Research Associate - UK Pubs Observatory

Role Description

UK Pubs Observatory, York Law School – Part-time Research Associate

This part-time post will support the early work of the UK Pubs Observatory: a new initiative tracking changes in the UK Pub Sector, based at York Law School, University of York, UK (www.pubsobservatory.co.uk). Across the next 6 months, the Observatory is working to:

1. Establish a database of UK pubs.
2. Track changes of use and permanent closures across English and Welsh establishments using data available through the Valuation Office Agency.
3. Issue publications on changes over time in the pub sector, particularly in England and Wales. This will include both academic and policy-led outputs.
4. Engage stakeholders – including policymakers, industry bodies and publicans themselves – in the work of the observatory.

The Observatory is led by Dr Jed Meers, a Lecturer in Law at York Law School, University of York, UK

The role requires you to:

• Provide research assistance – including researching local pub markets, drawing information from public documents, and doing small scale updates to the Observatory database.
• To liaise with publicans and other stakeholders on the work of the Observatory.
• Support the director in the writing and dissemination of outputs.

Key Requirements

You will have:

• A keen interest in and enthusiasm for the UK pub sector
• A bachelors degree, masters-level qualification or PhD in a social science discipline, or equivalent experience
• Highly developed communication skills to engage effectively with a wide ranging audience, both orally and in writing, using a range of media
• Competency with the use of excel
• Experience of carrying out both independent and collaborative research
• Ability to work as part of a team and also to work independently using own initiative
• Ability to plan and prioritise own work in order to meet deadlines

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