King's College London

About us

The King’s India Institute is part of the Global Institutes housed at the School of Global Affairs under the Faculty of Social Science and Public Policy. The Faculty is one of the largest, most international and most highly regarded faculties of its kind in the United Kingdom. The SGA is a vibrant hub of multi-disciplinary scholarship that seeks to address and resolve the most pressing issues facing our world today. By drawing together a unique cohort of scholars, our School covers expertise in global environmental governance, climate change, global health, cross-border migration, emerging economies and politics. The School is comprised of the Departments of Geography, International Development and Global Health & Social Medicine, the African Leadership Centre and the Global Institutes (Lau China, India, Brazil and Australia).

Established in 2011, the King’s India Institute has a mission to serve as a world-leading centre for multi-disciplinary research, teaching and public engagement on contemporary India. We foster understanding of India’s political, social and economic life, and its role as a global actor. We have a core group of academic staff and also serve as a hub for the growing community of scholars and students working on India (and South Asia) across King’s. We also host a multidisciplinary PhD programme focused on contemporary India, a joint PhD programme with the National University of Singapore and a visiting Inlaks-King’s India Institute PhD fellowship programme. We have a growing cohort of Postdoctoral fellows and are committed to providing appropriate mentorship and support for career development. The CRITCASTE project is one of several ongoing research projects at the India Institute. It works closely with civil society partners and stakeholders across USA, UK, and South Asia, with a focus on mapping the role of caste in contemporary labour migrations and their entanglements with legal frameworks in the receiving countries. 

About the role

The PDRA will be employed in the European Research Council funded project Critical Caste Geographies (CRITCASTE). The project seeks to map the labour geography, legal geography, and social mobility aspects of caste relations between South Asia, UK, and USA. It will document the role of caste in diasporic labour practices and investigate how they relate to extant legal protections in host countries. The PDRA will focus on the legal geography approach within the project. They will undertake a systematic mapping of the knowledge claims and categories emerging out of legislations across contexts with varying histories of race relations, such as the UK and the USA, trace the evolving ontological status of caste, and the role it plays in anti-discrimination jurisprudence. The PDRA will work closely with the PI and other members of the project team, while also developing independent research objectives and deliverables. Their key responsibilities will include conducting literature reviews and archival searches, identifying key litigations and legislations for in-depth analysis, writing up findings and producing research outputs both independently and collaboratively, and building and maintaining professional relationships with actors, organizations, and networks within the field.

This is a full-time post (35 hours per week), and you will be offered a fixed term contract for 12 months with the possibility of extension.

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 such as legal studies, legal geography, sociology of law, etc. 
2. Demonstrable expertise in one or more of the following subject areas - anti-discrimination law, labour rights, anti-caste legislations, comparative law 
3. Training and experience in applying relevant research methodologies and understanding of research ethics 
4. Collegiality and willingness to work on own initiative and as part of a team in conducting research
5. Demonstrable ability to take leadership in organisational tasks related to research
6. Demonstrable commitment to the principles of equity, inclusivity, and justice in carrying out research projects 

Desirable criteria

1. A developing record of high-quality scholarly publications appropriate to career stage 
2. Professional experience in litigation, legislative research, or other paralegal fields 
3. Knowledge of legal regimes and archives in UK and USA 

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 page. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.

Please note that this is a PhD level role but candidates who have submitted their thesis and are awaiting award of their PhDs will be considered. In these circumstances the appointment will be made at Grade 5, spine point 30 with the title of Research Assistant. Upon confirmation of the award of the PhD, the job title will become Research Associate and the salary will increase to Grade 6. 

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.

As part of this commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and through this appointment process, it is our aim to develop candidate pools that include applicants from all backgrounds and communities. 

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 person specification section of the job description. 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.Interviews are due to be held in first half of March.