University of Oxford: Postdoctoral Research in Sociology and Social Policy
Job description and selection criteria
Job title: Postdoctoral Research Officer in Sociology and Social Policy
Division: Social Sciences
Department: Social Policy and Intervention
Location: Barnett House, 32 Wellington Square, Oxford
Grade and salary: Grade 7: £30,434 – £37,394 per annum
Hours: Full time
Contract type: Fixed-term for 24 months to work on a project funded by the
Reporting to: Dr Erzsebet Bukodi
Vacancy reference: 117978
Job description
Research topic: Educational inequalities, life-course analysis
Principal Investigator/ supervisor: Dr Erzsebet Bukodi
Project team: Dr Erzsebet Bukodi, Dr John Goldthorpe, Research Officer,
Funding partner: The funds supporting this research project are provided by the
Overview of the role
The successful candidate will work as a member of a team investigating educational inequalities in Britain from the 1950s to the present. The project will address the following research questions. (1) Is the association between early-life cognitive ability and subsequent educational attainment stable over recent decades or tending to weaken? (2) Is the importance of cognitive ability in educational attainment constant over individuals’ life-courses or does it decline, and especially in regard to the attainment of vocational rather than academic qualifications? (3) What part do social origins and cognitive ability play in creating the ‘primary’ and ‘secondary’ effects known to be jointly involved in creating social inequalities in educational attainment? (4) Taking into account any possible changes in the importance of cognitive ability for educational attainment over historical time (Question 1) or over the life-course (Question 2) and taking into account also the differing pathways through which cognitive ability and social origins may exert their influence on educational attainment (Question 3), how do cognitive ability and social origins actually come together in their effects on educational attainment? To address these research questions the project will use data from large-scale longitudinal social surveys, such as the British Birth Cohort Studies, the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England (LSYPE) and the Avon Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), and will apply advanced methods of quantitative data analysis.
This is a fixed-term full-time post for 24 months to work on the project funded by the Nuffield Foundation. The post is available from 1 July 2015. You will be responsible to Dr Erzsebet Bukodi.
Responsibilities/duties
The successful candidate will be expected to have a high level of competence and motivation to undertake the following tasks:
Take the chief responsibility for data management and the construction of new
variables;
Carry out statistical analyses using standard methods and more advanced
techniques – e.g. non-linear decomposition analysis, growth curve modelling – under
the supervision of the Principal Investigator;
Contribute (as a co-author) to the writing up of research papers to be submitted to
high-quality and high-impact peer reviewed journals;
Attend and present the results of the project at academic conferences;
Set up and maintain a website for the project;
Help in the organisation of dissemination activities.
Other appropriate duties that may arise under Dr Bukodi’s direction.
Selection criteria
Essential
The Department is looking for a candidate who most fully meets the following criteria:
Doctorate in Sociology, Social Policy, Social Statistics or some related area;
Experience with working with large-scale, complex data-sets;
Demonstrably good grounding in quantitative data analysis in the social sciences;
Experienced user of statistical software, such as STATA and/or R;
Demonstrable ability to contribute to academic papers to be submitted to peer-
reviewed journals;
Knowledge of the broadly defined subject area – social inequalities.
Desirable
Background knowledge of the narrowly defined subject area – educational inequality,
cognitive development, social mobility;
Experience in performing multiple imputation using STATA or R.
Please note that the appointment of the successful candidate will be subject to standard compulsory pre-employment screening, such as right to work checks.
Please click below to read the candidate notes on the University’s pre-employment screening procedures.
https://www.ox.ac.uk/about/jobs/preemploymentscreening/
Working at the University of Oxford
For further information about working at Oxford, please see:
www.ox.ac.uk/about_the_university/jobs/research/
How to apply
If you consider that you meet the selection criteria, click on the Apply Now button on the ‘Job Details’ page and follow the on-screen instructions to register as a user. You will then be required to complete a number of screens with your application details, relating to your skills and experience. When prompted, please provide details of two referees and indicate whether we can contact them at this stage. You will also be required to upload a CV and supporting statement which explains how you meet the selection criteria for the post. The supporting statement should explain your relevant experience which may have been gained in employment, education, or you may have taken time away from these activities in order to raise a family, care for a dependant, or travel for example. Your application will be judged solely on the basis of how you demonstrate that that you meet the selection criteria outlined above and we are happy to consider evidence of transferable skills or experience which you may have gained outside the context of paid employment or education.
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All applications must be received by midday on the closing date stated in the online advertisement.
Information for priority candidates
A priority candidate is a University employee who is seeking redeployment owing to the fact that he or she has been advised that they are at risk of redundancy, or on grounds of ill- health/disability. Priority candidates are issued with a redeployment letter by their employing departments.
If you are a priority candidate, please ensure that you:
– attach your redeployment letter to your application
– explain in your covering letter how you meet the selection criteria for the post.
Should you experience any difficulties using the online application system, please email: recruitment.support@admin.ox.ac.uk
Further help and support is available from
http://www.ox.ac.uk/about_the_university/jobs/support/
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