Job Title: Higher Education Futures Research Assistant
Start Date: 27th April 2026
End Date: 17th July 2026
Location: Cambridge campus
Pay rate: £16.19 per hour
Hours: 16-20 hours per week
Project Aim:
We have been awarded funding to conduct a project about how learning and teaching is changing due to the advancement of technology, including artificial intelligence (AI). The aim of the project is to consider different scenarios of how the role of lecturer/professor may change and co-create a desirable future for students and staff. The project involves researching how AI and other technology is impacting the student experience at university and what role the university professor/lecturer will play in the future. The project includes reviewing literature, podcasts, videos and other sources to capture different perspectives of how learning and teaching may change. The project involves the facilitation of workshops with students and different HE professionals (lecturers, professors, learning technologists) to co-create desirable futures.
The Role:
We are looking for a keen and hard-working Undergraduate, Postgraduate or Doctoral student to join our research team. This is an opportunity for you to work as part of a virtual team to shape desirable futures of higher education for students and staff. The project focuses on the role of the Higher Educator in the future and co-designing what that may look like.
Duties:
The research assistant will support the research project, playing a key role in researching possible future of higher education, reviewing literature, handling data, analysing data, organising workshop events and other ad-hoc support for the project. Duties include:
- Reviewing literature and other sources (podcasts, videos, blogs and other media) about the future of higher education, focusing on how learning and teaching is changing and will change into the future.
- Handling and analysing the data from subject matter interviews and workshops.
- Verifying auto-transcribed interview and workshop data, coding the content and examining key themes.
- Creating and developing resources to be used in an interactive workshop, including use of different digital software (Adobe Creative suite).
- Collaborating on the development of digital resources, including video and toolkit resources.
- Organising and planning workshop times/days/locations including booking rooms etc.
- Communicating with participants in a timely and appropriate manner.
- Helping with facilitation of the workshops in a professional manner.
- General administration support, assisting with scheduling, documentation and organising tasks.
Person Specification:
- A current student, ideally studying Education, Business, Computer Science, AI, Communications, or a related field
- Confident and fluent communicator, able to communicate to different stakeholders: students, staff and management.
- Good IT and digital skills, comfortable learning new software tools, e.g. Adobe Creative Suite and navigating digital tools for research and workshop design.
- Skilled in planning, organising and task management
- Detail orientated.
- Interested, excited and critical of the potential role of AI and technology in education
- Able to work independently and manage your own time across a part-time schedule
- Able to travel to the Cambridge campus.
Closing Date: Thursday 16th April, 9am
Interviews: 22nd - 23rd April
Please apply online with an up-to-date CV and covering letter.
Please note that due to the large amount of applications received, we will not be able to respond back to everyone - only those who are successful will be contacted.