Research Assistant in Net-Zero skills

UE06: £34,610 - £39,906 per annum

CSE / School of GeoSciences / Edinburgh Climate Change Institute

Part time: 7 hours per week

Fixed term: 15 months

The Opportunity

Join an exciting interdisciplinary project exploring how universities can better prepare graduates with the knowledge and skills needed to support the transition to a net-zero future.

Funded through the Principal's Teaching Award Scheme (PTAS), this Research Assistant role offers the opportunity to contribute to a high-impact project investigating how net-zero skills can be more effectively embedded across higher education curricula. Working with colleagues from the School of GeoSciences, the Department of Social Responsibility and Sustainability, the Edinburgh Climate Change Institute, the Business School and Edinburgh Napier University, you will help generate evidence that informs curriculum innovation and strengthens links between higher education and industry.

The successful candidate will play a central role in designing and delivering mixed-methods research, including:

• Reviewing current literature and practice relating to the integration of net-zero skills in higher education.
• Designing and conducting semi-structured interviews with Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) to explore industry perspectives on the skills required to support the transition to net zero.
• Developing and delivering a survey for university staff to identify current practice, opportunities and barriers to embedding net-zero skills within university programmes.
• Planning and facilitating a collaborative focus group bringing together university staff, students and SME partners to discuss findings and identify practical solutions.
• Analysing qualitative and quantitative data to produce evidence-based recommendations, case studies, learning resources and a practical net-zero skills framework for wider use across the higher education sector.

This role offers an excellent opportunity for an enthusiastic researcher with experience of qualitative and quantitative research methods who is interested in education, sustainability and climate change. You will gain experience working across disciplines and sectors while contributing to the University's ambitions to embed climate and sustainability across learning and teaching.

A career with us has a range of other benefits that can be tailored to your lifestyle and ways of working.

This post is fixed term and offered on a part-time basis. We are also open to considering requests for hybrid working (on a non-contractual basis), combining remote working with regular on-campus attendance.

View the full job description (opens in a new browser tab)

How to apply

• A CV tailored to the job description
• A cover letter that sets out clearly and concisely how you meet the essential and desirable criteria in the job description . We will use your covering letter alongside your CV to shortlist applications, so please make sure you set out how you meet the job description in a clear, concise and well-structured way.

As a valued member of our team, you can expect: 

• A competitive salary.
• An exciting, positive, creative, challenging and rewarding place to work.
• To be part of a diverse and vibrant international community.
• Comprehensive Staff Benefits, including generous annual leave entitlement, a defined benefits pension scheme, a wide range of staff discounts, family-friendly initiatives, and flexible work options. Check out the full list on our staff benefits page  (opens in a new tab) and use our reward calculator to discover the value of your pay and benefits.

Championing equality, diversity, and inclusion

The University of Edinburgh holds a Silver Athena SWAN award in recognition of our commitment to advance gender equality in higher education. We are members of the Race Equality Charter, and we are also a Stonewall Proud Employer, actively promoting LGBTQ+ equality.

Prior to any employment commencing with the University, you will be required to evidence your right to work in the UK. Further information is available on our right to work webpages  (opens new browser tab)

On this occasion the University will not consider applicants requiring sponsorship for this role. International workers will therefore only be able to take up this role if they can demonstrate an alternative right to work in the UK.

Key dates to note

The closing date for applications is 9 September 2026.

Unless stated otherwise the closing time for applications is 11:59pm UK time. If you are applying outside the UK the closing time on our adverts automatically adjusts to your browsers local time zone.