Student Casual

Position Details: 

School or Department: College of Engineering & Physical Sciences, Computer Science

Location: The University of Birmingham, Edgbaston Birmingham UK

Grade/Band: Grade 6 

Hourly rate: £16.92 plus holiday entitlement

Casual contract from: 12/01/2025 - TBC

Advert closing date: Wednesday 31st December 2025, 23:59pm

Number of positions available: 1

Please note that this vacancy may be taken down early depending on the number of applications received. We advise you to submit your application promptly.

Our offer to you

People are at the heart of what we are and do.

The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years, and we are equally proud to be recognised as a leading global university.  We want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond, support them to succeed, and celebrate their success.

We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation, and debate.  We warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we are, and how we work.

The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and there are excellent transport links to our beautiful campus, including main bus routes and a train station on site.  On campus we have a state-of-the-art sports centre with pool, shops, places to eat and drink, our own art gallery, museum and botanical gardens.

Find out more about the benefits of working for the University of Birmingham

Background 

We are looking for a research associate to contribute to a research project that provides a structured analysis of temperature-based interaction technology. As a part of the project, the research associate will implement an interactive website that allows users explore application scenarios and technologies related to temperature-based interaction. The website is expected to be ready as an auxiliary material for academic publications in the Human-Computer Interaction field. The research associate will be acknowledged in the publications associated with this work. They will be also encouraged to learn about the research process and have the chance to interact with our team at the University of Birmingham and Aarhus University. The contract will be for 3 months, and the expected start date is January.

Requirements: 

• The applicant should have experience in developing an interactive website connected to a database. 
• The applicant should have proficiency in front-end and back-end JavaScript, HTML, and databases. 
• The applicant should be punctual and responsible for their work.
• The applicant should have good communication skills in English.

Role Summary 

The Research Associate will be responsible for developing an interactive website that visualises the contents of a research database. The website will allow users to explore and navigate the data, including real-time filtering and selection of categories.

The role-holder will be expected to write clean, well-documented code to support future development and maintenance. They will also have the opportunity to contribute to the wider research project and participate in the UX and visual design of the interactive platform.

By the end of the project, the expectation is to deliver a fully functional online website that enables users to interactively explore the database. The Research Associate must ensure confidentiality throughout and must not share any research content publicly prior to publication.

Main Duties

• Collect research data; this may be through a variety of research methods, such as scientific experimentation, literature reviews, and research interviews. 
• Analyse research data as directed.
• Present research outputs, including drafting academic publications or parts thereof, for example at seminars and as posters.
• Develop or adapt techniques, models and methods.
• Provide guidance as required to support staff and any students who may be assisting with research. 
• Deal with problems that may affect the achievement of research objectives and deadlines.
• Carry out administrative tasks related directly to the delivery of the research.
• Promotes equality and values diversity acting as a role model and fostering an inclusive working culture.

Person Specification 

• Degree or equivalent in relevant subject area.

• Practical experience of applying the relevant skills and techniques.

• Ability to analyse information and communicate effectively.

• Ability to access and organise resources successfully.

• Knowledge of the protected characteristics of the Equality Act 2010, and how to actively ensure in day-to-day activity in own area that those with protected characteristics are treated equally and fairly.

For any informal queries, please contact Hyunyoung Kim )

View our staff values and behaviours here

Valuing excellence, sustaining investment

We value diversity and inclusion at the University of Birmingham and welcome applications from all sections of the community and are open to discussions around all forms of flexible working.

The University of Birmingham restricts all students to working up to 20 hours per week during term time. If your application is successful and your course does not follow the usual academic term timetable (e.g.  PGT, PGR or PhD student), you and your supervisor must formally agree vacation periods if this role exceeds 20 hours per week. In addition to this, please be aware if you are an International student you will be required to apply to the Registry for the appropriate Authorised Absence. 

You are only eligible to apply to this role if you are a current University of Birmingham student. If you are not a University of Birmingham student your application will not be considered.

To work you will need to carry out a right to work check. These checks will need to be completed prior to work commencing.