The School for Policy Studies is seeking to appoint a highly capable public policy researcher with a significant interest in the impact of the built environment on the public’s health. The candidate must have an excellent understanding of sub-national policy making structures in the UK (i.e. cities and combined authorities) and how they work in partnership with others to tackle complex policy challenges around urban development. The successful applicant will join a large research consortium - funded through the UK Prevention Research Partnership (administered by the Medical Research Council) - whose aim is to reduce the burden of Non-Communicable Diseases linked to the built environment through transformation of the urban planning and development systems across the UK.

The 5-year TRU3D project - Tackling the Root Causes Upstream of Unhealthy Urban Development – started in October 2019 and is co-led by Public Health Professors Matt Hickman and Gabriel Scally, with urban development specialist and Programme Director Daniel Black. The project involves collaboration across a wide range of disciplines in addition to public policy: public health, urban studies, law, engineering, economics, management, real estate and lay public engagement across five universities (Bristol, Bath, University of the West of England, Manchester and Reading). The post-holder will need to understand the political and policy-making environment for making urban development decisions in the UK. Particular expertise in the areas of transport and housing policy are desirable but not essential. A key part of the role will be to engage with individuals who have influence over the quality of the urban environment, particularly those in the public and private sectors in control of land, finance, delivery, planning permission and core policy/legislation involved in the Bristol and Greater Manchester case study areas.

The post holder will be supervised by Professor Sarah Ayres (School for Policy Studies). Specific research activities will include: Undertaking a review of the academic literature on urban development, governance and policy networks; reviewing relevant policy literature from central and subnational government on urban development; scheduling and undertaking face-to-face interviews with public sector actors at central and local levels; analysing qualitative interview and observational data sets; writing project reports, media releases, conference papers and academic outputs for publication. Each of these tasks will require working with colleagues across disciplines in each of the work packages to ensure activities are complimentary and joined up.

For informal queries regarding the role please contact Professor Sarah Ayres; Sarah.Ayres@bristol.ac.uk