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Early Career Researcher Post with the Science Museum Group and the University of Leeds

Date

Applications are invited for an Early Career Researcher Post to support the final stages of the AHRC funded The Pararchive Project: Open access community storytelling and the digital archive.

The aim of the project is to co-produce a new ‘open’ digital resource that will allow anyone to search and collect on-line resources and to combine them with their own media (film, photographs and other ephemera) in order to tell their own stories, make new archives, be creative, start new projects and do their own research. The project is led by the University of Leeds and supported by two partners: the Science Museum Group and the BBC. It is also working in collaboration with community groups from Stoke-on-Trent, Manchester and the Isle of Bute. For more details on the project so far please visit www.pararchive.com

The post is designed to support the project at the Science Museum in London, the National Media Museum in Bradford and the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester. All travel will be paid by the project budget. This post will be based in the Research and Public History department at the Science Museum in South Kensington, London though the post holder will be expected to spend periods of time at both the Bradford and Manchester sites.

5 months, £10,000

The post will run from 1st October 2014 to 28th February 2015.

Key tasks

  • Liaise with community partners and internal stakeholders to facilitate access to SMG collections held at Bradford, Manchester and London sites.
  • Research and negotiate any copyright issues related to photography, filming or digitisation of SMG collections
  • Research and reflect on appropriate digital platforms for sharing SMG materials with an online community.
  • Co-ordinate a community partner workshop for early December 2014 at the Science Museum. The workshop is designed to share the Pararchive digital resource with interested groups; for community partners to share their experience of working on the Pararchive project; and to encourage potential partners to get involved in the project.

Person Specification

  • Hold a PhD in a relevant field (e.g. Communication Studies, History, Human Geography, Sociology, Museum Studies, Science and Technology Studies etc)
  • Experience of working with community groups and preferably museums.
  • Ability to work independently as well as part of a diverse team.
  • Excellent communication and administrative skills.

For information and how to apply please contact Dr Alison Hess at alison.hess@sciencemuseum.ac.uk