The UKRI FLF Project ‘Copper Perspectives (COPPER) at the University of Birmingham is seeking to appoint a Postdoctoral Research Fellow to join a UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship project led by Dr Nadezhda Mamontova in the School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Birmingham. Closes 12th March 2026.
The project investigates how copper mining shapes the lives of Arctic Indigenous communities and explores alternative mineral regimes. It undertakes cross-national comparative research on the impacts of green copper mining through long-term, Indigenous community-based and interdisciplinary methodologies. While recognising copper’s importance for the energy transition, the project situates it within a broader cultural ecosystem in which copper is also a heritage object associated with histories, power, ceremonial practices, health and protection.
The successful candidate will integrate qualitative and quantitative data to support interdisciplinary socio-environmental analysis and longitudinal ethnographic research. They will coordinate community-based data collection using the Indigenous Sentinels Network (ISN) app, working closely with Indigenous observers over a one-year monitoring period in each community. The role also involves collecting and analysing qualitative materials, including Indigenous narratives, museum collections, photographs and video documentation, in line with CARE principles and Indigenous Data Sovereignty protocols.
Applicants should have a strong background in Indigenous and/or community-based research methodologies, ideally with Arctic fieldwork experience.
