This announcement from the University Council For Languages (UCFL) is for a post we are funding as part of our contribution to national policy in the field.

Postdoctoral researcher - Building Policy-Research Bridges in Languages
(closing date: 17:00 on 30 June 2025)

Thanks to the very generous award of a Special Research Grant by the MHRA, UCFL is in a position to appoint a postdoctoral researcher to take forward recommendations from the Languages and Policy: Building Collaborations between Academics and Policymakers report.

Following a successful initial project developing research summaries for policymakers, this position will advance further recommendations from the report by developing a dedicated language policy space on The Languages Gateway.

The postdoctoral researcher will be hosted by UCFL and will be supervised by Professor Wendy Ayres-Bennett and Professor Charles Forsdick, allowing them to benefit from the expertise of the British Academy, ILCS, UCFL, and the Editorial Board of The Languages Gateway.

UCFL (https://university-council-modern-languages.org/) was established in 1993 and is the overarching national organisation representing the interests of modern languages, linguistics, cultural & area studies in Higher Education throughout the United Kingdom. UCFL advocates for and on behalf of its members who are primarily Subject Associations, Schools and departments or units of modern languages. Its membership currently numbers 71 Higher Education providers and 30 Subject Associations, representing a total of ca 4000 individual researchers and teachers.

The Modern Humanities Research Association (MHRA, https://www.mhra.org.uk/), which is funding the project, exists to promote high-quality scholarship in English and Modern Languages. It does this by publishing journals and monographs and by supporting major research projects.

The post is suitable for a postdoc who would be able to conduct this work alongside teaching, research or other administrative type roles. This will provide an exceptional opportunity for an ECR to develop relationships with key government stakeholders, and to have access to the expertise of policy specialists through UCFL, ILCS and the BA. They will develop invaluable skills in curating policy, in the translation of research into policy, and in digital content development, enhancing their employability for future roles in which there is a focus on research impact. Given the nature of the project, applicants from the modern languages community defined broadly are particularly welcome.

Applicants should have an interest in policy work and strengthening channels to get research-informed evidence into government; experience in creating web content and managing databases; fluent English, with good drafting skills; strong interpersonal skills; and the ability to respond quickly and efficiently to queries. They should ideally also have experience in impact work and be willing to talk to a range of stakeholders within and without government to determine end user needs. Technical skills related to website content management would be an advantage, though support will be provided. Please note that, to qualify for MHRA funding, applicants must have completed their doctoral degree no more than three years ago.

The post is available from 1 October 2025. It will be paid in the form of an honorarium of £12,000 in three instalments at the beginning, middle and end of the project. We would expect the postholder to work three days per week (21 hours per week) for six months, although alternative working patterns might be possible to fit with existing commitments. Interested candidates are invited to consult Professor Wendy Ayres-Bennett (wmb1001@cam.ac.uk) and/or Professor Charles Forsdick (crf41@cam.ac.uk).

Details of the Post's Duties

Primary Duties

  1. (i) Develop a curated language policy space on The Languages Gateway to serve as a central resource connecting language researchers and policymakers.
  2. (ii) Scope a directory of researchers: test with policymakers the demand, likely use and critical success factors for a regularly updated directory of modern language researchers interested in policy collaboration
  3. (iii) Build a bank of documents and information to facilitate collaboration between languages researchers and policymakers including summaries of different government department’s ARIs and how to engage with them; a list of email address for contacting departments with enquiries
  4. (iv) Build a database of key policy reports and a link to the existing repository of language policy legislation
  5. (v) Incorporate and/or link to the database of research summaries created by Dr Liv Glaze as part of a previously funded MHRA project
  6. (vi) Curate some ‘success stories’ and case studies to inspire future collaboration
  7. (vii) Write a final report for the MHRA on project outcomes.

Expected Outputs

  • A new 'policy space' on The Languages Gateway with all elements described above
  • An agreed route forward for the Directory of Researchers
  • A final report for the MHRA on the project outcomes

Postdoctoral Researcher Application form

Please send your application to Professor Wendy Ayres-Bennett (wmb1001@cam.ac.uk) and/or Professor Charles Forsdick (crf41@cam.ac.uk) by 17:00 on Monday 30 June 2025. Please specify:

  • Your name
  • Your current university affiliation (if any)
  • Your email address
  • Name and email address of one referee
  • Your reasons for applying for this post, showing how you match the role requirements, including any relevant experience (max 500 words)

full news feed • subscribe via RSS