Qualitative Analysis of Social Media Posts Intern (Employ.ed for PhDs)

Grade UE05: (£30,180 – £34,630) per annum pro-rata.

College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences / School of Health in Social Science

Part-time: 9 hours per week

Fixed-term: from 1st January until 31st May 2027

We are looking for a 0.26 FTE (9 hours per week) ‘Qualitative Analysis of Social Media Posts’ Intern (Employ.ed for PhDs) to conduct qualitative analysis of social media posts for a part-time period from the 1st of January 2027 until 31st of May 2027 within the Clinical and Applied Psychology department. The post-holder will be located at the School of Health in Social Science, University of Edinburgh.

Please note the post-holder will be appointable on the first point of the grade due to budgetary restrictions (£30,180 pro rata), with automatic increments awarded as outlined in Conditions of Service.

This post is advertised as part-time (9 hours per week).

The Opportunity:

Together we can do great things. Be part of something bigger.

Take on new challenges, grow your career, be recognised for your contributions, and benefit from our commitment to your wellbeing. Be part of something bigger — where your work has real impact and your development matters. There are so many reasons to take your next step with us.

The University of Edinburgh is a world-class organisation. We look for the best in the field across all disciplines and provide a working environment where academics can develop their careers and passion for their chosen subject area. We offer the full range of academic roles and have a genuine focus on our students’ performance and wellbeing.

People have always been at the heart of our work. Our people are at the centre of the University community and everything we do. We value colleagues with drive, determination and a passion for what they do. We are a place where everyone is welcome!

This is an exciting opportunity for a part-time PhD Intern to join Principal Investigators (PI) Dr Laura Cariola on the BA/Leverhulme project “Digital Belonging and Global Mobility: Natural Language Processing to Explore Third Culture Individuals’ Use of Online Communities”. Applications are invited from those who are pursuing a PhD in Psychology, or a related discipline. It is anticipated that the primary responsibility of the post-holder will be conducting Reflexive Thematic Analysis of a social media data set.

Your skills and attributes for success:

- Pursuing a PhD in Psychology, or a related discipline.
- Experience of conducting Reflexive Thematic Analysis.
- Experience of qualitative research methodologies of social media data.
- Excellent skills with time management, problem solving, organisation, and communication.

This post is part-time (9 hours per week). We are also open to considering requests for hybrid working (on a non-contractual basis) that combines a mix of remote and regular on-campus working.

View the full job description (opens in a new browser tab)

How to apply

Please include the following documents in your application:

- CV

- Cover letter

- Reference from your PhD supervisor

As a valued member of our team, you can expect:

- A competitive salary.
- An exciting, positive, creative, challenging and rewarding place to work.
- To be part of a diverse and vibrant international community.
- Comprehensive Staff Benefits, including generous annual leave entitlement, a defined benefits pension scheme, a wide range of staff discounts, family-friendly initiatives, and flexible work options. Check out the full list on our staff benefits page (https://www.ed.ac.uk/human-resources/pay-reward/staff-benefits) (opens in a new tab) and use our reward calculator to discover the value of your pay and benefits.

The  Employ.ed for PhDs  programme offers work experience designed to enhance your professional skills. It will also help widen your professional network and provide an insight into a different workplace, discipline or industry.    As an Employ.ed for PhDs intern, you will also receive tailored developmental support from the Careers Service to help you make the most of your internship.

Championing equality, diversity, and inclusion

The University of Edinburgh holds a Silver Athena SWAN award in recognition of our commitment to advance gender equality in higher education. We are members of the Race Equality Charter, and we are also a Stonewall Proud Employer, actively promoting LGBTQ+ equality.

We welcome applications from all qualified candidates and particularly encourage applications from individuals with a third culture background, as we acknowledge they are currently underrepresented in our area at this level.

Prior to any employment commencing with the University, you will be required to evidence your right to work in the UK. Further information is available on our right to work webpages (opens new browser tab)

Key dates to note

The closing date for applications is 9 November 2026.

Unless stated otherwise the closing time for applications is 11:59pm UK time. If you are applying outside the UK the closing time on our adverts automatically adjusts to your browsers local time zone.

Interviews will be most likely held on week commencing 16 November 2026.