King's College London

About us

King’s College London is one of England’s oldest and most prestigious universities, founded within the tradition of the Church of England by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington who granted our royal charter in 1829.

King's has a proud history of inspiring and supporting those who seek to solve the world's most pressing problems. For almost 200 years, our community has been deeply rooted in the belief that learning and research should serve society.

This commitment to knowledge with purpose – using our expertise as a force for good – lies at the heart of our core mission at King’s. From research that led to the discovery of the structure of DNA, to developing life-changing therapies and making maths education available to underrepresented groups, we continue to have a transformational impact on society.

Fourteen people from King’s and its associated institutions have been awarded the Nobel Prize, including Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu for his role in South Africa’s anti-apartheid campaign, and Professor Michael Levitt for his joint work in developing multiscale models for complex chemical systems.

Notable alumni include British sprinter and world-record holder Dina Asher-Smith, biophysicist Dr Rosalind Franklin, famous for her work in X-ray spectroscopy, and acclaimed children’s writer Sir Michael Morpurgo.

The Faculty of Arts & Humanities at King’s is distinctive in representing exceptional strength in both the longer established disciplines (such as Philosophy, Classics, Theology, English, History, Languages, and Music) and world-leading quality in more recently established fields (such as Digital Humanities, Film, Interdisciplinary Liberal Arts, and Culture, Media and Creative Industries).

About the role

King’s College London seeks to appoint a research assistant for an initial period of 24 months (from February 2025 to January 2027). We are looking for an outstanding and highly motivated researcher with experience of working in literary and/ or periodical archives, who would join a team on LITAID, a project funded by a UKRI Frontier Research Guarantee Grant.

LITAID – Decolonization, Appropriation and the Materials of Literature in Africa and its Diaspora – addresses questions about cultural production, arts education and literary materials. It focuses on the role of the arts in decolonization, and looks especially at Ghanaian cultural production, considering its transnational dimensions from the perspective of local artists and institutions as well as a range of visitors from abroad, who came seeking decolonial resources for their own communities.

The research assistant will be responsible for supporting research across the project’s six strands, especially those devoted to literary visitors from the United States, the Caribbean and South Africa. The postholder will spend extended periods conducting archival research in a range of locations, and will support other members of the team in assembling, documenting and annotating materials, and facilitating their storage.

The postholder will work independently but under the supervision of the principal investigator, will participate in regular team-meetings, and will assist in the organization and management of events.

This is a full time post (35 hours per week), and you will be offered a fixed term contract until 31/01/27.

About you

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

Essential criteria

1.      PhD qualified in relevant subject area (or pending results)

2.      Experience of archival research and ability to manage, organize and analyze large volumes of archival material.

3.      Knowledge of relevant approaches to book history and/ or the study of print cultures.  

4.      Ability to use initiative to solve problems arising in the research context.

5.      Ability to organize time, work to meet deadlines, and manage competing priorities.

6.      Ability to work closely with other researchers.

7.      Understanding of the ethical implications of North-South research projects.

Desirable criteria

1.      Experience of a collaborative research environment.

2.      Familiarity with theories and methods of literary sociology.

3.      Knowledge of and interest in colonial and postcolonial literatures, and theories of decolonization.

4.      Experience with building and maintaining databases.

Downloading a copy of our Job Description

Full details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document, provided at the bottom of the next page after you click “Apply Now”. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.

Further information

We pride ourselves on being inclusive and welcoming. We embrace diversity and want everyone to feel that they belong and are connected to others in our community.

We are committed to working with our staff and unions on these and other issues, to continue to support our people and to develop a diverse and inclusive culture at King's.

We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the advert. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible.

To find out how our managers will review your application, please take a look at our ‘How we Recruit’ pages.

We are not able to offer sponsorship for candidates who do not currently possess the right to work in the UK.