About

• 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 £33,002 to £35,608 with potential progression once in post to £39,906
• 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 a.white.2@bham.ac.uk

• 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

• People with learning disabilities help IDRIS choose the right questions to ask in research.
• People with learning disabilities help IDRIS plan the research.
• People with learning disabilities help IDRIS do the research
• People with learning disabilities help IDRIS share what we learn from the research in ways that are easy to understand.
• IDRIS wants somebody who has a learning disability to join our group of researchers.
• You will share your experiences of having a learning disability
• In this job, you will speak up for people with learning disabilities.
• In this job, you will work together with other people to do research.
• In this job, you will lead a group of people with learning disabilities who give advice to researchers.
• You do not need a school or university qualification to do this job.

You must have done work like this before

• You must have shared your experiences of having a learning disability to help others in a paid or unpaid job.
• You must have worked in advocacy (speaking up for people), policy (helping make rules), or research (helping find out new information).
• To view the job description for this role that’s 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 9, Equality 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 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.