Senior Research Associate – Media & Popular Culture

About the role

Manchester Metropolitan University is seeking an ambitious post‑doctoral researcher to join the School of Digital Arts. The role focuses on cutting‑edge research into celebrity culture, popular music, fandom and digital media, contributing to a peer‑reviewed journal article and a major academic monograph.

Key responsibilities

• Conduct systematic literature reviews across celebrity studies, digital cultures, fan studies and popular music.
• Undertake original research on celebrity culture, fandom, popular music and contemporary media ecosystems.
• Support the development of a journal article examining AI and celebrity culture.
• Contribute research for a monograph on fandom, music cultures, gender, authorship and mediated stardom.
• Analyse primary materials such as interviews, performances, documentaries, social‑media content and fan community discourse.
• Identify and study emerging cases involving virtual celebrities, AI‑generated performers and synthetic influencers.
• Manage bibliographies, references, permissions and publication workflows.
• Provide editorial support including proofreading and manuscript preparation.
• Present findings at seminars, conferences and other scholarly forums.
• Assist in developing future research proposals and funding opportunities.

Required profile

• PhD (or near completion) in Media Studies, Cultural Studies, Popular Music Studies, Communication, Sociology or a related discipline.
• Significant research experience in popular music, celebrity, digital culture or fandom studies.
• Evidence of independent contributions to research projects and scholarly outputs.
• Experience conducting high‑quality literature reviews, cultural analysis and desk‑based research.

Required skills