Research Associate


Company:	University of Sheffield
Salary:	Not specified
Hours:	Part-time
Location:	Sheffield, S10 2TN
Job type:	Temporary
Posting date:	28 Aug 2026
Closing date:	8 Sept 2026

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Summary

University of Sheffield

The School of English is aiming to appoint someone with a passion for twentieth-century poetry and/or modern visual art looking to use their experience of interdisciplinary collaboration and research, alongside skills in archival research and transcription, to assist in the research and publication of two new groundbreaking editions of Elizabeth Bishop’s work.

In addition to assisting the project team to contextualise and transcribe Bishop’s postcards and other visual material, thereby acquiring editorial knowledge of both literary and visual arts publishing, you will also be actively involved in the curation and organisation of a public exhibition of Bishop’s picture postcards in Sheffield, developing skills applicable to a range of arts and heritage positions. You will also have the opportunity to broaden and deepen your own research.

The ideal candidate will be a freelance curator, editor or scholar looking to combine their own creative work with a part-time role or a recent postdoctoral student in a relevant discipline looking to broaden their curriculum while applying for a permanent job.

The University of Sheffield is a remarkable place to work. Our people are at the heart of everything we do. Their diverse backgrounds, abilities and beliefs make Sheffield a world-class university.

We offer a fantastic range of benefits including a highly competitive annual leave entitlement (with the ability to purchase more), a generous pensions scheme, flexible working opportunities, a commitment to your development and wellbeing, a wide range of retail discounts, and much more.

In addition to the development opportunities presented by the research project itself, early career researchers at the University of Sheffield are guaranteed one day per month pro rata for professional development and can access the institution's award-winning Think Ahead researcher development programme.

Find out more at www.sheffield.ac.uk/benefits and join us to become part of something special.

The School of English is known for its international-quality research in English Literature, Theatre and Performance, Creative Writing, Theoretical and Applied Linguistics, Historical Linguistics, Literary Linguistics, and English Language. Much of this activity is passed onto students through our research-led approach to learning and teaching. With around 40 members of academic staff, the School of English is able to offer outstanding teaching across a wide range of subject areas.

Your experience and skills will further strengthen our strong international research profile and our reputation for innovative, research-led teaching. This important postdoctoral role will be a gateway post to a lectureship in literary or visual studies or an administrative or research role in a cognate field such as art history or museum studies.

We are committed to exploring flexible working opportunities which benefit the individual and the University: remote working is fine if the candidate can commit to regular in person project team meetings (at least once a month in Sheffield) and is willing to spend time on campus as we prepare for the exhibition launch.

We build teams of people from different heritages and lifestyles from across the world, whose talent and contributions complement each other to greatest effect. We believe diversity in all its forms delivers greater impact through research, teaching and student experience.

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