Research Assistant in Culture, Media and Creative Industries

Job id: 086045. Salary: £37,332 per annum, including London Weighting Allowance.

Posted: 08 March 2024. Closing date: 12 March 2024.

Business unit: Faculty of Arts & Humanities. Department: Culture, Media & Creative Industries.

Contact details:Hye-Kyung Lee. [email protected]

Location: Strand Campus. Category: Research.

Job Description

Culture, Media and Creative Industries, King’s College London, is a world-renown department focused on research and teaching in cultural and creative industries, arts management, cultural policy and global media industries. CMCI is looking for a part-time Research Assistant who will work on ‘Sustainable Cultural Futures: Covid-19 and Resetting Cultural Policy’ project.  

‘Sustainable Cultural Futures’ is an ESRC-funded cross-national collaborative project. The project, which runs for 36 months from February 2021 to January 2025, is the first major UK-Japan collaborative research project in the field of cultural policy. This project is thematically structured around three key issues: cultural values and purposes of cultural policy; key institutions of cultural work; and the digitalisation of culture. In its final year (February 2024 to January 2025), the project adopts a mixed research methodology, involving an online survey, desk research, interviews, case studies and focus groups in order to understand the implications of digitalisation of digitalisation of culture, including cultural organisations’ digital strategies and the rise of generative AI. 

Under the guidance of the Principal Investigator, the Research Assistant will carry out data collection, help to write policy briefing reports and case study reports, assist with online and in-person events, carry out 3-4 interviews if needed and facilitate focus groups. They will also help to promoting project activities and disseminate project findings.  

In doing so, the RA will strengthen their understanding of the digitalisation of culture and potential policy responses. The PI and the project’s Research Associate will mentor them throughout the period regarding their skills development. They will be encouraged to be actively involved in CMCI’s research events and be part of its research community.  

Applicants must have a very good understanding of cultural policy, the digitalisation of culture and generative AI’s impact on the cultural sector.  

There will be an interview on 20 March 2024 (afternoon). 

Please provide:  

(1)     An up-to-date CV; (2) A cover letter 

This post will be offered on a fixed-term contract until 6 December 2024  

This is a  part-time post – 50% full time equivalent

Key responsibilities

• Data collection on digitalisation of culture
• Helping to write policy briefing reports and case study reports
• Communication with event participants and attendees
• Carrying out 3-4 interviews (if needed) for case studies
• Facilitating focus group discussion
• Helping to develop survey questions
• Promoting the project and its findings
• Providing other reasonable assistance related to the project

The above list of responsibilities may not be exhaustive, and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks and responsibilities as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post.

Skills, knowledge, and experience 

Essential criteria  

Solid understanding of cultural policy

Very good understanding of generative AI and its implications

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills

Excellent verbal and written English

Analytic skills

Strong research interest in cultural policy, the digitalisation of culture, AI and related issues

Desirable criteria

Good access to cultural sector organisations and networks

Familiarity with the literature on creativity

Facilitation skills

Skills in report design