Early Stage Researcher (Marie Curie)

Department of Physics

Marie Curie: - £27,125 - £31,211 per annum
Fixed Term - Full Time
Contract Duration: 12 month
Contracted Hours per Week: 35
Closing Date: Ongoing
Disclosure and Barring Service Requirement: Not Applicable.

Salary range: £27,125 to £31,211

The EC funding for this position provides for a remuneration starting from £27,125. Actual salary will depend on employer deductions, personal circumstances and the exchange rate applicable to the fellowship. This amount includes an annual living allowance and a mobility allowance (to cover the expenses associated with working in a different country).

Under the terms of the EC funding, which aims to promote mobility within the research community, to be eligible for the post you must not have been resident in the UK for more than a total of 12 months in the past three years.

Allowance eligibility depends on the personal circumstances of the fellow:

Living Allowance: total amount € 44,895.96 per year. This figure is inclusive of the UK country coefficient of 120.3%.

Mobility Allowance: total amount € 7,200 per year.

Family allowance: total amount € 6,000 per year (eligibility depends on supporting evidence that at the time the fellowship starts the fellow is married, in a partnership equivalent to marriage in the country it was formalised or have dependent children).

All payments are made monthly in arrears in Pounds Sterling, including during any secondment periods outside of Durham. The exchange rate used will be the University of Durham’s rate applicable to the ITN project; the exchange rate may be subject to variation throughout the period of the award.

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 Department of Physics at Durham University is one of the top UK Physics departments with an outstanding reputation for excellence in teaching, research and employability of our students. Ranked in the top 10 in REF2022 in terms of power, 96% of Durham Physics research was considered either to be of “internationally excellent quality” or “world leading”.

The Department is committed to advancing equality and we aim to ensure that our culture is inclusive, and that our systems support flexible and family-friendly working, as recognized by our Juno Champion and Athena SWAN Silver awards. We recognise and value the benefits of diversity throughout our staff and students.

The Role

A new Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Network (MSCA-ITN) funded by the European Union H2020 programme named HIDDeN ("Hunting Invisibles: Dark sectors, Dark matter and Neutrinos") officially started on October 1st, 2020.

This 1-year position is intended as the first step into science communication, with starting dates around fall 2022, although there is some flexibility in dates. This is a science communication and outreach position affiliated the HIDDeN Horizon2020 Marie Curie Initial Training Network. The HIDDeN ITN is a European network which focuses on neutrino and dark matter physics and their interplay exclusively. The science communication and outreach work will be based at the Institute for Particle Physics Phenomenology, University of Durham (UK).

This is a full-time position (35 hours per week), fixed term for 12 months

Eligibility Criteria

By EU requirements, eligible candidates may be of any nationality and at the date of recruitment (means the first day of the employment of the researcher for the purposes of the action) should comply with the following rules:

1. The candidate must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the recruiting beneficiary for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately before the recruitment date. Compulsory national service, short stays such as holidays, and time spent as part of a procedure for obtaining refugee status under the Geneva Convention (1951 Refugee Convention and the 1967 Protocol) are not taken into account.
2. The candidate should speak English perfectly. In addition, they he or she should have some previous experience and training in science communication. All network nodes participate in the training, feeding upon collaborations through the network. The position includes short stays in some of the world-leading research centres within the network. In addition, yearly meetings of the complete network are foreseen.
3. All individuals recruited in an ITN must be at an Early-Stage Professional at the date of recruitment by the beneficiary, be in the first four years (full-time equivalent research experience) of their research careers and have not been awarded a doctoral degree. This is measured from the date when you obtained the degree which would formally entitle you to embark on a doctorate, either in the country in which the degree was obtained or in the country of destination.

Responsibilities

• Support and develop outreach activities within the Institute for Particle Physics Phenomenology (IPPP), which benefit the local community.
• Liaise with University and funder communication teams for media coverage and press relations.
• Develop a promotional video for prospective students and researchers considering joining the IPPP Possibility for outreach and educational research if the candidate demonstrates interest in these directions
• 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.

Successful applicants will ideally be in post by 1st October 2022

The Requirements

Essential

1. The successful candidate will be within four years of graduating from their degree (undergraduate or masters degree) which should involve science communication or a science-based degree.
2. The successful candidate will understand the need for accessible communication of science and have an academic record in science communication.
3. Excellent written and oral communication skills
4. Can work within a team (academics and outreach professionals) and independently.
5. There is scope for educational research within this role if the candidate has an interest.
6. Has experience in STEM subjects with a good knowledge of physical science is preferable.

How to Apply

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.

And must also be submitted via https://hiddeneu.eu/jobs

The ITN HIDDeN complies with an equal opportunity and gender balance policy.

What to Submit

All applicants are asked to submit:

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