• Position Title: Self-funded academic precariat
• Research Team: Dr Matalena Tofa; Dr Karina Luzia; Dr Rebecca Bilous; Dr Laura Hammersley
• Website: https://precariousplaces.net/
• Twitter: @PrecariousPlace

This research seeks to generate a space through which the so-called ‘precariat’ (Standing, 2011) can articulate their understandings of what it means to work in the margins of academic teaching and research, and the impacts it has on individuals, on the academic workplace and on community. It is guided by the following aims:

• To create a space where PhD graduates that are currently precariously employed or have insecure work can safely voice their perspectives on their professional lives, the conditions under which they work, and on universities, research, and teaching;
• To develop a nuanced understanding of what academic precarity is, and how precarity is experienced and navigated, in the Australian context;
• To explore the implications of insecure and precarious work for professional identities, research and teaching, and universities;
• To contribute to building an understanding of precarity amongst the academic community (particularly those in ongoing or tenured positions).

The expected outcomes of this research include a stronger understanding of what precarity is and how it is  experienced in academia, and its implications for research, teaching and disciplinary identities. The findings will be disseminated through academic publications and conference presentations, as well as through blogposts and social media.