Melting Metropolis Postdoctoral Research Associate at University of Liverpool

The Department of Geography and Planning seeks to recruit a Grade 7, Postdoctoral Research Associate (PDRA) to join the Wellcome Discovery Award project ‘Melting Metropolis: Everyday Histories of Health and Heat in London, New York, and Paris since 1945’ at the University of Liverpool (UoL). Melting Metropolis is led by Professor Chris Pearson (Principal Investigator, PI) and project team comprises three Co-Investigators (CI: Dr Shelda-Jane Smith, Dr Laura Balderstone, and Dr Kara Schlichting), four Postdoctoral Research Associates (PDRAs), a Research Artist (Bryony Benge-Abbott), a Project Manager (Dr Katy Dutton), a Community Engagement Manager and a PhD student. The majority of the project team is based at UoL, with Dr Kara Schlichting and one PDRA based at Queens College, City University of New York.

Heat is already the deadliest type of (un)natural disaster in the United States and has major impacts across urban centres such as New York, Paris, and London. The causes of heat are varied: predictable seasonal changes; natural idiosyncrasy; humidity. However, for this project and as it significantly features in the heightened discourse around climate change, we consider the impacts and approaches to urban heat in the context of anthropogenic changes. This project interrogates historical and contemporary attempts to secure physical and psychological health in unequitable sweltering urban environments with urbanites facing overlapping challenges due to seasonal hot weather, rising global temperatures, and the urban heat island effect. A temperature rise of 1.5C looks set to raise mortality across the globe (which has already increased 50% in over 65s since 2001) and lead to more cases of dehydration, allergies, and cardiovascular and respiratory complications. These changes adversely impact socially marginalised groups, including the clinically vulnerable and those living and working in economically-deprived communities.

You will be based in the Department of Geography and Planning, within the School of Environmental Sciences. You will support the ethnographic component of this project (led by Dr Shelda-Jane Smith) and conduct interviews and participant observation of heat mitigation strategies in Somers Town, before moving onto London wide research. You are expected to have experience of ethnographic methods, preferably within the fields of geography, science and technology studies, sociology and/or anthropology, and a strong interest in transdisciplinary working. Experience in community-based approaches to health research would also be advantageous, as would previous experience of working with and supporting environmental campaigners alongside a strong understanding of the specific challenges the climate crisis poses for urban society. You must be able to speak, read, and write English to an excellent standard. 

You will be working in the Department of Geography and Planning which is part of the School of Environmental Sciences, and integrates the disciplines of Geography, Geology, Geophysics, Ecology, Marine Biology, Oceanography and Planning, thus providing a rich environment for interdisciplinary research and learning and a range of potential collaborations. The School comprises around 85 academic staff, 50 support staff, 50 research staff, 1400 undergraduate students and 250 postgraduate students. Further details can be found at: https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/environmental-sciences/research/.

Furthermore, you will also benefit from working closely with colleagues in the History Department at Liverpool with staff expertise extending from the medieval to the modern, and from Britain to the wider world. Further information about staff, activities and modules can be found on our website at: https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/history/.

There will be the potential to collaborate with the cross-faculty Centre for Health, Arts, Society and Environmental Humanities https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/humanities-social-sciences-health-medicine-technology/ and both Geography and Planning and History Departments have excellent links with a wide range of museums and other institutions across Liverpool, UK and beyond.

You will have A PhD completed or close to completion in a relevant social science discipline such as geography, sociology, public health or anthropology.

This post is available from 1 February 2024 until 31 January 2027.

Any applicants who are still awaiting their PhD to be awarded should be aware that if successful, they will be appointed at grade 6, spine point 30.  Upon written confirmation that they have been successful in being awarded their PhD, they will be moved onto grade 7, spine point 31 from the date of their award.

Job Ref: 064650                                                                 Closing Date: 7 November 2023

For full details and to apply online, please visit: https://recruit.liverpool.ac.uk