FeME is recruiting 5-6 postgraduate and early career researchers at the University of Edinburgh, Heriot-Watt University and the University of Glasgow as FeME Scribes to help capture conversations, ideas, and reflections emerging during Great FeME Week in Edinburgh this October.
If you excel at listening attentively, writing thoughtfully, and visualising ideas, we would love to hear from you. Find out more about the role and how to express your interest below.
Role Description
Opportunity dates: 19 – 21 October and/or 21 – 23 October, 2026
Location: Central Edinburgh
Expression of interest deadline: Sunday, 4 October
Further information: www.feme.ed.ac.uk
Contacts: feme@ed.ac.uk
About Failure Modes of Engineering
The Failure Modes of Engineering (FeME) Network Plus is an EPSRC-funded initiative connecting researchers, engineers, practitioners, educators, and communities across disciplines and geographies. Our starting point is a systems engineering concept — the failure mode: not asking how something works, but what’s preventing it from working.
Applied to engineering as a whole, this question opens up something important. FeME explores six interconnected failure modes — from the underrepresentation of women in engineering to the accessibility of global data, social acceptance of engineering solutions, interdisciplinarity, and the challenge of working with limited resources in a climate under threat. Underpinning all of it is a conviction that engineering must change — and that the people most affected by its current failures are also essential to building what comes next.
About the FeME Gathering and Co-Creation Forum
In October 2025, FeME is bringing together its growing community for two connected events.
- The FeME Co-Creation Forum (19–21 October) will bring together network members, partners, and collaborators to shape FeME’s ongoing programme — exploring ideas, co-developing approaches, and strengthening the connections that make this kind of work possible.
- The FeME Gathering (21–23 October) is FeME’s flagship community event for this year. It will bring together Seed Fund recipients, researchers, practitioners, educators, and partners from across the UK and internationally to reflect on what we’re learning, surface what’s emerging, and think together about the deeper challenges and possibilities at the heart of FeME’s work.
The role
We are looking for 5-6 FeME Scribes to support documentation across either one or both of these events.
This is not a transcription role. Scribes help us capture the substance of what happens — the discussions, the different perspectives, the questions being asked, the moments of insight or uncertainty — in a way that can inform FeME’s ongoing reflection, monitoring, and evaluation.
Good scribing requires active, attentive listening: following the shape of a conversation, noticing what matters, and making choices about what to record and how. If you’re someone who listens well and can write clearly under pressure, this role might suit you.
What you’ll be asked to do
Across the events you’re assigned to, you will:
- Listen attentively and capture the key discussions and reflections emerging
- Distinguish between examples, questions, and reflections that participants draw from their own projects, research, countries, experiences, and policy contexts
- Pay attention to different voices and perspectives in the room — not just the loudest ones
- Capture moments of agreement, disagreement, uncertainty, or confusion where these are significant to the discussion
- Note examples of learning, unexpected insights, challenges, or tensions as they emerge
- For the Co-Creation Forum, we welcome FeME Scribes to visualise outputs from some of the sessions
The focus and format will vary between sessions depending on their purpose and design. You’ll receive session-specific guidance in advance.
What you’ll produce
Your main output is typed notes in Microsoft Word format, organised clearly by session. Notes should be concise but detailed enough to capture the substance of discussions — not everything said, but what mattered and why.
Full guidance on format will be provided in advance.
What will we provide
Scribes will receive:
- A one-hour online briefing before the events
- Background reading on FeME and the context for the events
- Session-by-session guidance notes prepared by the FeME team
- Clear templates and formatting guidance
- A post-event debrief
- Lots of good food and company through the events
- Access to the FeME Alumni network after the event
Commitment
- A one-hour online briefing before the events covering: an overview of FeME and the purpose of the events; the overall design and session objectives; who will be attending; specific themes and questions to listen for; and session allocation
- Active scribing across assigned sessions during the events. Events run from 10-5pm.
- A one-hour debrief in the weeks following both events
Eligibility
FeME Scribes may come from any discipline or professional background. You don’t need to be an engineer, and you don’t need specialist knowledge of FeME’s themes but you should have a genuine interest in the questions we’re working on.
We’re looking for people who:
- Current postgraduate or early career researcher at University of Edinburgh, Heriot-Watt University, or University of Glasgow.
- Are comfortable working in English across fast-paced, discussion-rich sessions
- Have strong listening and written communication skills
- For the Co-Creation Forum, we are looking for FeME Scribes with the ability to visualise outputs through illustration and visuals
- Can attend either or both events as part of Great FeME Week in person in central Edinburgh
- Can attend a 1-hour briefing session on the 13 October or 14 October from 11-12noon.
If you’re unsure whether you’re eligible, please get in touch at feme@ed.ac.uk.
Compensation
FeME Scribes will receive £18.55 an hour based on the Grade 6 profile through the University of Edinburgh in recognition of their time and skill. Hours will be agreed beforehand. Travel and accommodation for the events will be covered separately. Further details will be shared on acceptance of the role.
Support
FeME’s Caring Pot helps cover caring costs such as childcare, caring for an older relative, or other caring commitments that would otherwise be a barrier to your participation.
If this applies to you, let us know when you express interest in the role. We’ll have a short conversation about what you need and send you more information about the Caring Pot.
Becoming part of FeME
Moreover, on completion of this you will become part of the FeME Alumni network and will have access to their benefits, more information can be found here.
Expression of interest
Please submit your expression of interest by Sunday, 4 October via this form (https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/B4Pt4ZfdRr) and we will get back to you by Wednesday, 7 October.