Assistant Professor in Computational Neuroscience / Psychology
Durham University
Applicants must demonstrate high quality research applying computational approaches, including machine learning and artificial intelligence, to address research questions in psychology and/or neuroscience. Applicants should complement and strengthen one or more of the Department’s three research groups: Cognitive Neuroscience, Developmental Science, and Quantitative Social Psychology. This appointment reflects the Department's strategic commitment to expanding its expertise in computational and data-driven research, while enhancing opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration and research innovation. Applicants must also demonstrate 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 values 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 and research supervision, and contribute to ongoing curriculum development, and support the design and delivery of high-quality online and blended learning programmes using digital pedagogies and technologies.
• Contribute to enhancing the quality of the research environment in the Department, the wider University and beyond through collaborative research activity.
• Demonstrate a willingness to contribute to the administrative work, citizenship and values of the Department.
• To deliver lectures, seminars and tutorials at undergraduate and taught postgraduate levels, as well as engaging in related activity such as assessment.
• 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.
Person criteria: Candidates will have completed their PhD and in their cover letter 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
1. Qualifications –- a good first degree and a PhD in Psychology, Neuroscience, Machine Learning, Computer Science or a related subject.
2. Outputs – evidence of high-quality outputs, some of which is recognised as internationally excellent or world-class. Candidates are asked to submit four 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.
3. Personal Research Plan – evidence of a personal research plan which supports and enhances the Department’s ambition to strengthen its profile in the use of modern computational or data-driven methodologies (which may include machine learning or artificial intelligence) to address research questions in psychology and/or neuroscience. PSY Research Strategy 2024
4. Income Generation – evidence of contribution to the development of high-quality competitive funding applications and externally funded research, appropriate to career stage, role, and opportunities. (Candidates may choose to provide evidence through securing external funding; developing or providing methodological, technical or subject-matter expertise to competitive funding applications, whether successful or unsuccessful; establishing and building research collaborations, partnerships and networks that enable future funding opportunities).
Education
Candidates must demonstrate the development and delivery of high-quality teaching in psychology that contributes to providing a supportive and enabling learning environment and curricula which encourage students to achieve their potential.
Essential Education Criteria
1. Quality – evidence of the development and delivery of effective and engaging teaching, that would fit within the psychology curriculum. (Candidates may choose to provide student evaluation scores and/or peer reviews of teaching).
2. Innovation – experience, skills and/or achievements that demonstrate your contribution to new programme development 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.
3. Strategic – evidence of strategic teaching development, or achievements that demonstrate the potential to engage in the design of excellent teaching programmes in psychology which are research informed and led.
Services, Citizenship and Values
Active engagement in administrative and citizenship requirements and to fostering a respectful environment, including the active contribution to the creation of a welcoming environment in which colleagues feel included and valued.
Essential Services, Citizenship and Values Criteria
1. Citizenship contribution – experience, skills and/or achievements that demonstrate the ability to effectively engage in the service and administrative activities of an academic Department, Faculty or University. (Candidates may choose to provide evidence of contributions through formal or informal service roles including committee membership; outreach and public engagement activities; recruitment and promotional events; engagement with professional bodies or community involvement).
2. Leadership – experience, skills and/or achievements that demonstrate the ability to provide leadership in supporting the administrative functioning of an academic Department, Faculty, and/or University. (Candidates may choose to provide evidence from academic or non-academic contexts of leading teams, projects, programmes or initiatives, managing people, resources or processed; and/or developing strategy)
3. Collegiality and Collaboration – experience, skills and/or achievements that demonstrate the ability to work collaboratively, constructively, and respectfully with others to support the effective functioning of an academic Department, Faculty or University. (Candidates may choose to provide evidence of working effectively across teams; sharing expertise and good practice; supporting, developing or mentoring others; contributing to an inclusive and positive working culture).
4. 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. (Candidates may choose to provide evidence of their ability to effectively communicate with different groups and diverse audiences both within and outside academia).
Desirable Criteria
The desirable criteria for this post (for which candidates should provide evidence of some if not all criteria) are:
1. Qualification – candidates to hold 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. Digital and Online Teaching – experience, skills and/or achievements in the successful designing and delivering high-quality online and/or blended learning, including the use of innovative digital pedagogies and technologies.
3. PhD Supervision – involvement in the provision of excellent supervision for PhD students.
4. Research Impact and Translation –experience, skills and/or achievements in generating, enabling or planning for research impact beyond academia. This may include engagement with external partners, industry, healthcare, policy, public engagement, open science, translation of research into practice, or other activities that demonstrate the potential for research to benefit society, the economy or the wider research community.
5. Research Leadership – experience, skills and/or achievements that demonstrate experience of, 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).
6. Income Generation – evidence of engagement in the development of successful research projects and quality research grant proposals.