Research Associate

Job reference: SAE-032636
Salary: £38,448 - £46,970 per annum depending on experience
Faculty/Organisational Unit: Science and Engineering
Location: Oxford Road
Employment type: Fixed Term
Division/Team: Department of Civil Engineering and Management
Hours Per Week: Full time (1 FTE)
Closing date (DD/MM/YYYY): 03/11/2026
Contract Duration: Fixed term for 12 months
School/Directorate: School of Engineering

We are seeking a highly motivated Research Associate to join an interdisciplinary research project examining how lessons from industrial incidents can be more effectively transferred across sectors. The project spans multiple high-hazard and safety-critical industries (e.g. construction, oil and gas, aviation, healthcare, nuclear) and aims to develop and validate a practical, cross-sectoral framework for learning from incidents.

You will be responsible for:

• Conduct a comprehensive cross-sectoral systematic review of academic literature, grey literature, regulatory reports, and industry guidance related to learning from incidents and accidents.
• Analyse existing incident reporting, learning, and feedback mechanisms across multiple sectors, identifying transferable practices, gaps, and limitations.
• Design and conduct qualitative research, including semi-structured interviews with industry practitioners, regulators, and safety professionals.
• Synthesise qualitative and quantitative findings into a structured, evidence-based framework for intersectoral learning from incidents.
• Work closely with project partners, including industry forums, regulators, and professional bodies, to ensure relevance and applicability of outputs.

We welcome candidates who bring diverse perspectives, experiences, and approaches to their work.

About you

We encourage applications from individuals with a wide range of backgrounds and experiences. You should demonstrate:

Essential criteria

• PhD (or near completion) in a relevant discipline, such as safety science, engineering management, risk management, human factors / applied psychology, organisational studies, systems engineering or related fields.
• Proven experience in qualitative research, including interview design and thematic analysis, with strong proficiency in qualitative data analysis software such as NVivo or ATLAS.ti.
• Experience in using quantitative methods, survey design and analysis, and software packages, such as SPSS, Mplus, or R.
• Strong analytical and synthesis skills, with the ability to integrate evidence across disciplines and sectors.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with experience producing reports and/or academic publications.

Desirable criteria

• Experience researching and learning from incidents, accident investigation, or safety management systems.
• Familiarity with socio-technical safety frameworks (e.g. STAMP, FRAM, Safety-I/SafetyII).
• Experience working with industry or regulatory bodies in applied research contexts.
• Experience with mixed-methods research.
• Evidence of publications in safety, risk, or management journals.

We value transferable skills and real-world experience as much as formal qualifications.

Our benefits include:

• Generous employer contribution pension
• 29 days annual leave plus bank holidays, along with Christmas closure
• Ride to work and EV car scheme available

For more information, please see University of Manchester Benefits. You can also find information on our Flexible and Hybrid working here.

We are an open place of enquiry and challenge. We embrace and celebrate difference, diversity and debate, and we pride ourselves on being a place of education, learning and community where we are able, within the law, to question and test received wisdom, express new ideas and explore controversial or unpopular topics and opinions. Find out more from our Freedom of Speech Policy.

Enquiries about the role, shortlisting and interviews

Name: Saeed Reza Mohandes

Email Address: saeedreza.mohandes@manchester.ac.uk

General enquiries and administrative support: recruitmentservices.people@manchester.ac.uk

Applications close at midnight on the closing date.