Research and Innovation Associate — Researching the Hidden Workforce (6 Month Fixed Term Contract)

The University of West London (UWL) is ranked 41st in the UK in The Guardian University Guide 2026 and is the 1st London modern university in The Times/The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2026. The UWL community is a diverse body of students and staff who work together to create an environment of success and achievement.

The London School of Film, Media and Design (LSFMD) is one of the UK's leading creative schools, encompassing film, media, design, music, and the performing arts. It is home to the Gender, Technology and Work research cluster, which conducts nationally and internationally recognised research on the intersections of technology, labour, and social reproduction. The cluster is led by Professor Helen Hester and has a strong track record of knowledge exchange and collaboration with civil society and policy organisations.

We are seeking a highly motivated and organised Research and Innovation Associate to join the team delivering an exciting new ESRC-funded project: Researching the Hidden Workforce: A National Connective and Capacity-Building Initiative for Platform Labour Studies.

The project will establish a national community of practice for ethical platform labour research, bringing together academics, lawyers, worker organisations, trade unions, and university ethics bodies. Over six months, the project will deliver two national workshops, four participatory ethics labs, and a programme of early career researcher development activities, culminating in an agenda-setting paper and a set of shared ethical principles for the field.

The Research and Innovation Associate will be central to the delivery of this programme, providing logistical, administrative, and communications support alongside a substantive intellectual contribution as co-author of the project's agenda-setting paper. This is an excellent opportunity for an early career researcher with an interest in platform labour, research ethics, feminist methodology, or related areas.

Key responsibilities include:
• Coordinating logistics for workshops, ethics labs, and ECR development activities
• Managing participant recruitment, communications, and travel bursaries
• Establishing and maintaining network communications infrastructure and project microsite
• Supporting the production of written outputs and co-authoring the agenda-setting paper
• Assisting with data management in line with GDPR and UWL policy

You will hold a postgraduate degree in a relevant discipline and have a demonstrable interest in platform labour, research ethics, or worker organising. You will be confident in building relationships with diverse stakeholders across academic, civil society, and worker organisation contexts, and will have excellent written and verbal communication skills. Experience of project coordination or research support, and existing networks in the platform economy or labour organising space, would be advantageous.

UWL supports the gender equality Athena SWAN Charter and is a Disability Confident Employer. We welcome applications from all sections of the community, particularly those from minority ethnic backgrounds, of LGBT+ identities, and with disabilities.

Candidates must be able to demonstrate their eligibility to work in the UK in accordance with the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006. This position does not meet the University criteria for Skilled Worker sponsorship.

It is expected that appointment within a grade will normally be at the minimum point.