Research Assistant – EPSRC Ecological Citizens at University of Sheffield

Job description:

We are seeking a designer/researcher interested in the ways humans relate to the more-than-human world to work with us on the project ‘Prototyping Multi-species Encounters: Relating to Redmires Reservoirs’ Residents’. The project explores how design can foster more inclusive more-than-human futures while building nature-connectedness among visitors to Redmires Reservoirs; a nature reserve in Sheffield.

The project seeks to complement our project partner Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust’s extensive expertise in conservation practices with design-research. It will do so by developing communications and public engagement strategies to engage publics in their activities. The project contributes to debates about how to discourage damaging actions in ‘wild places’ that do not create further barriers to already overlooked communities by adopting an approach informed by emerging literature in multi-species justice.

As a Research Assistant, you will work directly with Dr Liam Healy, Dr Eva Haifa Giraud, and Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust. You will provide support with the ideation, design, development, deployment and data-collection stages of the project. This will involve working hands-on with materials and prototypes (confidence with making and prototyping is key), supporting and running public engagement workshops, and finally developing and installing a gallery exhibition.

This is an exciting opportunity for an individual interested in the ways design and design-research (in its multiple forms) might be drawn upon to foster more inclusive and just more-than-human futures. You will play a key role in supporting an innovative research project hosted at University of Sheffield School of Architecture and Landscape and funded by EPSRC Ecological Citizens.

This is a fixed term 6 month contract, requiring 2 days a week to be worked between fieldwork as well as in the studio and workshop.