Current placement opportunities

Organisation name: Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

Organisation website: https://www.ashmolean.org

Location of placement: Primarily remote, with on-site training sessions and agreed site visits to the Ashmolean Museum and partner institutions. 

Timeframe: Three-month doctoral placements, starting in June 2026. There is 1 post available for 3 months Full-Time (Flexible start date may be considered by mutual agreement). The placement needs to be completed no later than October 2026.

Number of posts: One doctoral researcher.

To apply: Please send a CV and a 500-word statement of interest outlining relevant skills and research interests to training@oocdtp.ac.uk.  

Application deadline: Monday 13 April 2026, 12pm.
Interviews: Week commencing Monday 20 April 2026 on Teams.

Placement Description:

The Ashmolean Museum is developing a new, tactile contemporary art installation aimed at family audiences where every aspect of the installation can be touched.

This placement offers a doctoral researcher the opportunity to undertake research and create a project report helping us understand the terrain of immersive tactile experiences in museum contexts, specifically aimed at family audiences. The researcher will undertake a literature review into haptic knowledge and tactile experiences in museum contexts, gathering brief case studies of similar initiatives in other museums. They will also undertake on-site research, observation and interviews with staff and potentially audience members.

The researcher will work as part of a small, collaborative research group, supporting the Creative Producer – ADP Focus, Audiences & Content department and wider museum teams to shape the vision for a new artist commission. This will include developing an artist brief and undertaking research to enable the Ashmolean to position this artist commission in the wider context to ensure it is cutting edge, innovative while aligned with family audiences’ desires and expectations.  

What the placement will do:

During the placement, the researcher will:

• Undertake a literature review into haptic knowledge and tactile experiences in the museum context, specifically aimed at family audiences;
• Gather case studies of similar initiatives in other museums;
• Undertake on-site research with potential audience members;
• Conduct interviews and observations with audience members and staff members;
• Engage with existing research into contemporary art in museums, especially immersive and tactile commissions;  
• Write a project report with recommendations for taking it forward;
• Work closely with the Creative Producer – ADP Focus to write briefs for artists to work on the commission;
• Engage with subject experts, academics, heritage professionals, and institutional partners through interviews, meetings, and workshops;
• Attend structured onboarding and training sessions, including introductions to Ashmolean systems and processes;
• Contribute to internal research notes, briefings, and documentation that support production and institutional sign-off of artist commission;

Training, Support & Access:

The placement will operate in a manner similar to a work placement, aligned with the University’s Volunteer Process, to ensure appropriate access, training, and governance.

The researchers will receive:

• Structured onboarding and training at the start of the placement;
• Introductions to key Ashmolean and partner staff;
• Supervision and mentoring from the Creative Producer - ADP Focus;
• Training on best practice of conducting interviews;
• Support from the Ashmolean’s research and public engagement teams;
• Access to relevant CMS/DAMS systems where required and appropriate;

Important Governance Information:

Due to the nature of the project, applicants should note that:

All outputs are produced within and for the Ashmolean Museum’s institutional voice.

Researchers will be required to agree to clear frameworks around:

• Intellectual Property (IP)
• Attribution and credit lines
• Permissions and approvals
• Institutional sign-off processes

Research developed during the placement cannot be independently removed, reused, or repurposed outside the project.

These requirements will be clearly communicated during recruitment and onboarding.

Who this placement is for:

Doctoral researchers interested in:

• Public engagement with research
• Museums, collections, and material culture
• Contemporary art
• Tactile and immersive experiences in museums
• Working collaboratively within a large cultural heritage institution

Selection Criteria:

Essential:

• Interest in museums, heritage, collections, or public-facing research.
• Excellent written English, with the ability to adapt tone and style for different audiences.
• Strong research and analytical skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team.
• Ability to manage time effectively, work at pace, and meet deadlines.
• Willingness to engage with feedback and revise work accordingly.
• Openness to learning new skills and working within institutional frameworks.

Desirable:

• Familiarity with museums, archives, or heritage organisations.
• Experience of public engagement, digital humanities, or collaborative research.
• Confidence speaking with academics, curators, or external partners.
• Interest in contemporary art.

Project: Traces of Resilience
Organisation: West Horsley Place

Website: Home | West Horsley Place

Duration: 3 months full time or an extended duration part time

Timing: The research phase should be completed by Autumn 2026

Location: Hybrid (remote working with optional on-site/archive research, subject to access requirements)

Project Description:

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a doctoral researcher to undertake a placement exploring a defined piece of research related to the history of West Horsley Place, a Grade I listed medieval manor house and small independent heritage site.

Traces of Resilience is a heritage research and engagement project led by the West Horsley Place Access Panel. The project seeks to identify, contextualise, and critically interpret the lives of disabled individuals connected to West Horsley Place and its surrounding locality. It responds to long-standing gaps in historical representation and aims to embed disability history within the public interpretation of the site through a co-produced exhibition and associated creative engagement.

The project is underpinned by current scholarship in disability history and critical heritage studies, particularly approaches that interrogate archival absence, historic terminology, and the ethics of representation.

Placement holder:

The researcher will conduct focused archival and contextual research to inform the intellectual framework of the project and provide a rigorous evidential basis for subsequent community co-production.

This placement is intended to support high-quality, critical research rather than exhaustive archival completion, and explicitly recognises the interpretive significance of silences and absences within the historical record.

What you will do:

• Undertake desk-based and archival research relating to disabled individuals connected to West Horsley Place and its locality
• Analyse historic sources with attention to changing language, attitudes, and frameworks of disability
• Identify key case studies, themes, and interpretive questions emerging from the research
• Critically document gaps, silences, and ambiguities within the archive where relevant
• Produce a written research report and annotated bibliography suitable for use by heritage professionals and community partners
• Contribute to the early interpretive framing of a public exhibition and engagement programme
• Engage in regular project meetings (online and in person) with the project team to ensure research findings fulfil the needs of the on-site team.
• Participate in and share findings through an end-of-project workshop with academics and sector professionals.
• Participate in a knowledge exchange workshop with Access panel members and representatives from disability charities with the purpose of translating academic findings into accessible, community related themes.

What you will gain:

• Experience of conducting research to meet heritage sector need.
• an understanding of how academic research informs heritage interpretation.
• An opportunity to grow your networks across the academic and heritage sectors
• First-hand understanding of interpretation, programming and practice at a dynamic and forward-thinking heritage site.

Person Specification

Essential

• Have experience of conducting research to a high standard, either at advanced doctoral level or postdoctoral level.
• Have an interest in working with or in the heritage sector. 

Desirable

• Research interest or publications relating to disability history
• Experience working with heritage organisations, museums, or public history projects
• Lived experience of disability

We particularly welcome applications from disabled academics and researchers from underrepresented backgrounds, in line with the project’s values and aims.

Access and Working Arrangements

The commissioning body is committed to inclusive research practice and is open to discussing reasonable adjustments, flexible working patterns, and alternative approaches to research and reporting.

Application Process

Please direct any questions about the role to Jo Ellison, Arts, Heritage and Learning Coordinator at West Horsley Place Trust jo.ellison@westhorsleyplace.org

To apply please send a CV and a 500-word statement outlining relevant skills and research interests to jo.ellison@westhorsleyplace.org.

Closing date: Tuesday 14th April 2026.

Interviews: Online interviews will take place w/c 20th April.