Working at Durham
University
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work, a unique and historic setting – Durham is a university like
no other.
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beautiful historic city, home to a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and
surrounded by stunning countryside. Our talented scholars and
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making a difference to people's lives.
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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
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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
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the Durham area on our
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Discover more about our total rewards
and benefits package
here
.
The Department
The Department of Geography at Durham University seeks to appoint
outstanding individuals to 2 Assistant Professorships in Human
Geography who have expertise in the geographies of nature, climate
change, and just and sustainable futures that will complement and
extend our current work in one or more of the following research
clusters: Geographies of Life; Economy & Culture;
Politics-State-Space; Urban Worlds. The successful candidate will
develop world class scholarship in their field, and we encourage
work that develops a range of theoretical, conceptual, and/or
methodological approaches. The successful candidate will have
completed (or be close to completing) a PhD in a relevant field,
and demonstrate a track record of, or potential for,
internationally excellent and agenda setting publications and
securing external funding. They will have experience of or show a
commitment to delivering excellent teaching at undergraduate and
postgraduate levels and will be expected to contribute to
undergraduate and Master’s-level teaching on our Human Geography
programmes. In addition to their research, the successful
candidates will perform departmental administrative tasks
commensurate with their grade.
Geography at Durham consistently ranks among the very best
departments not just in the UK, but also in the world. We were
ranked =1st in REF 2021 and our research environment was awarded
the highest possible 100% 4* score. Our students report
satisfaction levels of 95% in the National Student Survey. From the
field to the virtual environment, we are dedicated to exploring
innovative methodologies. We regularly host visiting academics and
research students from around the world. The department also
benefits from the ESRC NINEDTP, AHRC Northern Bridge, and IAPETUS
NERC Doctoral Training Partnerships.
The Department is currently developing a new suite of Master’s
programmes around the idea of sustainable futures, particularly in
the context of climate change. These posts offer an exciting
opportunity to make a major contribution to the development of
these programmes, as well more broadly to internationally excellent
research and teaching, while allowing you unrivalled opportunities
to progress and embed your career in an exciting and progressive
institution. We are proud of our efforts to decolonise our
curricula and ensure inclusive fieldwork for staff and students,
and to be part of a vibrant university community that celebrates
diversity. We encourage talented people from all backgrounds to
join us, and candidates with lived experience or practice-based
work with marginalised communities are also encouraged to apply.
Successful applicants will, ideally, be in post by 1 September
2025.
Please direct informal enquiries to Prof Colm O’Cofaigh (Head of
Department) colm.ocofaigh@durham.ac.uk. The closing date for
applications is 12th January 2024. For more information on the
Department of Geography see:
https://www.dur.ac.uk/geography/
Assistant Professors at Durham
Assistant Professors on the Education and Research track are
encouraged to focus on research and teaching, but are also expected
to engage in wider citizenship to enhance their own development,
support their department and discipline, and contribute to the
wider student experience.
Academic colleagues are supported to publish excellent research in
their area of interest with a focus on high quality outputs
(including monographs and journal
articles ), rather than quantity. We aim to support your research
needs, including practical help such as resources to attend
conferences and to fund research activities, as well as a generous
research leave policy and a designated mentor.
Durham University is also committed to ensuring outstanding
teaching quality, stimulating learning environments, and innovative
curricula for all our students. You will be supported to develop
your teaching expertise and skills.
We are confident that our recruitment process allows us to attract
and select the best talent to Durham. We, therefore, offer a
reduced probation period of 1 year for our Assistant Professors and
thereafter, subject to satisfactory performance, your position will
be confirmed as permanent.
Applicants must demonstrate high
quality research in the field of human geographies of nature,
climate change, and just and sustainable futures with the ability
to teach our students to an exceptional standard and to fully
engage in the services, citizenship and values of the
University.
We strive to provide a working and teaching environment that 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:
- To pursue research that is high quality in terms of
originality, significance and rigour.
- To develop clear plans for the pursuit of national and
international funding opportunities to support research and
end-user engagement.
- To play a role in relevant teaching supervision, and contribute
to ongoing curriculum development.
- To contribute to enhancing the quality of the research
environment in the Department, the wider University and beyond
through collaborative research activity.
- To demons trate a willingness to contribute to the
administrative work, citizenship and values of the Department.
- To provide high quality teaching and associated examining as
required across the range of modules and levels, from undergraduate
to Master’s programmes;
- To contribute to the geography teaching programme through small
group teaching, lectures, practicals and research-based field-trips
as required;
- To fully engage in and enhance the values of the
Department.
- To contribute to attracting and supervising research students,
and to enhance the Department’s commitment to its vibrant and
inclusive postgraduate culture.
- Carry out 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.
Qualifications :
Person Specification
Candidates will have completed their PhD (or be close to
completion) and should outline their experience, skills and
achievements to date, which demonstrate that they meet the
essential criteria.
Research
Candidates must have the capacity for and be progressing towards
the independent development of internationally excellent research
that produces high-quality outcomes, including some work that is
recognised as world-class or that has world-class potential.
Essential Research Criteria
Qualifications –- a good first degree and a PhD (or close to
completion at the time of application) in Human Geography or a
related subject.
Outputs – evidence of high-quality outputs, some of which is
recognised as internationally excellent or world-class.
Candidates are asked to subm it three research
papers
with their application (as outlined in the How to Apply section
below). Candidates may additionally choose to submit evidence such
as external peer review of their outputs.
Income Generation – evidence of engagement in or the potential
for the development of successful research projects and quality
research grant proposals.
Personal Research Plan – evidence of a personal research plan
whic h aligns with and strengthens existing research in one or more
of the four Human Geography research clusters, specifically in
relation to nature, climate change, an d sustainable and just
futures .
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
- Quality – evidence of or ability to contribute to the
development and delivery of effective and engaging teaching on
nature, climate change, and sustainable and just futures in Human
Geography. (Candidates may choose to provide student evaluation
scores and/or peer reviews of teaching).
- Innovation – experience, skills and/or achievements that
demonstrate evidence of or ability to contribute to new programme d
evelopment and innovation in the design and delivery of
high-quality teaching and assessment of learning. This can include
lectures, small group learning and/or using technology or other
techniques to enhance learning and/or assessment.
- Strategic – evidence of strategic teaching development, or
achievements that demonstrate the potential to engage in the design
of excellent teaching programmes which are research informed and
led.
Services, Citizenship and Values
Active engagement in administrative
and citizenship requirements and to fostering a respectful
environment, including a demonstrable commitment to equality,
diversity, and inclusion.
Essential Services, Citizenship and Values Criteria
- 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, carrying out
departmental and interdepartmental activities effectively. Being
involved in departmental activities such as open days,
employability events, departmental meetings and committees.
Involvement in equality and diversity initiatives and membership or
engagement with external bodies).
- Leadership – experience, skills and/or achievements that
demonstrate engagement in activities that contribute to the
administrative functioning of an academic Department, Faculty,
University and/or discipline, including leadership or
responsibilities in an academic context. (Candidates may choose to
detail any leadership roles which they have undertaken, preferably
in, but not limited to, an academic context).
- 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.
Desirable Criteria
The desirable criteria for this post (for which candidates should
provide evidence of some if not all criteria) are:
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).
Research Leadership – experience, skills and/or achievements
that demonstrate experience of, or the potential to, contribute to
the leadership of research groups and mentoring of early career
researchers. (
Candidates may choose to include information about
research group leadership, mentoring of research colleagues,
invitations to external events, engagement with international
networks or projects).
PhD Supervision – involvement in the provision of excellent
supervision for PhD students.
Research Impact – evidence of or the potential to demonstrate
the impact of the Candidate’s research beyond their
institution.
Contact Information
Department contact for academic-related enquiries
Professor Colm O’Cofaigh, Head of Department, +44(0)191-334-1890,
colm.ocofaigh@durham.ac.uk
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
e.recruitment@durham.ac.uk
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
processHow to Apply
We prefer to receive applications online.
Please note that in submitting your
application Durham University will be processing your data. We
would ask you to consider the relevant University Privacy Statement
Job Applicants/Potential Job Applicants - Durham University
which provides information on the collation, storing and use of
data.
What to Submit
All applicants are asked to submit:
- A CV
- A 2 page covering letter which details your experience,
strengths and potential in the requirements set out above.
- A 2 page personal research plan for the next 3-5 years.
- Three of your most significant pieces of written work. Where
possible your written work should have been published or submitted
since 2020, however work prior to 2020 may be submitted where
candidates have had career breaks.
- An EDI & values statement – (of no more than 500 words)
which outlines work which you have been involved in 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
publications, 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
against the current REF criteria.
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.
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 teaching presentation exercise and a research
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 mid-April 2025.
If you are unable to attend 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
