[Hiring] Research Assistant @Core System

Role Description

A part-time, remote (UK based) research post on a six-month project funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). You will work two days a week with the project lead on a structured review of published evidence.

What You Will Do

• Carry out the searching, screening and extraction for a rapid evidence review.
• Run searches in academic databases and grey literature sources, following an agreed search strategy.
• Screen titles, abstracts and full texts against set inclusion criteria, and record every decision.
• Extract information from included studies and reports into a standard template.
• Draft evidence tables and short descriptive summaries of what each source reports.
• Find and organise published policy and technical documents on how other countries monitor illicit drug production.
• Keep the project reference library accurate and up to date.
• Possibly support online research interviews with policy and technical specialists, for example by helping prepare materials and taking notes.
• Draft sections of academic articles and reports, such as literature summaries and descriptions of the review method.
• Meet the project lead regularly on Teams to review progress and resolve queries.

What You Will Gain

• Hands-on experience of a rapid evidence review run to a published standard.
• Insight into how research is designed and delivered for a government partner.
• Regular supervision from an experienced researcher in drug markets and organised crime.
• Acknowledgement in the project outputs.
• A reference for future academic or policy applications, on successful completion.

Working Pattern

The post is 14 hours a week, normally as two full days. The days are flexible and can be agreed at the start. All work is done remotely (UK based).

The post must start as close to 1 December as possible. You will need a Jobshop Right to Work check in place before you start, so please book it promptly if you are offered the role.

How to Apply

• Your course, year of study, school and student number.
• Your availability from 1 December 2026 to 31 May 2027, and which days of the week suit you.
• One example of a literature search or review you have done. Say what you were looking for, where you searched, how you decided what to include, and what you produced.
• Any publications or other writing for publication, such as reports or conference papers.

We will judge applications on the specific experience they describe, so please be concrete.

Person Specification

We want someone careful, organised and confident with research literature. Postgraduates, including doctoral researchers, are particularly welcome to apply, as this role suits the skills developed through research training.

Essential

• Experience of systematic or rapid review methods, including protocol-based searching, screening against inclusion criteria and structured data extraction.
• Study in criminology, sociology, social policy, public health, politics or a related subject.
• Confidence using academic databases such as Web of Science, Scopus or PubMed.
• Accurate record keeping and close attention to detail.
• Clear academic writing, including the ability to summarise findings plainly.
• Ability to work independently and remotely, to an agreed procedure and to deadlines.
• Availability for 14 hours a week from 1 December 2026 to 31 May 2027.

Desirable

• Experience of conducting or supporting qualitative research interviews.
• Experience of writing for publication, such as articles, reports or conference papers.
• Experience with reference or review software, such as Zotero, EndNote or Rayyan.
• Knowledge of drug markets, drug policy, organised crime or policing.
• Experience finding grey literature from bodies such as the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) or the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
• Reading knowledge of Dutch or another language useful for reading national policy documents.