The DPU is looking for a Research Assistant to support Dr Cassidy Johnson and Dr Colin Marx, co-investigators in the research project entitled ‘Reducing Relocation Risk’. The project is funded by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN). DPU is the lead institution on the project and the project partners are Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS), India, the Latin American Social Sciences Faculty (FLACSO), Costa Rica and Makerere University, Uganda.
The Bartlett Development Planning Unit (DPU) at University College London (UCL) is an international centre specialising in academic teaching, practical training, research and consultancy in the fields of urban and regional development and planning. It is concerned with promoting sustainable forms of development, understanding rapid urbanisation and encouraging innovation in the policy, planning and management responses to the economic, social and environmental development of cities and regions, especially in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East.
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Based in DPU’s vibrant hive of activity, a full time post doctoral research associate is required to work across two research projects related to urbanization, risk and resilience in Africa. The post-holder will work 75% of time on the £3.3million ESRC-DFID programme of research entitled Urban Africa: Risk Knowledge (Urban ARK). Urban ARK is a major investment by DFID and ESRC into urban resilience in Africa. It is structured around five urban settlements of varying size, social and economic context, hazard profile and development trajectory: Nairobi and Mombasa (Kenya), Ibadan (Nigeria), Niamey (Niger), Karonga (Malawi), and Dakar (Senegal). Urban ARK’s international and interdisciplinary research is arranged in four key work packages. The post holder will work closely with project co-investigators Dr Cassidy Johnson, Prof. Adriana Allen, and Caren Levy as well as other DPU staff to support the DPU-led work package on Governance, Planning and Urban Development.
The post-holder will work 25% of time on the AXA Outlook project entitled Metrics for policy action in urban areas: Characterizing risks facing low-income groups. AXA Outlook projects are aimed at supporting researchers with the means to engage public in science on key emerging risks affecting civil society. The project addresses issues related to the environmental hazards and risks from lack of basic water and sanitation in informal settlements. Collaborating with a community of practitioners, researchers and policy-makers in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and internationally, the project aims to bring into policy debate how to collect data and measure the environmental risks that people face and to enable local decision-makers to make informed planning decisions for risk reduction. The post holder will work closely with the principal investigator, Dr Cassidy Johnson in conducting research, hosting workshops and other engagement activities in the UK and overseas.
The postholder will join an active research environment in DPU of PhD students, research associates and academic staff members. The post-holder will be invited to contribute to the DPU’s Environmental Justice, Urbanisation and Resilience research cluster, as well as other DPU research clusters. Furthermore, UCL hosts a wide community of academic activity related to risks and natural hazards, including the UCL Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction and EPICentre in UCL Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering.
