Assistant/Associate Professor in Biology (Biochemistry and Biotechnology) (BIO_01)

Working at Durham University  

A globally outstanding centre of teaching and research excellence, a warm and friendly place to work, a unique and historic setting – Durham is a university like no other.

As one of the UK’s leading universities, Durham is an incredible place to define your career. The University is located within a beautiful historic city, home to a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and surrounded by stunning countryside. Our talented scholars and researchers from around the world are tackling global issues and making a difference to people's lives.  

We believe that inspiring our people to do outstanding things at Durham enables Durham people to do outstanding things in the world. Being a part of Durham is about more than just the success of the University, it’s also about contributing to the success of the city, county and community.

Our University Strategy is built on three pillars of research, education and wider student experience, but also on our keen sense of community and of inspiring others to achieve their potential. 

Our Purpose and Values

We want our University to be a place where people can be free to be themselves, no matter what their identity or background. Together, we celebrate difference, value one another and are each responsible for creating an inclusive community that is respectful and fair for all.

Find out more about the benefits of working at the University and what it is like to live and work in the Durham area on our Why Durham? information page.   

The Department

The Department of Biosciences at Durham University seeks to appoint a talented individual to the role of Assistant/Associate Professor (Education).  We welcome applications from those with teaching interests in the broad field of Biology and we are particularly eager to hear from applicants with a focus on biochemistry, biotechnology and academic skills.

This post offers an exciting opportunity to make a contribution to the development of the department's teaching and curriculum, while allowing you unrivalled opportunities to progress and embed your career in an exciting and progressive institution. 

You will be expected to engage in scholarship related to pedagogy, noting that any other independent research (beyond pedagogy) is not part of this post. The appointment will be on the University’s ‘Education Track’ career path, which provides clearly defined opportunities for progression against defined criteria.

For more information, please visit our Department pages at https://www.durham.ac.uk/departments/academic/biosciences/  

Assistant and Associate Professors (Education) at Durham

The University is committed to enabling all of our colleagues to achieve their full potential. We promote and maintain an inclusive and supportive environment to ensure that all colleagues can thrive.  Assistant and Associate Professors (Education) contribute to teaching, innovation and citizenship whilst fully focussing on the key skills which will secure their progression.  Teaching quality and innovation is critical to ensure a first class learning environment and curricula for all of our students. You will be supported to develop your teaching expertise and to engage in teaching innovation to embed our student experience.

All of our academic colleagues are encouraged to engage in wider citizenship to enhance their own development, to support their department and wider discipline, and to contribute to the wider student experience.

You will be expected to engage in scholarship related to pedagogy, noting that any other independent research (beyond pedagogy) is not part of this post. The appointment will be on the University’s ‘Teaching Track’ career path, which provides clearly defined opportunities for progression against defined criteria.

We are confident that our recruitment process allows us to attract and select the best international talent to Durham. We therefore offer a reduced probation period of 1 year for our Assistant/Associate Professors (Education) and thereafter, subject to satisfactory performance, you will be confirmed in post.

Assistant/Associate Professor (Education)

Applicants must demonstrate teaching excellence in the field of Biology with the ability to teach our students to an exceptional standard and to fully engage in the services, citizenship and values of the University.   The University provides a working and teaching environment which is inclusive and welcoming and where everyone is treated fairly with dignity and respect. Candidates will be expected to demonstrate these key principles as part of the assessment process.

Key responsibilities:

•        Offer lectures, seminars and tutorials at undergraduate and taught postgraduate levels, with the opportunity to teach more widely within the Department, as well as engaging in related activity such as assessment;

•        Engagement in pedagogic activity at Departmental level that supports a high quality, academic professional community of practice within the Department and beyond;

•        Maintain an active membership and engagement with a professional body (e.g. HEA or discipline-specific bodies)

•        Contribute to ongoing curriculum development, demonstrating innovation in educational practice to enhance the quality of the educational environment in the Department and wider University in support of the Department’s continuing emphasis on international excellence;

•        Demonstrate a willingness to contribute to the administrative work, citizenship and values of the Department;

•        To fully engage in and enhance the values of the Department with regard to its commitment to its vibrant and international postgraduate culture; Carry out such other duties as specified by the Head of Department.

Durham University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion 

Equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are a key component of the University’s Strategy and a central part of everything we do.  We also live by our Purpose and Values  and our Staff Code of Conduct.   At Durham we actively work towards providing an environment where our staff and students can study, work and live in a community which is supportive and inclusive. It’s important to us that all colleagues undertake activities that are aligned to both our values and commitment to EDI. 

We welcome and encourage applications from those who are currently under-represented in our work force, including people with disabilities and from racially minoritised ethnic groups.

If you have taken a career break or periods of leave that may have impacted on the volume and recency of your research outputs and other activities, such as maternity, adoption or parental leave, you may wish to disclose this in your application. The selection committee will take this into account when evaluating your application.

The University has been awarded the Disability Confident Employer status. If you are a candidate with a disability, we are committed to ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process. We will make adjustments to support the interview process wherever it is reasonable to do so and, where successful, reasonable adjustments will be made to support people within their role. 

Person Specification  

Candidates must outline their experience, skills and achievements to date which demonstrate that they meet or that they have the potential to achieve the essential criteria. You’ll help us deliver outstanding teaching throughout the year and develop pedagogical innovations alongside a team of truly world class colleagues. Please note the role will include pedagogical duties that may extend into the summer period.

Education 

Candidates must demonstrate the development and delivery of high-quality teaching that contributes to providing a supportive and enabling learning environment and curricula which encourage students to achieve their potential.

Essential Education Criteria- Grade 8

Scholarship and Educational Impact

Candidates will have the ability to engage in scholarly activity which contributes to pedagogical practice and understanding within the department, faculty and University. 

 Essential Scholarship and Educational Criteria- Grade 8 

1. Candidates will be expected to demonstrate engagement in scholarly activity in ways that positively impact on pedagogical practice and education within the department (and beyond), or activities that support the development of a professional practice and/or discipline. 

Candidates must be able to evidence work undertaken in preparation for teaching and for keeping abreast of developments in the subject area.

The format will depend on the discipline and the candidate’s career to date, but evidence of scholarship and educational impact may include some of the following (or similar) activities:

a. active membership and engagement with a professional body;

b. internal awards (e.g. Collaborative Innovation Grant) to support educational innovation and scholarly activity;

c. demonstrable innovation in educational practice, such as contribution to the enhancement of student learning via pedagogic innovation and change (e.g. online learning, research-led teaching, employer engagement, curriculum and course development, student guidance);

d. publication in a scholarly journal or relevant professional publication; 

e. attending and presenting internal and/or external seminars or at a regional conference; and/or, 

f. materials/curriculum development for wider use in a department or beyond. 

Services, Citizenship and Values

Candidates must actively engage in the administrative and collegial requirements of the Department in the delivery of teaching, and positively contribute to the University Values and to fostering a respectful environment; as well as demonstrating their commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.

Essential Services, Citizenship and Values criteria- Grade 8 

1.    Citizenship contribution – evidence of participation in the citizenship/administrative activities of an academic Department, Faculty or University. (Candidates may choose to evidence departmental or University roles, mentoring activity, pastoral and academic support of students, engagement with widening participation, involvement in equality and diversity initiatives and membership or engagement with external bodies).  

2.    Communication – candidates must have excellent oral and written communication skills with the ability to engage with a range of students and colleagues across a variety of forums.  

3.    Administration – evidence of engagement with administration related teaching in an academic department and/or discipline or other relevant administration experience.

Desirable Criteria - Grade 8 

The desirable criteria for this post (for which candidates should provide evidence of some if not all criteria) are: 

1.    Qualification -– candidates to hold or have the ability to attain the rank of Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/individuals/fellowship/fellow ), which is the national body that champions teaching excellence (or Equivalent).  

2.    Leadership – candidates may choose to detail any prior relevant leadership roles which they have undertaken. Potential examples may include leading an internal working group; module development and convening; effective administration relating to educational delivery or professional practice; or promoting and leading change processes in a department e.g. in curriculum development. 

Essential Education Criteria -Grade 9

Scholarship and Educational Impact – Grade 9

Candidates will have the ability to engage in scholarly activity which contributes to pedagogical practice and understanding within the department.  

 Essential Scholarship Criteria – Grade 9

1.  Scholarship and Educational Impact – candidates will be expected to demonstrate scholarly activity at a university level that supports a high-quality academic professional community of practice including in ways that positively impact on pedagogical practice and education at a university level (and potentially beyond) including development and delivery of teaching enhancement activities.

Candidates should evidence a significant contribution to (and recognition by) an academic professional community of practice [or a professional practice/discipline] at a regional level (and potentially beyond) e.g. through high quality scholarly engagement and educational innovation and impact.

The format will depend on the discipline and the candidate’s career to date but evidence of scholarship and educational impact may include some of the following (or similar) activities: 

a.      Develop, design and lead pedagogic developments relating to learning and teaching to a level externally recognised for excellence;

b.      Research and engagement in consultancy with demonstrable high-quality outputs which focuses on pedagogy;

c.      Involvement in education projects which have a significant and demonstrable social and/or economic impact and benefit;

d.      Success in external grant capture to support educational innovation and scholarly impact;

e.      Production of scholarly pedagogic publications and disseminating the findings;

f.       Active external professional engagement eg external member of a programme review committee or an externally invited speaker;

g.      Work or initiatives which have developed the practitioners professional discipline beyond their own practice;

h.      Supervising higher degree candidates;

i.       Presenting at a regional conference (which may be related to teaching); or

j.       Publishing in a practitioner level journal

Service, Citizenship and Values – Grade 9

Active engagement in the administrative and citizenship requirements of the Department. Positive contributions to University values  and to fostering a respectful environment, as well as demonstrating their commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion. 

Essential Service, Citizenship and Values criteria – Grade 9

1. Citizenship contribution – Evidence of a demonstrable contribution to the collegial / administrative work and environment of an academic Department and/or related to a relevant discipline. Candidates may choose to highlight any roles and responsibilities held within academic departments [or professional practice] (or beyond), Faculty or University level committees or projects, engagement with mentoring or widening student participation, involvement in equality and diversity initiatives, contributions to departmental programme management and strategic development or membership of significant external bodies.

2. Leadership - Evidence of a prior significant contribution to leadership activities which support the functioning of an academic Department, Faculty or University and / or which support the development of a relevant academic discipline or area of professional practice (preferably related to teaching). 

Candidates may choose to detail any prior leadership roles which they have undertaken and potential examples may include:

a.      editing an academic or professional publication;

b.      leading the organisation of a national conference;

c.      strategic planning in curriculum, assessment or similar with demonstrable impact on the quality of provision;

d.      creating and developing new relationships with external clients/partners;

e.      promoting and leading change processes within and/or beyond a department; or

invited external reviews eg on a programme review panel

2. Communication - candidates must have excellent oral and written communication skills with the ability to engage with a range of students and colleagues across a variety of forums.

 Contact Information

Department contact for academic-related enquiries

Professor Martin Cann - Head of Department - [email protected]

Contact information for technical difficulties when submitting your application

If you encounter technical difficulties when using the online application form, we prefer you send enquiries by email.  Please send your name along with a brief description of the problem you’re experiencing to [email protected]

Alternatively, you may call 0191 334 6801 from the UK, or +44 191 334 6801 from outside the UK. This number operates during the hours of 09.00 and 17.00 Monday to Friday, UK time.  We will normally respond within one working day (Monday to Friday, excluding UK public holidays).

University contact for general queries about the recruitment process

Lauren Gulliver- Recruitment Coordinator - [email protected]

How to Apply

We prefer to receive applications online.   

Please note that in submitting your application, we will be processing your data.  We would ask you to consider the relevant University Privacy Statement https://www.dur.ac.uk/ig/dp/privacy/pnjobapplicants/ which provides information on the collation, storing and use of data.  

What to Submit

All applicants are asked to submit:

·         A CV  

·         A covering letter which details your experience, strengths and potential in the requirements set out above.

·         A personal scholarship plan.

·         Number of your most significant pieces of work/evidence of your pedagogic activity demonstrating scholarship and educational impact since 2017 however work prior to 2017 may be submitted where candidates have had career breaks.

·         An EDI & values statement – (of no more than 500 words) which demonstrates your commitment to EDI and our values. (I.e. involvement in equality, diversity, and inclusion activities such as mentoring, volunteering, or attending conferences. 

Where possible we request that you provide accessible web links to your pedagogical outputs, which the hiring Department will use to access your work. The application form contains fields in which to enter each of the web links.

Please note we are unable to access publications behind a paywall. 

In the event you are unable to provide accessible links to online hosting of your work, publications should be uploaded as PDFs as part of your application in our recruitment system.

Please ensure that your PDFs are not larger than 5mb . Your work may be read by colleagues from across the Department and evaluated.

All application documents should be uploaded with your name and document type as PDF files.

We will notify you on the status of your application at various points throughout the selection process, via automated emails from our e-recruitment system.  Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to ensure you receive all emails.  

Referees 

You should provide 3 academic referees they should not (if possible) include your PhD supervisor(s).  The majority should be from a University other than your own (save for early career applicants applying for their first post). 

References will be requested for candidates who have been shortlisted and will be made available to the panel during the interview process. 

As part of your application, you will be asked whether you give your consent to your academic references being sought should you be invited to attend an interview. We will only request references where permission has been granted.  

Next Steps 

All applications will be considered; our usual practice is for colleagues across the Department to read the submitted work of long-listed candidates.   

Short-listed candidates will be invited to the University, either virtually or in-person and will have the opportunity to meet key members of the Department.  The assessment for the post will normally include a presentation to staff and students in the Department followed by an interview and we anticipate that the assessments and interviews will take place over two days in or around January 2024. 

In the event that you are unable to attend in person on the date offered, it may not be possible to offer you an interview on an alternative date. 

Applicant Guidance  

For further guidance on your application please see HERE