Job Description

Position Details

School of History and Cultures

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £36,636 to £46,049 with potential progression once in post to £48,822

Grade: 7

Part Time, 0.5 FTE (18.75 hours per week)

Fixed Term contract up to July 2028

Closing date: 11th October 2026

Background

Singing and the Human Spirit is an interdisciplinary research project based at the University of Birmingham, led by Dr Katie Bank and funded by the John Templeton Foundation. The project explores why singing matters to people and investigates the relationships between choral singing, spirituality, meaning-making, wellbeing, and human flourishing. Bringing together historical, empirical, and practice-based approaches, the project seeks to understand how singing contributes to the ways individuals and communities experience purpose, belonging, and the human spirit.

The project forms part of the wider international Can Beauty Save the World? research programme, hosted by the Catholic University of America, which explores the role of beauty in human flourishing. While contributing to the broader aims of this international collaboration, Singing and the Human Spirit is a distinct University of Birmingham project with its own research agenda, partnerships, and outputs.

The project is already underway, and this appointment has been created to support the next phase of research, including empirical data collection and analysis, a creative participatory workshop, collaborative publications, and engagement with singers, choirs, and wider communities.

Role Summary

This is a 0.5 FTE Research Fellow post for a fixed term of 18 months. The successful candidate will join an established research team at the University of Birmingham, working closely with Principal Investigator Dr Katie Bank and Co-Investigator Professor Stephen Bullivant (St Mary’s Twickenham) to deliver the next phase of the Singing and the Human Spirit project.

The postholder will undertake mixed-methods research exploring the experiences and perspectives of singers and choral communities. They will contribute to the design and delivery of interviews, the analysis of qualitative and quantitative data, and the development of practice-led workshop activities that investigate the role of singing in spirituality, meaning-making, wellbeing, and human flourishing. The Research Fellow will work collaboratively with the Principal Investigator to generate original research findings and contribute to the project's interdisciplinary programme of research.

The successful candidate will contribute to a range of academic outputs, including peer-reviewed journal articles, an edited collection, conference presentations, and public engagement activities. They will also be supported to develop an independent publication aligned with the aims of the project, contributing both to the objectives of the grant and to their own developing research profile.

The Research Fellow will participate fully in the intellectual life of the project through regular meetings and collaborative activities. They will also engage with researchers across the wider Can Beauty Save the World? international network, contributing to an interdisciplinary community of scholars and practitioners while remaining embedded within the University of Birmingham research team.

Main Duties

The responsibilities may include some but not all of the responsibilities outlined below.

• Work closely with the Principal Investigator to deliver the Singing and the Human Spirit research project in accordance with its aims, objectives, and timeline.
• Co-design, implement, and evaluate an innovative practice-led research methodology for the project's central workshop, contributing to methodological innovation in interdisciplinary research on singing, spirituality, meaning-making, and human flourishing.
• Undertake high-quality mixed-methods research, contributing to the collection, analysis, interpretation, and dissemination of research findings.
• Conduct qualitative interviews with singers and other project participants and analyse qualitative data using appropriate analytical methods.
• Analyse and interpret quantitative survey data collected through the project and contribute to the integration of qualitative and quantitative findings within the project's mixed-methods research framework.
• Contribute to the interpretation of findings relating to choral singing, spirituality, meaning-making, and human flourishing.
• Contribute to the preparation of high-quality research outputs, including peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, and public facing outputs.
• Provide editorial support for the preparation and publication of an edited collection arising from the project.
• Develop at least one independent publication aligned with the aims of the project, in consultation with the Principal Investigator.
• Contribute to public engagement and knowledge exchange activities with academic, artistic, community, and choral sector audiences.
• Participate actively in regular project meetings at the University of Birmingham and contribute to collaborative meetings and activities with researchers across the wider Can Beauty Save the World? international research programme.
• Maintain accurate research records and ensure that all research is conducted in accordance with University policies, ethical requirements, and relevant data protection legislation.
• Undertake other duties commensurate with the grade of the post, as reasonably requested by the Principal Investigator.

Person Specification

Essential criteria

• PhD awarded, or very near completion, in Music, Sociology, Psychology, or another relevant discipline.
• Demonstrable interest in understanding music’s role in human flourishing, music and theology, or related interdisciplinary research.
• Knowledge of, or an appreciation for, choral singing or the lived experiences of singers and singing communities.
• Experience of designing, conducting, and analysing research using mixed methodologies, including qualitative and/or quantitative approaches including surveys and interviews.
• Ability to work independently while contributing effectively to a collaborative interdisciplinary research team.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate research findings to academic and non-academic audiences.
• Strong organisational skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities and meet project output deadlines.
• Robust knowledge of the existing literature in one or more of: community music, music and wellness, music and spirituality, music and theology, aesthetics and human flourishing, or other similar areas of expertise.

Desirable criteria

• Interest in research exploring spirituality, meaning-making, transcendence, or other less tangible dimensions of musical experience.
• Experience of practice-led, practice-based, or participatory research approaches.
• An interest in how language mediates experience.
• Experience of facilitating workshops, creative sessions, or community engagement activities.
• Knowledge of research relating to music, health, wellbeing, social connection, or community engagement.
• Experience of working with community organisations, arts organisations, choirs, or voluntary sector partners.
• Evidence of publishing research findings or presenting at academic conferences.
• Familiarity with ethical research involving human participants and the management of qualitative and quantitative datasets.

Informal enquiries to Katie Bank, email: k.n.bank@bham.ac.uk

Use of AI in applications: We want to understand your genuine interest in the role and for the written elements of your application to accurately reflect your own communication style. Applications that rely too heavily on AI tools can appear generic and lack the detail we need to assess your skills and experience. Such applications will unlikely be progressed to interview.

We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone on our website.