Recruitment

Post-Doctoral Research Associate

Exploring Coloniality and Precarity Engagements amongst Urban-Poor Resilient Malaysian Indian Women (EXCAPE-URMI)

The postdoctoral research associate (PDRA) on this post will join the EXCAPE URMI team hosted at Universiti Malaya (UM) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and will be affiliated also to The Open University (OU) in Milton Keynes, United Kingdom. EXCAPE-URMI is a research project funded by the British Academy for two years (April 2024-March 2026). The duration of the post is 18 months.

The EXCAPE URMI team invites applications for contract based, fixed-term postdoctoral researcher based at Universiti Malaya from 1 October 2024 to 31 March 2026.

Download a copy of the role and job description. (DOC, 160kB)

Role Description

The position is associated with the EXCAPE URMI project and funded by the British Academy’s Knowledge Frontiers: International Interdisciplinary Research Programme. The Principal Investigator (PI) for the project is Dr Geetha Reddy at the Open University. The Co-Investigator for the project is Dr Nithiya Guna Saigaran at Universiti Malaya. The project manager, Enbah Nilah and research officer, Rupa Subramaniam are also hosted at UM. The research manager Dr Ekaterina Kandelaki is at the OU.

The project is recruiting a highly motivated individual for the position of Post-Doctoral Research Associate (PDRA). This position requires the PDRA to be in Malaysia fulltime and conduct fieldwork in Klang Valley and Penang. There will be an opportunity to travel overseas on an international conference with the team in October 2025. The PDRA will be primarily responsible for conducting research in Malaysia by doing fieldwork with two research collectives of approximately 50 Malaysian Indian women in alignment with the broader research design and questions pursued by this project. The PDRA will contribute to the project’s publications as co-author/author and be supported for the dissemination of research results. The selected candidate will also take part in seminars and activities organised by the PI.

Project Description

This transdisciplinary research project will explore the legacies of colonialism which established racial, political, gender and class hierarchies of control by favouring some groups and marginalising others in Malaysia. Many Indians who arrived as indentured labourers during British colonisation continue to experience poverty and lag behind all other ethnic groups in terms of social mobility despite various attempts at ameliorating their social conditions through government and international aid programmes. Extensive research has documented the contemporary challenges experienced by Malaysian Indians in overcoming poverty. However, its connection to the historical foundations is yet to be explored. The project addresses this disconnection by applying a decolonial theorising of social issues. Its findings are expected to inform public policy and future initiatives that seek to redress inequalities faced by Urban Poor Malaysian Indian women. Importantly, the project will engage in transformative action with research collectives of Urban Poor Malaysian Indian Women to build community resilience and identify traces of the legacies of colonialism— referred to as coloniality— in their everyday lives.

The project will apply a social psychological theorising of precarity (Coultas et al, 2023; Reddy & Amer, 2022) and a decolonial approach to the study of social issues (Readsura Decolonial Editorial Collective, 2022) to the empirical study of intergenerational poverty transmission amongst Malaysian Indian women who are disproportionately affected relative to other racialised groups in the country (Malaysian Indian Blueprint, 2017; Saigaran & Thambiah, 2023). Applying OXFAM’s gender research rubric (OXFAM Policy & Practice, 2019), the project will be gender-transformative as it not only considers and analyses gender (as it pertains to men, women, and other gender diverse groups) for short-term progress, but also informs long-term changes to structural causes of inequalities such as gender power relations, norms, and inadequate public policy planning.

View the project website and read more about the £300k grant (to the OU) to explore legacies of colonialism in Malaysia.

Potential applicants are encouraged to get in touch with the PI for the project,  Dr Geetha Reddy, if they would like to discuss the position before applying.

Please forward this job ad to any possibly interested parties.

Skills

Essential

• PhD in the social sciences on themes related to the project
• Previous experience in autonomously conducting qualitative fieldwork, notably in Malaysia would be an advantage.
• English: Good oral and written communication skills for academic research
• A demonstrated ability to conduct participatory action research, to use qualitative research methods and to analyse qualitative data through relevant software.
• A strong record of research and/or knowledge exchange that is commensurate to the position
• Experience of publishing in English in academic journals (appropriate to career stage).
• Ability to work independently and contribute to the project as part of a team

Desirable

• A strong interest in or experience of research into themes related to the project (coloniality, transdisciplinarity, gender studies, precarity, participatory research methods) is desirable
• Proactivity, initiative, and good interpersonal skills
• Ability to organise your work and manage priorities
• Be rigorous and precise in your work.
• Ability to work in a multi-cultural and multi-lingual context
• Knowledge of South Asian languages such as Tamil represents an advantage

How to apply

To apply, please submit:

(1) Cover letter describing your motivation and suitability for the post (in English).

(2) CV and list of publications.

Please include up to 3 publications (in the same pdf)

(3) Personal statement, up to 1,000 words, where you should set out in your statement why you’re interested in this role and provide examples of where your skills and experience meet the required competencies for this role as detailed in the job and person specification.

Interviews will be held remotely or in person in Kuala Lumpur in English on the 28 August 2024.

All staff are expected to:

• Undertake any other duties reasonably required;
• Take reasonable care of their own health and safety and that of any other person who may be affected by their acts or omissions at work;
• Demonstrate a strong commitment to the principles and practice of equality and diversity.

The full summary of duties and person specification can be found within the Job Description.

Job Description

Here is a broad description of the activities that the PDRA will be engaging in over the course of the project.

Analysis phase 1: 1 October 2024 - 31 December 2024

• Analysing all data collected in the fieldwork phase
• Reviewing research praxis
• Presenting research results within team
• Identifying possibilities for contributing to existing literature
• Co-drafting research paper on precarity
• Engaging in the co-production of various outputs (can take various forms, e.g. videos, photos, podcasts etc.).
• Participating in regular project meetings (online and in person)

Dissemination phase 1: 1 January 2025 - 31 March 2025

• Drafting policy brief
• Co-Drafting methods manual
• Submitting research paper to relevant journal
• Preparing for fieldwork phase 2
• Participating in regular project meetings (online and in person)
• Share fieldwork reflections and research results in the format of blog posts

Fieldwork phase 2: 1 April 2025 - 30 June 2025

• Organizing participatory workshops in Penang and Klang
• Participating in regular project meetings (online and in person)
• Analysing data from fieldwork
• Leading fieldwork report

Fieldwork phase 3: 1 July 2025 - 30 September 2025

• Discussing research insights with research collective members and reviewing analysis
• Co-drafting and submitting paper on precarity
• Developing presentations based on analysis for collective members and academic audiences

Evaluation and Dissemination Phase 2: 1 October 2025 - 31 January 2026

• Submission of papers to journals
• International conference participation and presentation of work
• Supporting the preparation of funder’s report
• Elaborating (with the PI) Policy Briefs building on research insights.
• Supporting the organisation and launch of the digital exhibition

Celebration and completion Phase: 1 February 2026 - 31 March 2026

• Supporting the preparation of final report to funder
• Submission of Policy briefs and training materials to policy think tanks and NGOs
• Revisions of academic journal articles

All staff are expected to:

• Undertake any other duties reasonably required;
• Take reasonable care of their own health and safety and that of any other person who may be affected by their acts or omissions at work;
• Demonstrate a strong commitment to the principles and practice of equality and diversity.