Are you a postdoctoral researcher with excellent creative engagement skills and a strong research background in reproductive health? Birkbeck, University of London, is looking for a Postdoctoral Researcher/Associate Research Fellow to join the School of Social Sciences on a four-year contract this autumn.

We are seeking to appoint a Postdoctoral Researcher/Associate Research Fellow to join an interdisciplinary team to work on a new research project funded by the Wellcome Trust, Paradoxical time: pregnant women’s uncertainty in fertility control. This is a full-time contract (35 hours per week), fixed term over four years, with a salary ranging from £51,713 to £60,858 per annum.

Led by Professor Lisa Baraitser, with collaborators from the University of Sussex, the University of Bristol, Manchester Metropolitan University, King’s College London, King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, and SH:24, Opposite time It brings together a team of 12 physicians, sociologists, lawyers, philosophers, humanists, and advocates to rethink notions of early pregnancy and reproductive timing, challenge outdated legal and regulatory frameworks, test the feasibility of new clinical services, and engage with the public and policymakers to shape a more inclusive future of fertility control.

As a postdoctoral researcher/associate research fellow, you will conduct research into how present time is conceptualized after ovulation but before early miscarriage, and how these ideas may shape the transformative potential of new forms of fertility control called “engorgement.” This will necessitate a large ethnographic study in the UK examining the meanings of counterfactual time in diverse reproductive cultures.

In addition, you will develop and lead the project’s public engagement programme, working with the team and stakeholders to build an inclusive research culture across the project, and engage diverse audiences in open discussion about this controversial and sensitive area.

To succeed as a postdoctoral researcher/associate research fellow, you will have a strong research background with fieldwork experience, creative and experienced engagement skills, and an excellent understanding of reproductive cultures and timings. You will obtain a doctoral degree in medical anthropology, sociology, critical health studies, gender studies, psychosocial studies, medical humanities, or another related field.

You will join a supportive and innovative research environment dedicated to developing viable and sustainable academic pathways for early-career researchers.

Based in psychological and social studies in Faculty of Social Sciences At Birkbeck, University of London, you will need to be able to travel regularly to the University of Sussex and research sites across the UK to undertake fieldwork.

If you are interested in this full-time, fixed-term contract, work at Birkbeck Apply with us today.

Salary and benefits
£51,713 to £60,858 per annum Grade 8 on the College’s London pay scale which includes the London Standard Weight Allowance.

Benefits of working at Birkbeck: A competitive salary and pension scheme, 31 days paid leave, flexible working arrangements, generous benefits within the higher education sector and location in the heart of Bloomsbury, Euston, London.

a contract:
Fixed-term contract, over 4 years from January 2026 to April 2030 (exactly 52 months), full-time, (35 hours per week) hybrid or remote offered with regular travel to the University of Sussex, and research sites across the UK.

Please submit your CV and statement. Closing date: Friday 31 October 2025– Interview date: Monday, November 17, 2025.

Inquiries:
If you would like to know more, please contact Lisa Baraitser, l.baraitser@bbk.ac.uk.