Technologist in Residence - Ecological Citizens

Founded in 1837, the Royal College of Art is the world’s largest community of postgraduate art and design students. It is also the oldest art and design university-level institution in continuous operation and has been ranked as the world‘s number one art and design university for a remarkable nine consecutive years, according to the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2023 – the worldwide survey of academic and industry opinion.

Applications are invited for a Technologist in Residence for the Ecological Citizens Project.  This is a part time (7 hours per week) and fixed term until January 2027, role based in Battersea with occasion travel to project partner locations (York and Wrexham) may be required.

Working as a key member of the Ecological Citizen(s) Network+ (EC) team, the Technologist in Residence will be based with the Royal College of Art core team. This role will be a great opportunity for a Designer to use their skills and expertise to help the Ecological Citizen(s) Network+ deliver one of its core objectives: catalysing research, activities and means of enabling ecological citizenship for positive climate action in a sustainable, digital society. 

The technologist in residence post will support the delivery and creative development of the technological aspects of the RCA’s Ecological Citizens project (EC). This includes working within the 3 distinct strands of the EC project: 1. The research and ‘micro-projects’ carried out by the EC team (that sits across the three core partner institutions), 2. The expansion and growth of the Ecological Citizens Network + and 3. The external projects / pieces of work that are funded via the EC’s funding call for proposals (3 rounds of funding across 3 years).

The role will require a candidate who is self-motivated and comfortable working both independently and collaboratively with a large variety of transdisciplinary groups, institutions, and industries.  The work will rely on good communication and team working skills. The successful candidate will work alongside the principal researcher, co-investigators, the national team, partners, and other roles within the project. The project is design-led but an active interest in; the natural world, materials, and the digital economy would be beneficial, but not essential. 

Please see information pack for more details.