Postdoctoral Research Fellow (Medicine without Doctors)
Company
Location
Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
Posted At
8/11/2025
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Description
Job Description
Grade UE07: £41,064 to £48,822 per annum
College/School/Department
Full-time or Part-time: hours per week (Select as appropriate)
Fixed-term: 60 months (January 2026 - 31st December 2030)
The Opportunity
You will join the Wellcome-funded research project, ‘Medicine without Doctors: Reimagining Care and Voice through Play’, which examines the changing landscape of medical authority, voice and care. You will be responsible for developing your own 5-year project on the Physician Associate case study, aligning with the Medicine without Doctors wider vision and combining methodological approaches from medical sociology, medical anthropology, STS, and history, to study the emergence and standardisation of the role of the Physician Associate in the UK national health service.
Medicine without Doctors is a six-year Wellcome-funded project exploring the changing authority of medical practices in the UK through four case studies: LGBTQ+ health, Autonomous Systems, abortion care, and the physician associate. The project is underpinned by two theoretical pillars: the sociology of care and the philosophy of voice. It brings together a multidisciplinary and sector-spanning team of investigators, from philosophy, socio-legal studies, STS, history, sociology and design, with the aim of creating new, interdisciplinary knowledge. In this project, we are excited to develop and draw on play methodologies collaboratively. Through play we seek to advance all aspects of the project creatively and will engage entrenched issues with new perspectives and approaches.
This full time (35 hours per week) post is fixed term for 60 months from January 2026 to 31 December 2030, and is based on-campus.
Your Skills And Attributes For Success
Application Information
As part of your application, please submit a CV and covering letter that addresses your suitability for the role, as well as a one-page description of a research project you would like to pursue in this role.
Informal questions about this post can be directed to the Hiring Manger, Dr Lukas Engelmann, Co-Investigator, via email at [email protected]
External applicants, please refer to the guidance in ‘How to Join Us’ to support your application process.
For current employees interested in applying for this role, please apply as an internal applicant through the People & Money Current Jobs app.
As a valued member of our team you can expect:
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 (opens new browser tab)
The University may be able to sponsor the employment of international workers in this role. This will depend on a number of factors specific to the successful applicant.
Key dates to note
The closing date for application is 22nd September 2025.
Unless stated otherwise the closing time for applications is 11:59pm GMT. If you are applying outside the UK the closing time on our adverts automatically adjusts to your browsers local time zone.
Interviews will typically be held 2-3 weeks after the closing date.
About Us
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.
About The Team
The School of Social and Political Science (SPS) is one of the largest and most successful schools of social science in the UK, with global reach and local and global impact. Our goals are to promote excellence in education, research and innovation. The School comprises seven Subject Areas plus a number of research and teaching centres and institutes, and a number of cross-Subject consortia and other units. The academic staff complement currently numbers c.265fte. Our staff profile is multi-disciplinary across the key social sciences with a strong and growing international orientation. The School has c. 2,600 undergraduate and postgraduate taught students on its programmes of study,and c. 250 doctoral researchers.
The School's primary aim is the advancement and dissemination of knowledge and understanding of social science. We provide an outstanding educational environment and support the highest quality research, tackling some of the world’s greatest challenges. We deliver excellence in discipline-based and interdisciplinary programmes. In addition, as a School, we play a leading role in delivering learning opportunities for students across the University to engage with current global challenges and uncertainties and in equipping students with the social science tools and lenses they need to become active, responsible and critical global citizens and leaders.
In REF 2021, the School returned 100% of its eligible staff from Professors to early career researchers; a strategy that combined excellence with inclusion. All four Units of Assessment to which SPS contributed were rated amongst the top five in the UK for their breadth and quality of research. Overall 39% of our research activity was classified as world leading with a further 47% assessed as internationally excellent. For two of our four Units of Assessment – Politics and International Relations, and Social Policy and Social Work – the whole of the research environment achieved the highest possible rating and was judged to be world leading.
For further information about our school please visit http://www.sps.ed.ac.uk/
Grade UE07: £41,064 to £48,822 per annum
College/School/Department
Full-time or Part-time: hours per week (Select as appropriate)
Fixed-term: 60 months (January 2026 - 31st December 2030)
The Opportunity
You will join the Wellcome-funded research project, ‘Medicine without Doctors: Reimagining Care and Voice through Play’, which examines the changing landscape of medical authority, voice and care. You will be responsible for developing your own 5-year project on the Physician Associate case study, aligning with the Medicine without Doctors wider vision and combining methodological approaches from medical sociology, medical anthropology, STS, and history, to study the emergence and standardisation of the role of the Physician Associate in the UK national health service.
Medicine without Doctors is a six-year Wellcome-funded project exploring the changing authority of medical practices in the UK through four case studies: LGBTQ+ health, Autonomous Systems, abortion care, and the physician associate. The project is underpinned by two theoretical pillars: the sociology of care and the philosophy of voice. It brings together a multidisciplinary and sector-spanning team of investigators, from philosophy, socio-legal studies, STS, history, sociology and design, with the aim of creating new, interdisciplinary knowledge. In this project, we are excited to develop and draw on play methodologies collaboratively. Through play we seek to advance all aspects of the project creatively and will engage entrenched issues with new perspectives and approaches.
This full time (35 hours per week) post is fixed term for 60 months from January 2026 to 31 December 2030, and is based on-campus.
Your Skills And Attributes For Success
- A PhD awarded in a relevant discipline e.g. social sciences, history, science and technology studies, anthropology, or other discipline with a strong background in conducting qualitative research and engaging with law and policy
- Knowledge and understanding of current issues in medicine and health systems
- Experience of designing and conducting empirical research including organising, conducting, collecting, managing and analysing data from interviews, focus groups, surveys, or other forms of data collection.
- Experience of working independently and collaboratively with others to deliver projects
- Ability to work in a compassionate and socially responsible manner
Application Information
As part of your application, please submit a CV and covering letter that addresses your suitability for the role, as well as a one-page description of a research project you would like to pursue in this role.
Informal questions about this post can be directed to the Hiring Manger, Dr Lukas Engelmann, Co-Investigator, via email at [email protected]
External applicants, please refer to the guidance in ‘How to Join Us’ to support your application process.
For current employees interested in applying for this role, please apply as an internal applicant through the People & Money Current Jobs app.
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, such as a generous holiday entitlement, competitive pension schemes, staff discounts, and family-friendly initiatives. Check out the full list on our staff benefits page (opens in a new tab) and use our reward calculator to discover the total value of your pay and benefits.
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 (opens new browser tab)
The University may be able to sponsor the employment of international workers in this role. This will depend on a number of factors specific to the successful applicant.
Key dates to note
The closing date for application is 22nd September 2025.
Unless stated otherwise the closing time for applications is 11:59pm GMT. If you are applying outside the UK the closing time on our adverts automatically adjusts to your browsers local time zone.
Interviews will typically be held 2-3 weeks after the closing date.
About Us
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.
About The Team
The School of Social and Political Science (SPS) is one of the largest and most successful schools of social science in the UK, with global reach and local and global impact. Our goals are to promote excellence in education, research and innovation. The School comprises seven Subject Areas plus a number of research and teaching centres and institutes, and a number of cross-Subject consortia and other units. The academic staff complement currently numbers c.265fte. Our staff profile is multi-disciplinary across the key social sciences with a strong and growing international orientation. The School has c. 2,600 undergraduate and postgraduate taught students on its programmes of study,and c. 250 doctoral researchers.
The School's primary aim is the advancement and dissemination of knowledge and understanding of social science. We provide an outstanding educational environment and support the highest quality research, tackling some of the world’s greatest challenges. We deliver excellence in discipline-based and interdisciplinary programmes. In addition, as a School, we play a leading role in delivering learning opportunities for students across the University to engage with current global challenges and uncertainties and in equipping students with the social science tools and lenses they need to become active, responsible and critical global citizens and leaders.
In REF 2021, the School returned 100% of its eligible staff from Professors to early career researchers; a strategy that combined excellence with inclusion. All four Units of Assessment to which SPS contributed were rated amongst the top five in the UK for their breadth and quality of research. Overall 39% of our research activity was classified as world leading with a further 47% assessed as internationally excellent. For two of our four Units of Assessment – Politics and International Relations, and Social Policy and Social Work – the whole of the research environment achieved the highest possible rating and was judged to be world leading.
For further information about our school please visit http://www.sps.ed.ac.uk/
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