This is an opportunity for a first-rank post-doctoral researcher. Applications will be considered from candidates with a background in Catholic ecclesiology who wish to undertake a postdoctoral project in the area of the Catholic Church and sexual abuse in England and Wales.

As a post-doctoral researcher, the candidate will assist, develop, and co-lead - as part of a core team - a research project, 'Boundary Breaking: The ecclesial-cultural implications of the sex abuse crisis within the Catholic Church'. This is a flagship research project specifically analysing the possible implication of aspects of Catholic ecclesial self-understanding and the wider Catholic cultural habitus in the circumstances which allowed Catholic clerical sexual abuse and its historic mishandling to occur. The particular focus for this project will be on the role that interpretations of Catholic doctrine and law may have played in the UK context: to what extent have some interpretations of Catholic teachings and their expression in ecclesial governance contributed to the circumstances in which abuse was at once possible, unthinkable, and routinely mishandled when reported?

Candidates should evidence a thorough knowledge of Catholic ecclesial systems and a competence in the scholarly analysis of the doctrine and practice of the Catholic Church. In the light of the experienced difficulties facing the church, how might positive change be facilitated? Candidates will be required to work with a broad range of people, and with complex and sensitive issues; candidates will also need to be sensitive to gender and power dynamics.