Assistant Professor (Research): Daphne Jackson Fellowship

Durham University

Durham University is one of the world's top universities with strengths across the Arts and Humanities, Sciences and Social Sciences. We are home to some of the most talented scholars and researchers from around the world who are tackling global issues and making a difference to people's lives.

The University sits in a beautiful historic city where it shares ownership of a UNESCO World Heritage Site with Durham Cathedral, the greatest Romanesque building in Western Europe. A collegiate University, Durham recruits outstanding students from across the world and offers an unmatched wider student experience.

Less than 3 hours north of London, and an hour and a half south of Edinburgh, County Durham is a region steeped in history and natural beauty. The Durham Dales, including the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, are home to breathtaking scenery and attractions. Durham offers an excellent choice of city, suburban and rural residential locations. The University provides a range of benefits including pension and childcare benefits and the University’s Relocation Manager can assist with potential schooling requirements.

Durham University seeks to promote and maintain an inclusive and supportive environment for work and study that assists all members of our University community to reach their full potential. Diversity brings strength and we welcome applications from across the international, national and regional communities that we work with and serve.

The Faculty

The Faculty of Science, one of four principal academic divisions of the University, comprises the Department of Biosciences, Chemistry, Computer Science, Earth Sciences, Engineering, Mathematical Sciences, Physics and Psychology.

The Faculty also runs the Natural Sciences Programme, which offers multidisciplinary degrees allowing students to study two or more science subjects, often as part of named joint-honours courses.

The guiding principle of our degrees is research-led teaching.  Students are taught by leading researchers at the cutting-edge of their fields.

The Faculty is one of the UK’s leading scientific research units, with every department being ranked within the top ten nationwide in its field and many ranked first in certain areas.

The Faculty provides an excellent environment for research.  Many of our academics are world leaders in their field.  The Faculty offers state-of-the-art research facilities and technical support that enables our scientists to perform at the cutting edge.

The Faculty works in partnership with leading names in industry including Rolls Royce, IBM, Microsoft, BG, Procter & Gamble, Sanyo, Kodak, BP, Unilever, Statoil, Corus, ICI, GlaxoSmithKline and Konica for research and work placement opportunities.  It is a truly international community, with staff and students from over 150 different countries.

The Role

Applications are invited for a 0.5 FTE Daphne Jackson Fellowship that will be hosted and sponsored by Durham University.  The salary will be set at Grade 7, (£35,333 - £42,155) per annum (pro rata for part-time). The Fellowships are intended for individuals who want to return to research in the areas within the Faculty of Science.

The Daphne Jackson Fellowship comprises a tailored retraining programme linked to a research project, and aims to help re-establish professional expertise and personal confidence with significantly improved career prospects by the end of the Fellowship. The post holder is a member of a research group with responsibility for carrying out individual and/or collaborative research activity. The post holder provides guidance to less experienced members of the research group, including postdocs, research assistants, technicians, and PhD/DPhil and project students.

This post is considered to be independent and research will be focused on the University’s ‘Research Track’ career path, which provides clearly defined opportunities for progression against defined criteria.

Successful applicants will, ideally, be in post by January 2024 at the latest. 

Daphne Jackson Fellowships

The Daphne Jackson Trust is dedicated to returning researchers to their careers following a break taken for family, caring or health reasons.

Daphne Jackson Fellowships are unique: they offer professionals wishing to return to a research career after a break of two or more years, the opportunity to balance an individually tailored retraining programme with a challenging research project in a suitably supportive environment.

Fellowships are part-time over three years and consist of a challenging research project and at least 100 hours retraining per year. The unparalleled support offered by the Trust's Fellowship Advisors and administrative staff, coupled with mentoring and retraining provided during the Fellowship, give returners  the confidence and skills they need to successfully return to research.

If selected as a candidate for a Durham University sponsored Daphne Jackson Fellowship, you will be expected to successfully progress through the Daphne Jackson Fellowship application process before taking up your appointment at Durham University.

The application process will involve the development of a proposal for the independent research project that you will undertake during the course of the Fellowship. Throughout the duration of the process, you will receive support from a Daphne Jackson Fellowship Advisor. In addition, as you develop your research proposal, you will need to work closely with a supervisor that you identify in one of the departments within the Faculty of Science at Durham University.

Fellows are paid a salary, with an additional allowance for expenses such as conference attendance, and are offered retraining and mentoring opportunities.

Responsibilities

The post has specific responsibilities in the following areas:

Research and Scholarship

• Manage own academic research or joint research, and associated administrative activities. This involves small scale project management, to co-ordinate multiple aspects of work to meet deadlines.
• Adapt existing and develop new scientific techniques and experimental protocols; take responsibility in designing experiments.
• Test hypotheses, and analyse research findings and scientific/medical data from a variety of sources, reviewing and refining working hypotheses as appropriate, while devising solutions to unprecedented and unexpected scientific/medical challenges.
• Develop ideas for new research projects and generating research income, and explore opportunities for enterprise activity. 
• Collaborate in the preparation of research reports and journal articles, and occasionally present papers and posters.
• Contribute to the preparation of research proposals and applications to external bodies for funding purposes.
• Act as a source of information and advice to other members of the group and department on scientific/medical protocols and experimental techniques.
• Represent the research group and department at external meetings/seminars, either with other members of the group or alone.
• Make connections, build professional relationships, and carry out collaborative projects with colleagues in the department and University, in partner institutions, and other research groups.
• Engage in continuous professional development, updating knowledge and understanding in the research field or specialism. 

Teaching and Student Support

• Opportunity to undertake teaching duties or demonstrations, if needed.
• Opportunity to assist with supervising student projects and assessing student performance, if needed.
• Help develop student research and writing skills, for example as part of a postgraduate supervision team.

Contribution to Department, Faculty and University

• Attend and contribute to relevant Department and research group meetings.
• Participate in relevant Faculty and University meetings or trainings, with supervisor approval.
• Undertake additional duties, as required by the Fellow’s supervisor and/or Head of Department.

Fellowship-specific duties

• Follow a retraining programme as defined in the Daphne Jackson Fellowship proposal.
• Produce periodic progress reports on research work for the Daphne Jackson Trust and sponsors.

Other

• Ensure compliance with legal and regulatory requirements in respect of equality and diversity, data protection, copyright and licensing, security, financial and other University policies, procedures and codes as appropriate.
• Maintain safe workplace practices and procedures in accordance with the requirements of Health and Safety legislation.

The Requirements

Applicants must demonstrate research excellence in the relevant field, with the ability to fully engage in the services, citizenship and values of the University.

The University provides a working, research 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.

Research

Candidates must have capacity for the independent development of internationally excellent research that produces high-quality outcomes, including some work that is recognised as world class.    

The essential research criteria for this post are:

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

Services, Citizenship and Values

This post is focused on research but candidates may be required to actively engage in the administrative requirements of the Department, notably related to their research, and/or the research and research environment of the department.

Candidates must positively contribute to fostering a collegial environment; as well as demonstrating their commitment to equality diversity and inclusion.

The essential services, citizenship and values criteria for this role are:

The desirable services, citizenship and values criteria for this role are:

How to Apply

For further details about the application process, Trust and Fellowship scheme, please visit www.daphnejackson.org .  For further information before submitting an application please contact the Daphne Jackson Trust office on 01483 689166 or via email at [email protected] .

Applications are particularly welcome from women and black and minority ethnic candidates, who are under-represented in academic posts in the University.

What to Submit

To be considered for this opportunity, please complete the CV, personal statement and personal details information forms that can be found on the Daphne Jackson Trust website:

Submitting your application forms

Please outline your area of research interest and give the department within which you would like to work, including the name and contact details of a potential supervisor in that department.

Email your submission to the Daphne Jackson Trust office at [email protected] stating clearly Durham University Sponsored Fellowship Application. 

Closing date for applications is Monday 19th December 2022

Next Steps

All applications will be considered.

Short-listed candidates will be invited to the University and will have the opportunity to meet with key members of the Department.  The assessment for the post will include an interview with representatives from the University of Durham and the Daphne Jackson Trust to determine which applicants will be progressed through the Daphne Jackson Trust application process.