CAHSS Research Assistant

Grade UE06: £34,610 - £39,906 per annum pro rata - with a range of £18.96 - £21.87 per hour, plus annual leave allowance

CAHSS/College Research Office

Part-time: Guaranteed hours contract, max 9 hours per week on average

Fixed-term: 12 months contract 

Vacancies available: 3

Where discovery never stops. Be part of something bigger. 

We offer careers and roles in just about every area you can think of. Whether you’re looking to take the next step in your current specialism, explore a new challenge, or broaden your experience, we offer opportunities where you can flourish and make a real difference. Our people come from a wide range of backgrounds, each bringing their abilities and experiences to our organisation, helping us thrive and innovate together. 

The University of Edinburgh is a world-class organisation. We look for the best in the field across all disciplines and provide a working environment where academics can develop their careers and passion for their chosen subject area. We offer the full range of academic roles and have a genuine focus on our students performance and wellbeing.

The Opportunity:

This role provides research assistance to research staff and projects in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, on specified tasks where methods are predominantly defined. It provides University of Edinburgh PhD students with an opportunity to develop their own research skills in areas outside their own research areas or expertise. 

People have always been at the heart of our work. Our people are at the centre of the University community and everything we do. We value colleagues with drive, determination and a passion for what they do. We are a place where everyone is welcome and offer a range of policies and benefits designed to support you in building the right meaningful flexibility that works for you.

A career with us has a range of other benefits that can be tailored to your lifestyle: 

• Opportunities to develop new skills and broaden your experience 
• Leading-edge research 
• Contributing to the work and purpose of the University. 

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

How to apply

Please include the following documents in your application:

- CV

- Cover letter

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 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 Stonewall Scotland Diversity Champions, actively promoting LGBT 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.

Key dates to note

The closing date for applications is 16 October 2026.

Unless stated otherwise, the closing time for applications is 11:59 pm (UK time). If you are applying from outside the UK, the closing time shown on our adverts will automatically adjust to your browser’s local time zone.

We aim to hold interviews in the week commencing 2 November.

#LI-DNI

As a world-leading research-intensive University, we are here to address tomorrow’s greatest challenges. Between now and 2030 we will do that with a values-led approach to teaching, research and innovation, and through the strength of our relationships, both locally and globally.

The College Office is located in various buildings closely co-located in George Square. It contains the central administrative and management services for the College, which are led by the College Senior Management Team, consisting of the Vice-Principal/Head of College, the College Registrar, five Deans, the College Accountant, the Head of College HR and the College Chief Information Officer.

The administrative support structure of the College is led by the College Registrar, with Teams covering Academic Affairs; Admissions (Undergraduate, Visiting and Postgraduate); Estates; Finance; Human Resources; Knowledge Exchange, Research; Resources and Web Development.

The College Office hosts the College-wide Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities (IASH), which is an important framework for interdisciplinary work across the humanities and social sciences.

The College also hosts the Centre for Open Learning (COL) which provides part time and short courses during the day and evenings for a range of members of the local community, from people returning to learning, to professionals seeking to develop their skills.  (COL) incorporates the University’s Languages for All centre, offering a wide range of language support for our students.

To find out more about the College Office and IASH please visit our websites:

www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/arts-humanities-soc-sci

www.iash.ed.ac.uk