A new Research Assistantship Scheme enabling undergraduate and postgraduate students to gain valuable research-related work experience has been successfully piloted by Kent Law School.
The scheme ran over the course of three weeks in September, with 18 students selected from a large pool of applicants to work on 12 short-term research projects. Research assistants (RAs) were paid and received training before conducting desk based legal and socio-legal research under the close supervision of academic staff from the School.
Students were also tasked with producing a final report summarising their research findings, which they shared with staff and students on a day of presentations at the culmination of the scheme.
Law Lecturer Dr Sinéad Ring said: ‘The presentation day was an excellent opportunity for RAs to share their research journeys, ideas and enthusiasm and for all of us to celebrate our strong research community.’
Dr Ring led the Research Assistantship team in collaboration with Scheme Coordinator Serena Natile and the Law School’s Employability and Career Development Officer, Jayne Instone.
Dr Ring said: ‘The pilot RA Scheme brought students and academics together to work on staff research projects. Staff were delighted to have such motivated students and students learned lots about what exactly is involved in doing legal research. We hope to expand the Scheme next year.’
Research Assistant Oliver Hartland said: “The project is something that I have been delighted to be involved in and I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to have taken part. I feel that personally, academically and professionally I have benefited enormously from this scheme and, hopefully it is one that will continue next year.’
The students who participated in the scheme, together with the topics they researched are listed below:
- Abortion law project: Brendon Borer and Joseph Hartland. Supervisor: Professor Sally Sheldon
- Traditional medicine as site of legal events: Adelah Bilal and Hannah Loosley. Supervisor: Dr Emilie Cloatre
- The European Court of Human Rights in the UK and the BOTs: Lula Wyss Le Brocq and Francesca Kirby. Supervisor: Dr Nicola Barker
- Bingo project: Mehmed Yuseinov and Sophia Pope. Supervisors: Dr Kate Bedford and Dr Oscar Alvarez Macotela
- International consumer finance regulation: Wanjiru Waititu and Ogbe Iniye Mercy. Supervisor: Professor Toni Williams
- Personal insolvency in Europe and the US: Indre Dapkeviciute. Supervisor: Professor Iain Ramsay
- Private law responses to misuse of social media. Oliver Hartland. Supervisor: Dr Kirsty Horsey and Dr Karen Devine
- AHRC world heritage sites for the nation and critical approach to cultural heritage law: Florence Ojewumi and Aoife Smyth. Supervisor: Dr Sophie Vigneron
- Gold mining in Greece – legal, environmental, property issues and social resistance: Kimia Kalantarian. Supervisor: Dr Thanos Zartaloudis
- The corporate veil: Dizuali Vanchhawng. Supervisor: Colin Moore
- Negligence, vicarious liability and institutional abuse in the Catholic Church: Alix Cheeseman. Supervisor: Mairead Enright
- Historic child sexual abuse project: Antonia Porter. Supervisor: Dr Sinead Ring
Full details of the role and selection criteria used for the 2014 scheme are available on the Research Assistantship page of our website.