Research Associate at University of Derby

Location: Kedleston Road, Derby, DE22 1GB

Contract Type: Fixed Term until 31/10/2026

Challenging, interesting and constantly changing, the University of Derby is an exceptional place to learn and an incredibly rewarding place to work.

Ours is an extraordinary educational environment and because we specialise in identifying and developing individual potential, you can be confident you’ll receive all the help and encouragement you need to build a rewarding career with lots of opportunities to progress.

Our combined higher and further education offering is spread over campuses in Derby, Buxton, Leek and Chesterfield and we have some of the best university facilities in the UK, investing more than £200 million in facilities in the last 10 years.

We achieve outstanding results for our teaching and research and with more than 34,000 people choosing to study with us every year, we depend on the dedication of a team of 2,200 academic and professional services staff.

Financially strong and seriously ambitious we offer our employees a family-friendly, rewarding career with lots of opportunities to progress.

About the role

The externally funded three-year project, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, Transforming Responsive and Relational Autonomy in the Garment Sector of the UK and Bangladesh (THRREADS); aims to achieve economic and social sustainability in the ready-made garment and fashion sector and improve autonomy in the workplace. The team of interdisciplinary researchers—led by the University of Essex, in partnership with the University of Derby, Manchester Metropolitan University, and Universal College Bangladesh—plans to encourage positive long-term changes within the industry and find ways to support the garment sector employees, suppliers, and workers to foster conditions for autonomy and economic justice in their workplace.

You will be based at Derby Business School, University of Derby; and will work across all aspects of the project, assisting the Derby coordinator of the project, Professor Samsul Alam, and the entire team. The work involves leading a comparative and international study in achieving sustainability in the garment sectors of Dhaka and Leicester and requires substantial knowledge of quantitative research methods. This involves undertaking large-scale quantitative surveys and analysis, engaging in co-production methods, and synthesizing findings to a high standard.

You will be required to undertake desk-based research, develop research instruments, conduct econometric analysis, including structural equation modelling, communicate with the project team, and draft and complete project reports and papers. You will take responsibility for managing discrete aspects of THRREADS as directed by the Derby coordinator of the project.

For further information and informal enquiries regarding the role, please contact Professor Md Samsul Alam, Professor in Sustainability and Accounting via m.alam@derby.ac.uk

For enquiries regarding your application and for sponsorship eligibility, please contact the recruitment team via recruitment@derby.ac.uk

Please note this role is for 0.5 FTE per week which equates to 18.5 hours per week. This role will not be suitable for applicants already contracted to a full time position.

Upon appointment the job title for this role will be ‘Researcher’.

For more information and to apply on-line, please click the “Apply” button above.