (0)118 378 8157

*Contact email: a.m.ainslie@reading.ac.uk

Alternative informal contact details

Contact role:    Co-Supervisor, HyCRISTAL P3 Leader

Contact name:  Dr. Ros Cornforth

Contact phone: +44 (0)118 378 7392

*Contact email: r.j.cornforth reading.ac.uk

*Please copy email enquiries to both informal contacts.

To formally apply, please visit www.reading.ac.uk/jobs or contact Human Resources, University of Reading, Whiteknights, PO Box 217, Reading RG6 6AH. Telephone +44(0)118 378 6771 (voicemail)

Please quote the relevant reference number. The University is committed to having a diverse and inclusive workforce and we welcome applications where a flexible working pattern and/or a job share is proposed.