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Teaching Fellow in Organic Chemistry

Employer
DURHAM UNIVERSITY
Location
Durham, United Kingdom
Salary
£33,199 - £49,553 (pro rata) per annum
Closing date
3 Feb 2021

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Academic Discipline
Physical Sciences, Chemistry
Job Type
Academic Posts, Teaching Fellowships
Contract Type
Fixed Term
Hours
Full Time

Department of Chemistry

Grade 7/8: - £33,199 - £49,553 (pro rata) per annum
Fixed Term - Full Time
Contract Duration: 12 months
Contracted Hours per Week: 35
Closing Date: 03-Feb-2021, 7:59:00 AM

Durham University

Durham University is one of the world’s top universities, boasting a welcoming and vibrant international community. Durham is an exceptional place in which to base your career. Our strengths across the Arts and Humanities, Sciences and Social Sciences see us listed as a top 5 UK and top 100 global university with our students and our world leading academics sitting at the heart of delivering our ground-breaking work. As part of our ambitious strategy we are growing and we look forward to welcoming your application.

About Durham University

As one of the UK’s leading universities, Durham is an incredible place to define your career while enjoying a high quality work/life balance. 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. If you’d like to find out more about the University, please visit https://www.dur.ac.uk/jobs/recruitment/

The Department

Durham Chemistry is a world top 100 chemistry department (QS World University Subject Rankings 2020) and one of the very best in the UK, with an outstanding reputation for excellence in teaching, research and employability of our students. Ranked fifth overall in REF2014 and first for impact, we are an active and vibrant department with many of our staff internationally-acclaimed researchers. We have a strong cohort of early career researchers, future leaders, pursuing innovative research agendas. Our research is concentrated on six research areas, supported by world-class facilities, including high quality analytical and spectroscopic support: Functional Molecules & Materials, Physical Organic & Assembly; Computational & Dynamics; Soft Matter & Interfaces; Catalysis & Sustainable Chemical Processes; Bioactive Chemistry & Synthesis.

Ranked second in the Guardian University Guide 2021 our undergraduate programmes are highly rated outside of the Department and well received by our students. We offer both Bachelors (BSc) and Integrated Masters (MChem) which can include a year in industry or overseas. Our Integrated Masters degrees are accredited by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). At postgraduate level our students come from all over the world to carryout research. Durham Chemistry (along with Durham Physics and in partnership with the Universities of Leeds and Edinburgh), is home to the Centre for Doctoral Training in Soft Matter and Interfaces, SOFI CDT. We are also a partnership with the University of Newcastle in the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Molecular Sciences for Medicine. Each year we admit around 120 single honours undergraduates and around 40 PhD students.

The Department has been awarded an Athena SWAN Bronze Award recognising our commitment to advancing women's careers in STEM academia and reflecting the supportive and positive environment within the Department.

The Role

Applications are invited for a Teaching Fellow in Organic Chemistry with a particular emphasis on delivery of laboratory classes, lectures, tutorials and workshops

Teaching Fellowships offer the opportunity of valuable experience to those early in their academic careers and the University is keen to maximise the benefit to as many people as possible. The post of Teaching Fellow will involve a significant teaching load, which may extend into the summer period, and there may be related scholarship and the opportunity for administrative duties which relate to education and pedagogy.

The post is for a fixed term only, and it is not anticipated that the post will be extended beyond this fixed term.

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

The University provides a working 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.

Key responsibilities

Grade 7

  • Design and lead laboratory modules at undergraduate level, demonstrating an increasing awareness of different approaches to and methods of teaching and supporting student learning;
  • Teach modules in appropriate learning environments at undergraduate/postgraduate levels, demonstrating an increasing awareness of different approaches to and methods of teaching and supporting student learning;
  • Demonstrate the ability to manage own teaching and designing, planning and writing teaching materials;
  • Lead some aspects of modules and contribute to modules led by others by collaborating with colleagues on course development;
  • Develop and deliver an inclusive curriculum and make an active contribution to an inclusive community in which diversity is embraced and celebrated;
  • Seek and take on board feedback on teaching and engage with others in CPD;
  • Supervise undergraduate student(s), and where appropriate act as part of a PhD supervisory team;
  • Contribute to educational skill of colleagues, e.g. giving a seminar to colleagues or engaging in constructive discussion about a seminar;
  • Build internal contacts and participate in networks to exchange information;
  • Start to engage in scholarship (the creation, development and maintenance of the intellectual infrastructure of subjects and disciplines) e.g. develop online teaching resources;
  • In addition to Board of Studies, membership of some departmental committees and professional body memberships;
  • Student support, assessment of academic performance and provision of feedback, dealing with student disciplinary matters and complaints;
  • Undertake effectively and efficiently any administrative role allocated by your Head of Department.
  • 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.

In addition, at grade 8:

  • Develop, design and teach modules in a variety of settings at undergraduate and/or postgraduate levels and in complex formats;
  • Write teaching materials, progress reports, handbooks and marketing and/or publicity materials;
  • Develop approaches to teaching and learning that are innovative for the subject, demonstrating best practice;
  • Tailor one to one sessions to the needs of individual students;
  • Provide leadership of teaching and learning, including coordinating and delegating within the department;
  • As module leader, being accountable for resources of the module, e.g. delegated budget, staffing and equipment;
  • Participate in the quality assurance of modules and programmes;
  • Liaise with contacts internally and externally in order to influence opinion and decision making, for example negotiation of future partnership arrangements for providing programmes in other organisations, negotiations for external funding.
  • Take on a leadership role in relation to relevant teaching/programme committees;
  • Participate in and develop external networks, in order to contribute to student recruitment, secure placements, facilitate outreach work and income generation;
  • Actively promote and market programmes to prospective students and other organisations;
  • Contribute to the induction, training, mentoring and development of junior colleagues.

Person Specification

Candidates applying for a grade 7 post will have recently completed or be concluding their PhD and, while they may have limited direct experience of the requirements for the post, they must outline their experience, skills and achievements to date which demonstrate that they meet or that they have the potential to achieve the essential criteria:

Grade 7

Essential Criteria

  • A good first degree in Chemistry.
  • A PhD (or be close to submission) in Organic Chemistry or a related subject, or equivalent demonstrable practitioner experience which may include appropriate certification and/or membership of a relevant professional body.
  • Experience of teaching and examining at University level with positive student feedback gained.
  • Experience of contributing to the development and delivery of high-quality teaching and/or assessment of learning, including the design and creation of successful learning environments and curricula.
  • Demonstrable ability to participate in the collegial/administrative activities of an academic department and/or discipline.
  • 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

  • Experience of successfully developing innovative teaching methods for the design/delivery of high quality teaching.
  • Experience of successfully working in an administrative role within an organisation or department.
  • Experience of providing high quality one-to-one student supervision.
  • Evidence of work undertaken (or which would be undertaken) in preparation for teaching and keeping up to date with developments in the subject area, such as
  • active membership and engagement with a professional body;
  • demonstrable innovation in educational practice;
  • publication in a scholarly journal or relevant professional publication;
  • Attending and presenting internal and/or external seminars or at a regional conference; and/or
  • Materials/curriculum development for wider use in a department.
  • Candidates may have, or should have the ability to attain the rank of Fellow of HEA.

Grade 8

Essential Criteria

  • A good first degree in Chemistry.
  • A PhD (or be close to submission) in Organic Chemistry or a related subject, or equivalent demonstrable practitioner experience which may include appropriate certification and/or membership of a relevant professional body.
  • Experience of providing excellent teaching on undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.
  • Experience of successfully developing innovative teaching methods for the design/delivery of high-quality teaching.
  • Experience of participating in the collegial/administrative activities of an academic department and/or discipline.
  • 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

  • Experience of leading on curriculum design, development and assessment.
  • Experience of the academic management of undergraduate programmes.
  • Experience of providing high quality one-to-one student supervision.
  • Evidence of work undertaken in preparation for teaching and keeping up to date with developments in the subject area, such as
  • active membership and engagement with a professional body;
  • demonstrable innovation in educational practice;
  • publication in a scholarly journal or relevant professional publication;
  • Attending and presenting internal and/or external seminars or at a regional conference; and/or
  • Materials/curriculum development for wider use in a department.
  • Candidates may have, or should have the ability to attain the rank of Fellow of HEA.

How to Apply

For informal enquiries please contact Prof AnnMarie O’Donoghue (annmarie.odonoghue@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/

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, skills and achievements in meeting (or the potential to meet) the criteria set out above.
  • a statement as to your aspirations as a Teaching Fellow in terms of what motivates you, what you would like to achieve and what your broad approaches to teaching excellence and innovation are (maximum 2 pages).

Referees

You should provide details of 3 referees and the details of your current line manager so that we may seek an employment reference (if they are not listed as an academic referee).

Please note:

  • We shall seek references during the application process.  Unless in the case of very early career candidates, referees should not (if possible) include your PhD supervisor(s) and include references from a University other than your own.
  • We would ask that you alert your referees to this application as soon as possible so that we can quickly obtain references.  If you do not wish (some or all) of your referees to be approached during the recruitment process; you must clearly indicate this to us at the time of your application.
  • References sought for candidates may be made available to the panel during the shortlisting process.
  • We will seek a reference from your current line-manager if we make you an offer of employment (albeit you may have also nominated your line manager as an academic referee). Please clearly indicate on the application form which refereee is your current line-manager and indicate if we should only approach them once an offer has been made.

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

Next Steps

The assessment for the post will include a brief presentation / exercise on a teaching topic and an interview. Shortlisted candidates will be invited for interview and assessment on January 25th or January 26th 2021

DBS Requirement: Not Applicable.

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