Two researchers examining experiences of names in adoption are sought

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Researcher (Names & Adoption Project) (2 x part-time posts)

Nottingham Trent University - Social and Political Sciences - School of Social Sciences

Location:	Work from home
Salary:	£24,871 to £27,924 pro rata. Grade F
Hours:	Part Time
Contract Type:	Fixed-Term/Contract

Placed On:	6th May 2022
Closes:	26th May 2022
Job Ref:	010498

We are deeply proud of our academic community. Nottingham Trent University (NTU) is a diverse and dynamic learning environment, defined by a shared sense of respect for all its people. Our mission is to be bold, to do the right things and to change lives, and our academics are key to realising those goals. Their work continues to reinforce our credentials as an award-winning university, and a research centre of excellence.

Our continued success — underpinned by the number of prestigious national awards we’ve won — has hinged on two commitments: forging excellent partnerships around the world and harnessing the talents of all our people. We secured a ‘Gold’ rating in the government’s Teaching Excellence Framework; received the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for our pioneering research; and in 2018, we were the first UK university to sign the Social Mobility Pledge, further demonstrating our commitment to ensuring ‘success for all’. NTU is a university at the peak of its powers, but we know we can still go even further. That’s why we’re now looking for new, passionate, ambitious people to join our community.

The main purpose of the Researcher posts is to make a significant contribution to the Leverhulme Trust-funded research project: Name stories: experiences of names & naming in adoptive family life. This will be accomplished by, for example: assisting in the recruitment of participants; working with participants to co-create qualitative data; contributing to data analysis, writing and engagement. The researchers are expected to begin working from 1st September 2022 and the project runs for two years from that date. Further information about the roles can be found in the detailed job description and person specification.

The Leverhulme Trust-funded project Name stories: experiences of names & naming in adoptive family life is about personal names and identities. Associate Professor of Sociology Dr Jane Pilcher is the Principal Investigator. The project focuses on adoptees and adopters as people whose experiences of the multiple ‘identity’ and ‘belonging’ functions of forenames and surnames are especially likely to be significant and complex. The project uses life-story interviewing and creative life-writing methods to capture ‘name stories’ through which adults describe and make sense of their adoption-related naming and identity experiences. Findings will fill important knowledge gaps about the place of names in adoptive identities and in adoptive family life, thereby strengthening broader empirical, theoretical and everyday understandings of the significance of name-linked identities in contemporary societies. 

Interview Date: 14 June 2022

If you have any queries about this role, please contact Dr Jane Pilcher, Associate Professor of Sociology (jane.pilcher@ntu.ac.uk)

NTU prides itself on being an inclusive employer. We value and celebrate equality in opportunities, and we welcome applications from people who reflect the diversity of our communities.

This role is open to non-UK/Irish applicants subject to current UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) rules. Please ensure that you have the appropriate right to work in the UK for this role and consult the Home Office website for further information.

Please note that this role is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (1974) and successful applicants will be asked to declare any unspent criminal convictions. 

Do you have the passion to help us to go even further? www.ntu.ac.uk