Partnership Coordinator

18/08/2021

DEADLINE EXTENDED for applications: Tuesday 31st August

The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and UK Antarctic Heritage Trust (UKAHT), with support from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), are seeking a Partnership Coordinator to undertake a one month’s research and engagement to build a new interdisciplinary partnership exploring the ‘hidden histories’ of polar science.

This partnership is intended not only to help shape future programme and organisational development, but also to prepare a bid for a NERC/UKRI funding opportunity: Hidden histories of environmental science: Acknowledging legacies of race, social injustice and exclusion to inform the future.

Project background:

There is little racial diversity in the polar sciences; the participation of minority groups lags significantly behind societal norms, even the acceptance of women in the field was notably late. Historically, the exploration of Antarctica, the ‘White Continent’, was arguably a colonial exercise led by the UK, the legacy of which has been felt right up to the modern era. Why did this happen, and how can we improve diversity in modern-era polar sciences?

We are seeking to enable a more meaningful re-interpretation of past Antarctic science, which directly faces its colonial origins. Our focus will be the 1940s onwards, a period including the establishment of the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey (FIDS) and its transition to  BAS (1962) and the development of modern polar science. Through examination and interpretation of the past through the archives, our aim is to explore how this era has been informed by legacies of social injustice and exclusion and make recommendations on how to build a more open and diverse future. We are seeking to instigate the collection of new perspectives and voices to enrich the historical record, and shape future engagement.

Our current partnership builds on existing strengths: polar research in the natural sciences and humanities; UK polar science and archives, British heritage in Antarctica and public engagement. We are now seeking to broaden these strengths to establish a truly new and collaborative discussion.

Role objectives:

  1. To identify and engage with partners who are willing to bring new skillsets, voices and experiences to the partnership. They could include practitioners, community groups, EDI and access specialists, humanities and environmental researchers and social scientists.
  2. To facilitate the building of these partnerships, to prepare for the main ‘Hidden histories’ funding opportunity and provide a foundation for future collaborative working.
  3. To help develop, through the wider partnership, a clear direction for the main ‘Hidden Histories’ bid and what the intended legacy of the partnership might be. The bid will be written by partners, but this role will help to provide content and direction.

Research Questions:

Aligning with the aims of the funding opportunity, the core purpose of the partnership is to together explore and seek innovative solutions to the following questions:

  • To what extent has colonial and other history, exclusion and social injustice influenced how the UK polar science research sector presents cultures and issues including around race, racism and representation and intersectionality?
  • How do key people, places or issues in the British colonial past of polar science research compare with those shaped by present-day cultural sensitivities and expectations?
  • How can partnerships with relevant people throughout the research improve projects for mutual benefits, which may include identifying opportunities to actively influence, consult or collaborate?
  • Are there practical recommendations that UKRI, NERC and the UK environmental science sector might more broadly consider in order to respond to society’s evolving outlooks and attitudes, in line with delivering NERC’s responsible business statement?

This role will help to research and engage new collaborators to build a partnership suited to answering these questions. The selected candidate will be supported and guided by partners as appropriate.

Fee:

The fee payable for this contract is £2500

Timeframe:

September 2021

The deadline for the grant application is the 30th September 2021.

Should this be successful, ongoing engagement with the project is envisaged.

Expression of interest:

To express your interest in this project and role, please upload your CV with a covering letter (no more than two sides of A4) via this link: https://hr.breathehr.com/v/partnership-coordinator-contract-18260

DEADLINE EXTENDED for applications: Tuesday 31st August

As a partnership, we are committed to equal opportunities and to learning how to increase the diversity of our people. We welcome expressions of interest from all suitably qualified persons and encourage applications from people currently underrepresented in the Polar regions, including women in senior leadership positions, members of black, Asian and minority ethnic communities, people with disabilities and LGBTQI+ people. We also welcome flexible working arrangements.