After piloting a postgraduate student fellowship programme in the first year of the Local Policy Lab (24/25 academic year), the intention is to expand the Lab model through recruitment of Chief Scientific Advisors, to provide longer term strategic research leadership to the Lab.
CSAs will remain in their current University employment but will commit time to this role, spending regular time at Oxfordshire County Council (and with districts and other partners as required).
The CSAs will provide demand-led science/research advice to local elected officials, policy officers and senior council leaders that is relevant, excellent and delivered effectively. The CSAs will perform an independent challenge function and ensure that policymakers have the best available evidence and strategic long-term thinking to inform policies, interventions, service delivery and decisions.
CSAs will develop thematic areas, bringing in others to collaborate on identifying areas of mutual research interest and taking a whole system multidisciplinary perspective to addressing place-based challenges. The three-year research agenda will provide an effective framework on which to develop discrete projects and initiatives at various scales – with CSAs shaping projects for the student fellowships programme and bidding into a dedicated CSA programme seed funding pot to support other researchers to engage. We also anticipate the CSAs will be ambitious is seeking partnerships and funding that can further the reach and influence of their research agenda.
The modest funding provided by the ESRC IAA for this CSA call, will support the successful candidates to spend regular time with the Council and partners, can support workshops, events and networking and other activities associated with the role including research assistance.
The Local Policy Lab team will be on hand to support CSAs, making connections, providing logistical and communications support. Additional seed funds are available for discrete projects, which will be awarded competitively at a later stage.
The Local Policy Lab is currently recruiting three Chief Scientific Advisers for the following thematic areas:
Enabling children and young people to thrive
There are significant disparities in childhood experiences in Oxfordshire and 1 in 6 children living in poverty. The early years of children’s lives play a critical role in determining their chances of success and long-term health and wellbeing later in life. This has knock-on effects for their ability to play a positive and active role in society. High quality research can support policymakers to develop evidence-based solutions to ensure every child has equitable opportunities for health and development regardless of their background, socio-economic status or circumstance.
It is equally important to support children and young people as they get older and ensuring their needs are met in terms of social development, educational attainment and skills development, preparedness for work, and mental and physical health.
We are looking for an established researcher with significant expertise in any of these areas (or in other related topics), and a broad understanding across this policy space, including at local and national levels.
- Provision of high-quality maternity services, from antenatal, prenatal to post-natal and beyond.
- Reducing inequalities in the early development of physical and emotional health.
- Improving cognitive, practical, linguistic and social skills; and school readiness.
- Strengthening the infrastructure for and access to high quality childcare support and early education.
- Addressing underlying factors leading to large disparities in educational access, inclusion, attendance and attainment; effecting future outcomes and social mobility
- Strengthening public health infrastructure during the early years, including but not limited to, screenings, health and development reviews, health and social care linkages, etc.
- Improving support for parents and carers through community-based services, high quality and more affordable childcare and support developing parenting skills.
- Appropriate and adequate support for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and their families and carers.
- Specific support for at risk and excluded groups, including looked after children, minority groups, children with life-long conditions, children in poverty, those with inadequate and precarious housing or living in unsafe home environments, unaccompanied refugee and migrant children.
- Recognising the significant barriers and risks for children and young people growing up in a digital society (online risks, inequitable digital access and literacy), as well as the opportunities (access to support and information online, and positive online social interactions).
Delivering inclusive growth, a skilled workforce and fair employment
Oxfordshire is an affluent county which on closer inspection hides economic polarisation and disparity, inequitable distribution of opportunity and significant areas of deprivation. With the Government announcement of new plans to deliver the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor to kick-start the UK’s economic growth, how can economic growth be boosted in the region, to create jobs, attract investment and to drive innovation in a way that is inclusive and sustainable? Ideally, growth in the region should benefit all its residents, not just a small number of business owners, investors and highly paid skilled workers (often from outside the region).
It is important that investment in the local economy is done in ways which minimise any negative impacts on citizens relating to housing, transport, utilities, access to training, skills development and decent, fair employment.
Creating fair employment supports economic security at the individual and community level. Establishing safe working conditions, diverse career paths and training opportunities, job security and fair wages are critical to ensuring economic security, growth and prosperity. In addition, fair, safe and quality employment is associated with positive health outcomes.
We are looking for an established researcher with significant expertise in any of these areas (or in other related topics), and a broad understanding across this policy space, including at local and national levels.
- Understanding labour market dynamics in a place-based context.
- Promoting safe, inclusive and fair working conditions.
- Creating career pathways and training opportunities for diverse populations.
- Ensuring a liveable wage and fair wages for all.
- Attracting and retaining talent in the region and making Oxfordshire an attractive place to live and work
- Reducing frictions on growth to increase and ease employment e.g. reducing flood risk, easier transport links, affordable housing, building infrastructure capacity.
- Understanding of pay gaps, talent pipelines and developing strategies to tackle inequity.
- Encouraging strategies to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion including specific support for groups facing barriers and challenges relating to employment e.g. prison leavers, carers, veterans and forces families, refugees, migrants and displaced people, people with disabilities, sensory impairment, D/deaf people, neurodivergent people.
- Exploring the broader impact of employment and pay gaps on health and prosperity.
- Helping those currently excluded to get nearer to employment.
- Adapting the workforce to meet new demands e.g. net zero, AI etc.
- Place-based approaches to sector specific employment and skills challenges.
- Ensuring the next generation get the right support, skills and qualifications to support entry to the workplace.
- Supporting entrepreneurship and self-employment, social innovation etc.
Addressing inequalities and ensuring a healthy standard of living for all
Oxfordshire has a strong economy and is an affluent county, but it also faces significant inequalities, particularly in income, housing affordability, educational attainment and life expectancy. Oxford city is the second most unequal city in the UK and the least affordable for housing outside London. Oxfordshire’s mix of rural and urban geography hides pockets of poverty that have significant impacts on citizens standards of living and health.
Rising costs of living, food and fuel poverty; an ageing housing stock in need of upgrading and high costs of housing; the effects of climate change and the changing environment; lack of accessibility to safe high-quality greenspace and nature; crime levels and pressured social care and health services all have short- and long-term effects on people’s physical and mental health. We also acknowledge the overlap with the previous themes and the role of early years, education and training and decent employment.
Addressing economic disparities and providing access to essential services, such as housing, food and healthcare is essential to ensuring a healthy standard of living for all.
We are looking for an established researcher with significant expertise in any of these areas (or in other related topics), and a broad understanding across this policy space, including at local and national levels or with international comparative experience.
- Understanding the complexities of multidimensional poverty.
- Ensuring decent affordable housing for all, improving housing standards, transition to green energy, energy efficiency measures, reduction in cold, damp homes.
- Supporting families through effective children and adult social care and community-led initiatives.
- Providing social protections and creating a safe environment for all.
- Ensuring access to and affordability of quality healthy food.
- Supporting people to transition from benefits into employment.
- Helping families with the rising costs of living, fuel and food insecurity.
- Supporting community wealth building creating greater fairness locally.
- Supporting communities to adopt healthy behaviours and encourage physical activity, use of greenspace and nature, and social engagement.
- Helping those most vulnerable to the effects of climate change to adapt.
- Access to fast, reliable, affordable, and clean/green transport links.
- Improving air and water quality and reducing/remediating land contamination
