Are you a post-doctoral researcher with an understanding of impact arising from arts and humanities research? Do you have experience of working to connect research to industry, business, the public and cultural sector partners? Have you worked on collaborative, practice-based or participatory research with non-academic partners and stakeholders? 

We are recruiting Research Impact Associates aligned to three impact clusters:

• Sustainability, design and environment
• Place-based innovation and cultural engagement
• Creative technologies, industry engagement and innovation

The RIAs will work with UCA’s academic researchers to capture, document and amplify the impact they are creating through their research and collaborations. You will implement strategies for collecting robust evidence of impact, deliver events and activities to accelerate future developments, and work with your fellow RIAs to explore cross-cutting themes and methods for impact design and evaluation.

These fixed-term roles are funded by the UCA’s AHRC Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) at a pivotal moment, as we enter the final year of the award, and reach a strategic point in the REF cycle. The roles will be integrated into UCA’s wider Research, Innovation and Knowledge Exchange team which is based at the University’s Farnham campus, although it may be possible for at least one post to work out of the Canterbury campus.

Please note the actual salary for 29 hours (pro rata) is £28,486.

For an informal conversation regarding the role please contact:          

Professor Victoria Kelley, UCA IAA Principal Investigator, VKELLEY@uca.ac.uk    

At UCA, creativity and innovation are at the heart of what we do. Our legacy of educating eager and passionate artists, makers and thinkers runs back almost 160 years, and today we’re helping shape a global future that supports and nourishes talent worldwide. 

Our campuses across Surrey and Kent are vibrant communities, each specialising in different areas of the creative industries. We are also home to a thriving research culture, with creative and academic experts leading the way in research on sustainability, design, textiles, animation, history and culture, and more. 

Are you ready to share your passion for creativity with the next generation of innovators? If so, we want to hear from you.

Closing Date: 05 Jul 2026

Department/School: Professional Services

Salary: £35,608 per annum pro rata
Fixed Term / Part Time 29 hours, 6 month contract