Research Fellow in Ethics and Law of Decarceration

The Uehiro Oxford Institute is recruiting for a Research Fellow.  This post will report to Professor Thomas Douglas, Co-Investigator on the Oxford Martin Programme on Decarceration,the post holderis responsible for carrying out, in collaboration with other Programme members, research on ethical and human rights issues pertaining to the reduction of prison populations. The post holder will be part of a multidisciplinary Programme team led Professor Seena Fazel (Psychiatry), and including Rachel Condry (Law), Alex Sutherland (Social Policy and Intervention) and Apostolos Tsiachristas (Primary Care Health Sciences).  

With a background in a relevant area, such as moral philosophy, criminal justice ethics, public health ethics, legal theory, or human rights law, the post holder will conduct original research with a focus on (i) analysing ethical and human rights issues raised by alternatives to carceral sentences (including the use of novel technologies to mitigate recidivism risk) and (ii) developing general principles to inform the safe and ethical reduction of prison populations. The post holder will also contribute to the wider research of the programme, for example by providing feedbackon others’ written work and completing summaries of relevant literature. 

Responsibilities include:   

• Manage own academic research and administrative activities, co-ordinating multiple aspects of work to meet deadlines 

• Adapt existing and develop new research methodologies and materials 

• Prepare working theories and analyse moral and legal principles and theories from a variety of sources, reviewing and refining these principles and theoriesas appropriate 

• Contribute ideas for new research projects 

• Develop ideas for generating research income, and present detailed research proposals to senior researchers 

• Collaborate in (including by leading) the preparation of research publications 

• Present papers at conferences and/or public meetings 

• Act as a source of information and advice to other members of the group on methodologies and/or procedures 

• Represent the research group at external meetings/seminars, either with other members of the group or alone 

• Carry out collaborative projects with colleagues in partner institutions and research groups 

Essential selection criteria:

 Hold a relevant PhD/DPhil, together with relevant experience, in moral philosophy, criminal justice ethics, public health ethics, legal theory, human rights law or another closely relevant area,or expect to have completed such a doctorate by 1 January 2026. 

• Possess sufficient specialist knowledge in the discipline to work within established research programmes 

• Ability to manage own academic research and associated activities 

• Previous experience of contributing to publications/presentations 

• Ability to contribute ideas for new research projects and research income generation 

• Excellent communication skills, including the ability to write for publication, present research proposals and results, and represent the research group at meetings 

Desirable selection criteria:

• Experience of independently managing a discrete area of a research project 

• Experience of actively collaborating in the development of research articles for publication