School of Education

Grade 6: - £26,715 pro rata (Fixed at spine point 22)
Fixed Term - Part Time
Contracted Hours per Week: 21
Closing Date: 28-Dec-2020, 7:59:00 AM

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 Department

The School of Education is one of the very best UK Education departments, with an outstanding reputation for excellence in teaching, research and employability of our students. Ranked fifth in REF2014 in terms of grade point average, the School of Education is a vibrant community of scholars, with members across the range of career levels, many of who are internationally-acclaimed researchers pursuing innovative and critical research agendas, and future leaders establishing such profiles.

The multidisciplinary nature of education as an academic discipline is reflected in the diverse range of expertise and research foci that are represented in the School of Education. Our internationally recognised peaks of research excellence are in areas related to: Evidence for Education Policy and Practice; Assessment, Monitoring and Educational Effectiveness; Intercultural Communication and Education; Higher and Further Education; Educational Psychology and Curriculum and Pedagogy.

The Role

Applications are invited for a Research Assistant in the field of education, with a particular emphasis on school inclusion and evidence-informed teaching practice. The research project ‘Evidence Informed Practice for School Inclusion’, is funded by the EU’s Erasmus plus scheme and involves project partners from the University of Barcelona as well as policy institutes in Spain institutions in educational partners in the Netherlands, Romania and Slovenia. The aim of the project is to find effective ways to engage teachers with evidence-informed practices in the areas of student inclusion and equity. The purposes of such practices is to improve student outcomes. A key aspect of the work is to develop a survey exploring the benefits, costs and analogous factors teachers and schools associate with research use, an analysis of the results and the write up of findings. This work will be led by successful applicant with supported from the project director (Professor Chris Brown).

Responsibilities:

• To understand and convey information which needs careful explanation to the team or group of people through presentations, discussions and meetings which contribute to the production of research reports and publications.
• To write up results of research work, present information on research progress and outcomes to bodies supervising research in a clear and accurate manner.
• To analyse or undertake basic research by deciding how best to apply existing methodology according to overall context and objectives.
• To deal with problems that may affect the achievement of research objectives and deadlines by discussing with the Principal Investigator or Grant-holder and offering creative or innovative solutions.
• To liaise with research colleagues and make internal and external contacts to develop knowledge and understanding to form relationships for future research collaboration.
• To contribute to the planning of research projects.
• To assist in contributing to support student projects on the use of research methods and equipment. 
• To contribute to fostering a collegial and respectful working environment which is inclusive and welcoming and where everyone is treated fairly with dignity and respect.
• To engage in wider citizenship to support the department and wider discipline.
• To engage in continuing professional development by attending relevant training and development courses.

This post is fixed term until 31st January 2023 due to the funding which is time limited 

The post-holder is employed to work on research/a research project which will be led by another colleague. Whilst this means that the post-holder will not be carrying out independent research in his/her own right, the expectation is that they will contribute to the advancement of the project, through the development of their own research ideas/adaptation and development of research protocols.

The Requirements

Essential:

• A good first degree in any subject area.
• A Masters in an education-related area.
• Experience in conducting basic academic research or providing research assistance, including the use of standard research methods.
• Demonstrable ability to produce concise and well-written reports for a range of stakeholders.
• Experience in survey development and analysis
• Demonstrable ability to work cooperatively as part of a team, including participating in research meetings.
• Ability to manage time effectively and work to strict deadlines.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Ability to liaise with a range of stakeholders.

Desirable:

• A PhD (or be close to submission) in the area of education  or a related subject.
• Experience of conducting high quality academic research.
• Experience of preparing academic papers.
• Ability to assist in the provision of support to student projects.
• Experience of working in schools or other education related settings.
• Ability to contribute to the planning and management of independent research.

How to Apply

For informal enquiries please contact Professor Chris Brown chris.brown@durham.ac.uk. All enquiries will be treated in the strictest confidence. 

We prefer to receive applications online via the Durham University Vacancies Site. https://www.dur.ac.uk/jobs/. As part of the application process, you should provide details of 3 (preferably academic/research) referees and the details of your current line manager so that we may seek an employment reference.

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

All applicants are asked to submit:

• A CV and covering letter which details your experience, strengths and potential in the requirements set out above;

Next Steps 

Successful applicants will, ideally, be in post by 1st February 2021.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited for interview and assessment in January 2021.

DBS Requirement: Not Applicable.