Career Opportunities

Part-time Research Assistant in Division of Landscape Architecture

Grade:  Senior Research Assistant/ Research Assistant I/ Research Assistant II (Master’s degree with 1 year’s post-qualification full-time working experience preferred)

The post is part-time (50% of full-time appointment) and will run for 12 months, with opportunity for extension depending on funding and project requirements.

Reports to: Dr Montira Unakul, Professor of Practice, Division of Landscape Architecture

Part-time Research Assistant in Historic Landscape Mapping, Division of Landscape Architecture, HKU

Summary of key qualifications

The candidate should have solid background in heritage-related disciplines, including but not limited to archaeology, geography, architecture, conservation, landscape architecture.  Prior experience in conducting research related to heritage and landscape is required.  The candidate should be able to support participatory data collection and present research results to the public through various channels including exhibitions, publications, project website. 

• MA in heritage, archaeology, geography, architecture, conservation, landscape architecture, anthropology or related discipline
• Experience in archival and field research applied to heritage and landscape research
• Strong familiarity with heritage principles and literature, especially related to cultural landscapes and Historic Urban Landscapes
• Experience with participatory research and stakeholder engagement
• Experience or Knowledge of using Content Management Systems (CMS)

Summary of key skills

• Excellent working knowledge of Microsoft 365 Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint), email and internet tools for work
• Excellent design skills, including for exhibitions
• Prior experience in organizing seminars, exhibitions, conferences

Description of project

The project - Mapping Historic Landscapes in Hong Kong in its Wider Context within the Greater Bay Area – works towards developing and testing a methodology to identify, characterise and recognise urban and rural historic landscapes of Hong Kong in its wider context. The project aims to make significant contributions to methodological approaches as well as to philosophical considerations in documenting historical and cultural landscapes. Once developed in the context of Hong Kong, it will be implementing a similar methodology in the Greater Bay Area (GBA), specifically in Macao SAR and Guangdong Province.

Description of duties

The postholder will undertake a number of activities to support the documentation, mapping and open access dissemination of historical/heritage information collected during the project. The project will draw together different types of data from existing archives, monument records, remote-sensing, field surveys, and other research databases, to create a Historic Landscape Record for selected areas of Hong Kong. The resulting datasets will reside in local multi-user GIS platform, and within an over-arching open access online geospatial inventory.

The Research Assistant will be part of a team of researchers based at HKU and other research centres in GBA, and will also interact with and be advised by senior technical mentors on the team.

The postholder will be expected to lead the coordination of the public-facing components of the projects. The postholder will also provide substantive support in the design of the methodological approach for mapping, as well as intellectual and logistical support for a series of planned workshops and other events across the region, as well as assessing the impact of project.

Duties and responsibilities

• Undertake literature review on landscape mapping methodologies and assessment of heritage value in a heritage context.
• Support in the development of the methodology to identify, characterise and recognise urban and rural historic landscapes of Hong Kong in its wider context.
• Support the engagement process with the wider professional community and local stakeholders in target pilot areas, including undertaking field work and developing mechanisms for crowdsourcing data (historic photos, oral histories, etc) and User-Generated Content.
• Undertake analysis and research on the heritage assets sites discovered/documented in terms of distribution, period, significance, and potential threats.
• Assist with the analysis of the data, preparing papers for publication on issues related to the region and/or the technical processes.
• Coordinate the organization of associated events, exhibitions, conferences, symposia, and workshops, including seminar to disseminate research findings during IFLA 2026 World Congress to be hosted in Hong Kong.  This includes coordinating and designing content (exhibit boards, programmes, etc), as necessary.
• Coordinate the development of publications emanating from the project, notably an Atlas of Historic Landscapes.
• Support the articulation of policy implications from the project, including the formulation of a Policy Paper.
• Assist in training students, including undertaking field documentation projects.
• Assist in facilitating effective communication within the team and the large body of external partners engaged in the project across the region.
• Contribute to social and digital media communications regarding the project.
• Represent the project, including attending and presenting at conferences, workshops, and other events.

General

• Carry out any other duties within the scope, spirit and purpose of the job as requested by the line manager.
• This job description may be reviewed and be subject to amendment in consultation with the post holder.