Are you interested in combining a hybrid parliamentary role with your current post?
Thematic Research Leads (TRLs) work with parliament three days per week (two-year term) while retaining their substantive post for their remaining hours each week. The role involves working strategically to increase engagement with, provide access to, and enhance the effective use of research within parliament.
Parliament is looking to appoint TRLs in the below areas. Click the link to see the role and person specification for each thematic portfolio:
- AI, Digital and Technology
- National Security and Resilience
- Infrastructure, Planning and Land Use, including Clean Energy Industries
- Health and Life Sciences
- Education, Children and Young People
- Criminal Justice
- Place-Based Economic Growth
A cohort of seven TRL peers will work cohesively across their different portfolios to bring cross-thematic perspectives and strengthen the policy matter under consideration.
Example responsibilities:
- Providing short oral briefings on a range of specialist or technical matters within your thematic portfolio to parliamentarians and parliamentary colleagues on request (and sometimes with a limited lead-in time).
- Drawing on your expertise to contribute to bill briefings or to synthesise academic research in the bill’s field.
- Responding to parliamentarians’ enquiries on national initiatives and niche constituency issues which relate to your thematic portfolio.
- Tracking down experts in areas where there is limited research on a policy question and helping them to prepare to deliver an online private briefing on the topic.
- Engaging with parliament’s wide ranging horizon scanning processes. Helping to ensure the research community can contribute to parliament’s understanding of matters that will be important to the nation in the future.
- Working with external researchers to co-author timely short blogs for parliamentarians on ‘hot topics’ or new advances of current interest to parliament’s business.
- Suggesting areas where there is a gap in coverage on an important matter. Designing the best knowledge exchange solution to inform the gap and implementing the solution from start to finish. The gap could be resolved by convening an expert group, organising a visit to a specialist facility, promoting and drawing in contributions and ideas from the external research sector, establishing a database of expertise ahead of forthcoming legislation, supporting an expert-MP engagement event, arranging a series of lunchtime seminars, or working with underrepresented or lived experience voices to strengthen a committee inquiry.
ELIGIBILITY
Applications are welcomed from:
- Researchers who are post PhD and in an academic or equivalent research role, but who have not yet reached full professorial level. TRL roles are not open to full professors (or equivalent). Associate professors are eligible and welcome to apply.
- The researcher must be employed by an institution eligible for UKRI funding, specifically an eligible university, UKRI Institute, UKRI Independent Research Organisation, or a Catapult Centre.
- The researcher must be able to satisfy the requirements for UK security clearance, including having lived in the UK for at least three of the last five years.
Other requirements:
- Applicants must be able to work 0.6 FTE (three days per week) on their parliamentary duties. It is not possible to split the 0.6 FTE into a job share arrangement.
- TRLs always work on their parliamentary duties on Wednesdays (in person or online) and select their other two parliamentary working days. However, an occasional working Thursday will be required (2-3 times per year) for all TRLs, even if it is not their usual parliamentary working day. Required Thursday dates will be discussed in advance.
- The role is hybrid and applicants will usually spend around 3 days per month in London on the parliamentary estate. Applicants will be encouraged to find an in-person attendance pattern that works for them and balances parliamentary business needs. Funds for travel, accommodation and subsistence form part of the grant funding for this role.
- The applicant’s substantive employment (at the UKRI funded institution) must be contracted to continue past the end date of the TRL role (so, after 31 March 2029).
- If offered the TRL role, applicants must be able to satisfy the requirements for political impartiality and avoid conflicts of interest. Where conflicts exist or arise, the TRL may need to consider stepping away from the conflict for the full duration of the TRL role.
Note that if your expertise fit more than one TRL area, you are welcome to apply for up to three TRL roles.
VALUE AND DURATION
Funding for the Thematic Research Lead positions will be provided by UKRI on an FEC basis.
Each post is for a 24 month period at 0.6 FTE (plus travel and subsistence for three days per month in Westminster), beginning 1 April 2027 and ending 31 March 2029.
KEY DATES
Online information session: 18 June 2026 (registration closes 15 June 2026 or once capacity is reached)
Deadline: 9 August 2026
Commencement: 1 April 2027
More information can be found on the opportunity webpage and in the below documents.