Application closing date 03/12/2019  
Salary £33,797 - £40,322 per annum.  
Job category/type Research
Attachments      

Job description

Queen's University Belfast is a driver of innovation and talent based on excellence. Throughout the University, our academics are collaborating across disciplines and with outside agencies and institutions on projects of world significance. We are connected and networked with strategic partnerships across the world, helping us to expand our impact on wider society locally, nationally and globally. The University is committed to attracting, retaining and developing the best global talent within an environment that enables them to realise their full potential.

We are a leader in gender equality and diversity, and are one of the UK's most successful universities in the Athena SWAN initiative which promotes gender equality and career progression. (The school of Law holds a Bronze Athena SWAN award 2018.)  We are ranked 1st in the UK for knowledge transfer partnerships, (Innovate UK) 9th in the UK for University facilities (Times Higher Education Student Experience Survey 2018) and 14th in the UK for research quality (Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2019).

Based in Belfast, a modern capital city, our beautiful campus is surrounded by abundant acres of parkland and is renowned as one of the safest and affordable cities in the UK. The choice of local Schools from pre-nursery upwards are some of the best available, and lovers of the outdoors can enjoy any number of activities from rowing and kayaking to top class golf among many others. We are immensely proud of what our city and our University will offer you.

The School of Law at Queen's, part of the Russell Group, is a leading UK Law School. The School interacts with the wide community of people who have an interest in the study of law locally, nationally and globally.  It provides innovative teaching delivered by world class staff in a beautiful environment.

The Research Fellow will contribute to the development, operation and support of the Queen's University contribution to the GCRF Research Hub on Gender, Justice and Security and in particular the project Socioeconomic Rights and Transition (Professor Fionnuala Ní Aoláin QUB and Professor Bill Rolston Ulster).

The Research Fellow will be a member of the Ulster & QUB Research Hub team including Prof Ní Aoláin at Queens University and Professor O'Connell and Professor Rolston at Ulster.

The Colonialism and Transition Project Sustained starts from the premise that engagement with colonial pasts is necessary to address conditions conducive to producing conflict and providing transformative conflict ending options.  The majority of states to which transitional justice mechanisms are applied are former colonies. Yet, the backdrop of colonial occupation, decolonization, and the ongoing legacy of colonialism frequently go unremarked in transitional justice. Battles persist over the legitimacy of colonial borders, the validity of enduring instruments of control, and 'memory wars', including the writing and telling of history. Primary focus of this project will be on Northern/Ireland & Colombia, with comparative reach to other post-colonial sites to be determined in the early scoping of the work.  Key questions to be addressed include (1) When deciding to deal with 'the past', how far back should we look? How do we deal with colonial atrocities? (2) How do the colonial past shape conditions conducive to contemporary conflict? (3) How should engaging this past shape contemporary conflict ending solutions?  The research will be expected to conduct field research on Colombia and at least one other comparative site. The post-holder will be expected to contribute to the broader intellectual and policy goals of the Gender, Justice and Security Hub.  The project team will coordinate a workshop in Bogota and contribute to Research Hub workshops internationally. 

The successful candidate must have: 

• A degree in law or a law-related discipline at 2:1 or above or a Masters degree in Law, Human Rights or conflict studies.
• A Ph.D. in Law or a related discipline (e.g. Political Science, Sociology, Psychology, Peace Studies, Conflict Studies International Relations.)
• At least 3 years relevant research experience, demonstrating leadership capacity.
• Record of publications (whether actually published or accepted for publication), at least one of which in terms of the REF, would be likely to be rated at the '3*' level or higher.  
• Evidence, over the previous three years, of significant achievement in academic activities, for example participation at international conferences, peer indicators of esteem, or evidence of seeking funding support for research.
• Experience of research capacity in qualitative research (interviews and/or focus groups).
• Proficiency in written and spoken Spanish
• Evidence of a potential to contribute effectively to the administration of a human rights-focused academic project. 
• Evidence of potential to contribute to a research focused project with rigorous research expectations.

This is a fixed term position available for two years.

Candidate Information
About the School
About Professor Ní Aoláin
Further information for international applicants
Note to EEA applicants on Brexit