Job Description

The Department of Design is part of - the 2nd oldest art school in the UK. The Department played a significant part in the recent REF success in Art and Design which was ranked second in the UK for research power with 100% of its research environment and impact rated as internationally excellent (3*) or world leading (4*). The department is renowned for its and its award-winning pedagogy in collaborative design practice .

Our ambition is to be internationally recognised for employing design intelligently to address global challenges, whilst seeking to push the boundaries of research and practice-led design and pedagogy, to create the agenda setters of the future. We aim to contribute to a viable future by facilitating responsible cultural, social, material, and technological transformations and we place value on responding to the needs of industry and society to address critical challenges.

Our extensive heritage and connection to the creative industries has enabled us to become one of the leading providers of design research and education nationally and internationally.

The Role

The Stockport Creative Campus project has been awarded \xc2\xa32.5m of funding under the Arts Council Cultural Development Fund. The aim of the overall project is to use this funding to refurbish buildings and to develop activities that will enhance creative participation for citizens and the creative industries as a whole around the town centre and surrounding neighbourhoods.

We are seeking an ambitious and imaginative Research Associate to act as a key member of the university\'s team delivering this project in partnership with Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council, FutureEverything, MadLab and In4.0 Ltd.

The university\'s contribution to this project will be to \xe2\x80\x9cadd value\xe2\x80\x9d at strategic points in the academic year. The role of the Research Associate will be to identify university teaching and research activities across the Faculty of Arts and Humanities that will complement the aims of the Creative Campus project.

Activities might include:

• Identifying spaces or initiatives in Stockport that could form a part of student projects
• Networking with the creative and cultural sector in Stockport to develop workshops and events that support the creative sector.

• Working with other Creative Campus stakeholders to encourage Stockport citizens to participate in creative events or to become creative entrepreneurs
• Advising on design of spaces and facilities that will be attractive and useful to the creative sector in the town
• Developing relationships with companies in the creative sector in the Stockport area
• Overall, acting as a link between the creative sector in Stockport and university activities.

In addition, approximately 50% of time should be spent providing the basis for an impact case study that can be used for submission in the next REF (Research Excellence Framework).

Therefore, you will need to have well-developed research skills and a good sense of how impact can be captured and turned into a strong narrative and other high-quality outputs. You will be able to harness your knowledge of creative disciplines to contribute to our research and education activities while contributing to the strategic priorities of the department. You will contribute to income generation activities and where appropriate, will undertake other scholarly activity to enhance the reputation of the department.

You should also be adept at understanding the needs of a range of stakeholders in the creative sector, from students to practicing artists and commercial companies and project partners.

The role it is an excellent opportunity for someone who is well-connected in the creative sector and who is skilled at engaging different communities. You should be driven by curiosity and a desire for social and economic change through creativity and design thinking.

This role will also contribute to the development of the Design Factory, a highly ambitious research initiative that will apply novel and collaborative research to societal and organisational challenges. Acting as a step change in our research ambitions, the Design Factory will foster sustainable external partnerships, generate collaborative research grants and produce high quality academic outputs that in turn will enhance the student experience and research profile of the University.

How to apply

Applications should include a full CV and covering letter, setting out your interest in the role and details of how your knowledge, skills and experience match the essential criteria.

For any informal enquiries, please contact: Paul Bason, Reader in Digital and Creative Industries .

Documents

Manchester Metropolitan University