What is the U-Belong Project?   

Around a quarter of university students report feeling lonely and this contributes to poorer mental health and lower academic performance. To address this, we are working to better understand the factors that cause and prevent loneliness and promote belonging among students.  

Since 2022, we have been:   

• Analysing how social relationships change upon entry to university and testing whether these changes cause loneliness.  

• Identifying the factors that predict loneliness and sense of belonging among first-year university students.  

• Exploring how different students experience belonging and loneliness at university.  

• Examining historical archives to understand how current thinking about university social life has evolved.   

• Developing a new tool to measure students’ expectations of university and compare this to their experience, to help understand loneliness.   

What is the U-Belong Fellowship Scheme? 

The U-Belong Fellowship scheme offers a stipend of £1,500 to work with our team intensively for a period of six weeks over the summer. The programme will run remotely and is designed to support learning and practical experience of conducting research.   

What will U-Belong Fellows do?   

U-Belong Fellows will:  

• Proactively engage an extensive and diverse range of students nationally with U-Belong’s aims and activities, using a variety of mediums and methods. 

• Support authentic and meaningful student participation in U-Belong's research activities. 

• Assist with research activities designed to understand the complexity and diversity of the student experience. 

This will involve:   

1. Supporting the administration and facilitation of the U-Belong Research Assistant team.   

2. Increasing online following and engagement with the U-Belong social media channels across multiple platforms, including generating content using text, images, audio, and video as appropriate.  

3. Maintaining local electronic records pertaining to students, staff, and projects, using efficient processes to collate, integrate, and report planning for participant recruitment and collaborative activities.   

4. Assisting with data collection, transcription, and analysis of qualitative data, including consulting with the project team to generate themes.  

Please note, the listed activities are indicative only; the exact activities will change as the project evolves and new opportunities emerge, 

Am I suitable for the role?    

We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, from any course of academic study, and at any stage of their academic career. Training, guidance, and ongoing support will be provided as necessary.   

We are particularly looking for students with:   

• A strong interest in student belonging and loneliness, with an enthusiasm and willingness to participate and learn.  

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills. 

• Reliability, attention to detail, and professionalism.  

• Ability to work independently, creatively, and pro-actively, escalating where appropriate. 

• Experience of student-led involvement and participation projects and/or roles in the higher education sector. 

• Effective organisational skills to balance multiple areas of work concurrently and meet project timelines.  

• Confidence and capability to engage with students and staff to support their needs and perspectives.  

• Experience of using a variety of social media platforms in a professional capacity, and experience of Canva or similar graphic design platforms. 

• Experience of conducting qualitative data analysis.  

• An ethos of care and compassion for others.  

What will I gain from the role?   

• The chance to promote belonging among university students.  

• Training to develop your research knowledge and skills. 

• Experience working with esteemed researchers on live research activities.   

• The opportunity to be named as a contributor on relevant U-Belong research.   

How much time am I expected to commit?    

The U-Belong Fellowship scheme will run intensively for 6 weeks. You can join the programme from the 17th of June to the 29th of July OR from the 15th of July to the 26th of August, depending on your preferred availability.  

Will I be paid?    

 A stipend of £1,500 will be provided to support the living costs of successful candidates. This will be paid in two instalments: at the start and end of the fellowship.  

What if I am a U-Belong Student Research Assistant?  

These opportunities aren’t mutually exclusive; you can apply for both. You can find more information about the U-Belong Research Assistant position here: https://www.u-belong.uk/voluntary-student-research-assistant 

How can I apply?   

If you are interested in joining the Student Research team, please complete the following application form: https://tinyurl.com/UBelongFellow2024 

If you would like to discuss the role before applying, please email Michael Priestley, a member of the U-Belong team, at 

 michael.1.priestley@kcl.ac.uk     

What is the deadline to apply?   

4pm on Wednesday the 22nd of May.  

What will happen once I apply?   

You will be notified by email of the outcome of your application by Tuesday 28th of May. Successful applicants will then be invited to a short informal online interview in the week commencing 3rd of June.