Note: the closing date for applications is 17:00 on 30 June 2026. Interviews will be held online on 15 July 2026.

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 two successful initial projects, the first of which developed research summaries for policymakers and the most recent created a curated online policy space on the UCFL website, this position will advance further recommendations from the report by extending the resources already developed. The aim is to raise the visibility of this current material and ensure that additional policy impact case studies and research summaries continue to be produced. The postholder will also ensure that the directory of modern languages researchers interested in collaborating with policymakers is updated and expanded, and that the database of key policy reports is kept up to date. As part of the objective of broadening the scope of the resources beyond education and showing how linguists can engage across government, a central plank of this third award will be to develop a new policy report in the area of languages, diplomacy and security.

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 and UCFL.

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 and 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 circa 4000 individual researchers and teachers.

The Modern Humanities Research Association, which is funding the project, exists to promote high-quality scholarship in Languages. It does this by publishing journals, monographs, and scholarly editions, and by supporting major research projects.

The post is suitable for a postdoc who would be able to conduct this work alongside part-time 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 relating to language and policy while extending their contacts in the field. They will engage in formal consultation processes with government departments and agencies, HEIs, language training providers and interested third party experts in order to gain an overview of current language capacity within the Government. Drawing on informal interviews and extensive desk research, the postholder will produce a new policy report in the area of languages, diplomacy and security. In addition, they will author a final report that will identify and analyse the challenges to building up language capacity across government departments, and propose recommendations on how to address the current deficit. The opportunity will enhance the postholder’s 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 an ability to synthesize a wide range of evidence; good drafting skills and a capacity to formulate clear and targeted recommendations; 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 2026. 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 the equivalent of 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 and/or Professor Charles Forsdick.

Details of the Post's Duties

Primary Duties

  • Lead a consultation on and research, develop, draft and present a new policy report in the area of languages, diplomacy and security
  • Support a curated language policy space on the UCFL website and serve as a central resource connecting language researchers and policymakers.
  • Maintain a database of modern language researchers interested in policy collaboration
  • Continue to build a bank of documents and information to facilitate collaboration between languages researchers and policymakers including summaries of different government departments’ ARIs, a database of key policy reports and how to engage with them; a list of email addresses for contacting departments with enquiries
  • Write a final report for the MHRA on project outcomes.

Expected Outputs

  • A new policy report in the area of languages, diplomacy and security
  • Enhanced ‘policy space’ on the UCFL website
  • Updated Directory of Researchers
  • A final report for the MHRA on the project outcomes

How to Apply

Please complete the application form (the blank form can be downloaded from this link) and send it by email to Professor Wendy Ayres-Bennett and Professor Charles Forsdick. Please also attach a one-page CV detailing your qualifications, work experience (if any), and publications (if any). Applications must be received by 17:00 on Tuesday 30 June 2026, and interviews will be held online on 15 July.

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