ARK Associate Scheme

ARK’s Associate Scheme was launched in 2025, and invites experts from academic, policy or practitioner backgrounds to share their insights and experience. It offers Associates opportunities to work/learn from the ARK team and disseminate their work widely, both locally and internationally. Importantly, the ARK team benefits from Associates’ knowledge and expertise, and potential for collaboration.

Associates will take on the role for 12 months during which their activites may include:

  • organising an event (e.g. a seminar or policy roundtable)
  • giving a guest lecture to social policy students at Queen's University Belfast or Ulster University
  • writing at least one ARK Research Update or Policy Brief (approximately 2,500 words) focusing on their area of research, study, or expertise.

Photograph of Andy HamiltonIn October 2025, Dr Andy Hamilton (University of Ulster) joined as our first ARK Associate. Andy is a research associate with the Taking Boys Seriously (TBS) project - a longitudinal action research initiative spanning over 18 years.

A roundtable event in June 2026 highlighted how the TBS evidence base, grounded in longitudinal participatory action research with adolescent boys, educators, schools, youth services and local communities, can inform and shape educational and cross-departmental policies and strategies to tackle compounded educational disadvantage. 

 

Find out more in the publications below: