Post Doctoral Research Fellow in Global Philosophy of Religion - Grade 7 - 99613

Position Details

School of Philosophy, Theology and Religion

University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham

As this vacancy has limited funding the maximum salary that can be offered is £33,309

Grade 7

Full time

Fixed-Term Contract up to 30th June 2023

Closing Date:  15th May 2022

Background

People are at the heart of what we are and do. 
 
The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years, and we are equally proud to be recognised as a leading global university.  We want to attract people from across the city and beyond, support them to succeed, and celebrate their success. 
 
We are committed to helping the people who work here to develop through our sector-leading Birmingham Professional programme which provides all professional services staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full potential.  With almost 5,000 professional services jobs in a wide-range of functions in Edgbaston and in our campus in Dubai, there are plenty of opportunities for you to be able to develop your career at the University. 
 
We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation, and debate.  We warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we are, and how we work. 

Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important both to our employees and to the success of the University and, depending on the role, we offer a variety of flexible working arrangements.  We therefore welcome discussions on all forms of flexible working.  In addition, you will receive a generous package of benefits including 40 days paid holiday a year, one paid day a year for volunteering, occupational sick pay, and a pension scheme. We also have three high quality subsidised day nurseries.

Main duties/responsibilities

We are now recruiting a postdoctoral Research Fellow in Global Philosophy of Religion in the School of Philosophy, Theology and Religion at the University of Birmingham. This role has been created as part of the Global Philosophy of Religion Project led by Professor Yujin Nagasawa.

The Global Philosophy of Religion Project is a major international initiative to promote research in the philosophy of religion, addressing underrepresented religious traditions and geographical regions. It is supported by funding from the John Templeton Foundation at the University of Birmingham. For more information, please see the project website: http://www.global-philosophy.org

The Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in Global Philosophy of Religion will be a full-time, fixed-term appointment until 30 June 2023. The appointee will investigate central topics in the philosophy of religion—such as the existence and nature of deities, death and immortality, and evil and suffering in the world—from a global, multi-faith perspective by focusing on religious traditions and/or geographical regions that are currently under-represented in the field. The Research Fellow will contribute to the wider activity of the project, including the publication of books and papers arising from project research and the organisation of conferences and other academic events, and may also be involved in the supervision of students. As a member of the School of Philosophy, Theology and Religion, the Research Fellow will join a lively and flourishing research community in a collegiate and highly ambitious environment.

Main Duties

The responsibilities may include some but not all of the responsibilities outlined below.

• Develop research objectives and proposals for own or joint research, with assistance of a mentor if required
• Contribute to writing bids for research funding
• Analyse and interpret data
• Apply knowledge in a way which develops new intellectual understanding
• Disseminate research findings for publication, research seminars etc
• Supervise students on research related work and provide guidance to PhD students where appropriate to the discipline
• Contribute to developing new models, techniques and methods
• Undertake management/administration arising from research
• Contribute to Departmental/School research-related activities and research-related administration
• Contribute to enterprise, business development and/or public engagement activities of manifest benefit to the College and the University, often under supervision of a project leader
• Collect research data; this may be through a variety of research methods, such as scientific experimentation, literature reviews, and research interviews
• Present research outputs, including drafting academic publications or parts thereof, for example at seminars and as posters
• Provide guidance, as required, to support staff and any students who may be assisting with the research
• Deal with problems that may affect the achievement of research objectives and deadlines

Person Specification

• Specialist in analytic philosophy of religion with a doctorate (or near completion) in Philosophy, Theology, Religious Studies or a related subject.
• An excellent publication record commensurate with their career stage
• High-level analytical capability
• Ability to communicate complex information clearly
• Fluency in relevant models, techniques or methods and ability to contribute to developing new ones
• Ability to assess resource requirements and use resources effectively
• Understanding of and ability to contribute to broader management/administration processes

Informal enquires can be made to [email protected].

Valuing excellence, sustaining investment 
We value diversity and inclusion at the University of Birmingham and welcome applications from all sections of the community and are open to discussions around all forms of flexible working.