About the Role
As a Research Fellow in Innovation, Creative Practice and Venture Development, you will support the delivery of the UKRI-funded Entrepreneurship, Art and Science for Environmental Sustainability (EASE) project. EASE brings together climate scientists, artists, entrepreneurs and cultural institutions to develop new, scalable approaches to climate communication that are scientifically robust, emotionally resonant and socially impactful.
You will join the Centre for Business and Industry Transformation (CBIT), a rapidly growing research and innovation centre within Nottingham Business School focused on measurable business, industry and societal impact through applied research, venture building and personalised education.
CBIT integrates rigorous research with venture-building practice and disruptive leader education. Our work connects researchers, entrepreneurs and industry leaders to design, test and scale transformation in the age of AI and digital disruption. The Centre was founded by the team behind the UK’s top-ranked Entrepreneurship Education Programme and has an outstanding record of accelerating more than 100 innovative ventures.
With a £4.5 million live project portfolio, CBIT operates through three pillars: Applied Research, Venture Building and Personalised Education. Together, these transform how organisations innovate, scale and adapt. The CBIT Venture Builder was recognised as Innovation Champion 2024 for its pioneering model of turning academic research into scalable business impact.
Advanced AI capability is central to this role and to the delivery of EASE. We are looking for someone whose use of AI goes well beyond simple prompting or basic LLM use. You will be expected to demonstrate advanced, practical and responsible use of AI across the full range of EASE activities, including interdisciplinary research, literature and evidence synthesis, creative ideation, venture-building, prototype development, pilot design, evaluation, impact modelling, stakeholder engagement and the production of high-quality project outputs.
You will use AI-enabled tools and workflows to help translate early-stage interdisciplinary ideas into viable, testable and scalable models. This may include using AI to support opportunity mapping, user and stakeholder insight, value proposition development, scenario testing, audience analysis, experiment design, rapid prototyping, pilot planning, qualitative and quantitative analysis, synthesis of feedback, visualisation, reporting and the development of toolkits, methods and impact assets.
You will need to apply appropriate academic judgement when using AI, including transparency, data governance, ethics and research integrity. As part of the interview process, candidates will be asked to demonstrate live how they use AI to facilitate research, innovation and project delivery activity relevant to EASE.
In this role, you will support structured innovation and design processes within EASE, helping to translate interdisciplinary ideas into clear, testable and scalable prototype models. Working closely with colleagues in CBIT, Nottingham Design School and external creative, cultural and community partners, you will contribute to prototype development, evaluation frameworks, project reporting, toolkits, publications and stakeholder-facing outputs.
You will bring strong research capability, excellent organisation and communication skills, and the ability to work across business innovation, creative practice, sustainability and impact. You will have a strong interest in AI-empowered research and innovation, and the confidence to apply AI-supported tools in complex interdisciplinary settings.
This role would suit an early-career researcher who is curious, collaborative, AI-capable and impact-oriented, and who wants to build experience in externally funded interdisciplinary research while contributing to CBIT’s entrepreneurial and applied research culture.
For more details, please take a look at the role profile. We'll still consider applications even if you don't meet every single one of the requirements, so don't be put off if you don't match them perfectly.
Interview date: TBC
