Position Details
School of Social Policy and Society College of Social Sciences
Location: University of Birmingham Edgbaston Birmingham UK
Full time starting salary is normally in the range 33002 to 35608 with potential progression once in post to 39906
Grade:6
Part Time Fixed Term contract up to December 2026
Closing date: 1st March 2026
This role is also open as an internal secondment opportunity which would need to be agreed by your current line manager.
To view a easy read job description Easy Read Job Description
To watch a video describing this role please click here YouTube Video Job Description
To apply use this link to the Research Associate with Lived Experience application form
Do you have any questions about the job Do you need help applying You can ask Alexander White. His email is
We are part of the Intellectual Disabilities Research Institute. We call it IDRIS.
IDRIS is a group of researchers at the University of Birmingham.
IDRIS does research to help people with learning disabilities.
IDRIS does research to help the families of people with learning disabilities.
Lots of things are unfair for people with learning disabilities and their families.
Our research aims to make things better for people with learning disabilities and their families.
IDRIS works with services (like schools and hospitals).
IDRIS works in partnership with people with learning disabilities.
Partnership means making choices together.
The ideas that people with learning disabilities have are important.
People with learning disabilities help IDRIS with research in lots of ways:
IDRIS wants somebody who has a learning disability to join our group of researchers.
You will share your experiences of having a learning disability
You do not need a school or university qualification to do this job.
You must have done work like this before:
To view the job description for this role thats not in easy read format please click here Research Associate (Lived Description) Job Description
This position has a genuine occupational requirement under paragraph 1 Schedule 9Equality Act 2010 that only applicants with a learning disability can be considered. This is due to the nature of the role which involves sharing lived experiences as a person with a learning disability and working together with researchers in a way that is called co-production
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 ideasinnovationand debate at the heart ofUniversitylife. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN Race EqualityCharterand 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 everyonehas the opportunity tosucceed. 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 everyoneon our website.
Required Experience:
IC