Associate Professor (Research and Education) - Political Science and International Studies - School

Position Details

Department of Political Science and International Studies

School of Government

College of Social Sciences

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £51,799 to £60,022, with potential progression once in post to £78,265

Grade 9

Full Time

Permanent

Closing date: 30 September 2022 ( We will start reviewing applications on 20th June and will invite for interview shortly thereafter if we have a sufficient number of suitable applicants. If all positions are filled prior to the final closing date (30 Sept), we may close the advert, so we encourage early applications).

The Department of Political Science and International Studies (POLSIS) in the School of Government at the University of Birmingham welcomes applications at all levels of seniority from candidates with research and teaching interests in Politics/Political Science.

We are looking for candidates who can make distinctive contributions in the broad disciplines of politics/political science. We are particularly interested in hearing from applicants with research and teaching expertise in the following sub-disciplines:

Environmental Politics and Sustainability

Applied Data Science

Democracy, Representation and Accountablity

Regional Specialisms in the politics of one (or both) of:

India & South Asia

China & East Asia

The department's teaching and research vision for the coming decade is broad and ambitious. We seek colleagues who can both undertake pioneering research and develop exciting and intellectually stimulating modules. In return, POLSIS provides a supportive environment, enabling colleagues to engage internationally, build networks and deliver excellent teaching and research. Staff are encouraged and supported to be innovative in their teaching, enabling students to thrive and build firm foundations in the discipline. Resources and support are provided to encourage and assist staff in writing, grant capture and impact and engagement activities.

The School of Government comprises the Department of Political Science and International Studies, the Institute of Local Government Studies, and the International Development Department. We are one of the largest Schools of Government in the United Kingdom - home to more than 80 full-time academic staff, more than 1,200 undergraduate and taught postgraduate students, and more than 70 doctoral researchers. The School is intellectually vibrant with an excellent record in both research and teaching.

Summary of Role

You will contribute at a senior level to teaching, research, and administration. In addition you will be expected to contribute to academic citizenship, likely to be demonstrated through generous, mutually respectful and supportive working relationships with all staff and students.

Teaching is likely to include: (a) development and leadership of major teaching programmes or equivalent; and (b) enhancement of the student experience or employability.

Research is likely to involve an established national and international reputation through significant original research work and a clear record of impact.

Management and administration is likely to include Departmental/School leadership and management activity with University wide involvement - for example through sustained high value research, knowledge transfer, enterprise, business engagement, and public engagement or similar activities.

Main Duties/Responsibilites

Education

You will contribute across the range of teaching and learning activities:

• making a significant contribution to the pedagogical knowledge base of the subject that advances teaching through the enhancement of practice, the development of teaching resources and/or through practice-based research;
• leading on the management and the development of approaches to teaching and learning, including designing innovative approaches to digital resources/environments and supporting colleagues to use them that are innovative to the subject area or institution;
• leading on curriculum design at module and programme level to ensure it is contemporary, inclusive, engaging and academically challenging;
• actively engaging students in curriculum design and sharing evidence of what works;
• making an impactful, high quality contribution to debates about education policy, methods and practices through internal and external publications, subject societies and conference activity;
• developing an external profile evidenced through engaging in external quality assurance activities related to teaching, eg. external examining and engaging with/supporting education in other institutions;
• playing an important and sustained role in the recruitment and admission of students;
• co-supervising doctoral students to completion;
• leading the development of teaching, learning and assessment policies and strategies;
• acting as an education mentor to colleagues in the School/Department/College or more widely;
• leading the development of new and appropriate approaches to learning and teaching. This may be underpinned by research and evaluation of teaching methods and systems
• leading sustained high value impact in knowledge transfer and enterprise (including business engagement, public engagement) that enhances the student experience and/or or employability, and is of manifest benefit to learning and teaching in the College and the University
• undertaking own teaching, which will include teaching and examining courses at a range of levels, planning and reviewing own teaching approaches, developing programme proposals, supervision, marking and examining. You will ensure that your teaching practice is informed by discipline based research, through participating in the research culture of the School.

Research

To pursue sustained research activity through original research and scholarship, including other research-related contributions through conference papers and presentations and/or consultancy projects and advice, including (as appropriate):

• contributing to the management of research activities and/or supervising other research staff;
• leading successful funding bids;
• consistently publishing internationally excellent research, with some research regarded as world leading, that results in a sustained, highly respected reputation of international quality;
• supervising and examining PhD students, both within the institution and externally;
• providing expert advice internally and externally;
• peer reviewing articles for peer reviewed academic journals and grant applications by research councils and/or other major funding bodies;
• leading sustained impact activity including public engagement and makes a significant contribution to policy development at a national and international level;.
• supervising and examine PhD students, both within the institution and externally;
• as appropriate, managing research activities and/or supervising other research staff;
• developing novel methodologies and techniques appropriate to the type of research being pursued.

Management/administration

Lead activities in the Department/ School and represent the School on College/ University committees or working groups. Where appropriate to the discipline, this is likely to include some but not all of the responsibilities listed below:

• making an important contribution to the development and running of the Department or School, for example, leading activity on research and/or teaching assessment
• leading a successful international engagement at School or College level;
• developing and managing staff and resources in support of major research and/or teaching activities
• making important contributions to the development of the Department's research and/or learning and teaching strategy
• contributing significantly to the development and delivery of knowledge transfer, enterprise, business engagement and public engagement activities with sustained high value impact of manifest benefit to the College and the University;
• promoting a culture (including policies and procedures) that embeds equality and values diversity and inclusion
• leading, serving on and assisting the work of committees and task and finish groups beyond School/ Research Institute, e.g., Senate, Council, University Education or Research Committee etc.;
• leading external committees, e.g., those associated with public/professional bodies or delivery of activities for an external body at an appropriate level, e.g., chairing sub committees associated with large elements of work;
• leading/project managing a team to devise and implement a new and/or revised process (e.g. a new research initiative, or a recruitment drive);
• making a sustained contribution to widening participation, schools outreach and/or public understanding of the discipline;.
• contributing to administrative activities within the University (e.g. appeals panels, working groups).

Citizenship

• identifying wellbeing issues within the School/College/University and developing appropriate solutions to address these;
• taking collective ownership of challenges faced by the School or College and working with colleagues to develop solutions;
• mentoring and coaching of colleagues, particularly those in the early stages of their career.

Person Specification

• Normally, a higher degree relevant to the research/teaching area (usually PhD), or close to completion, or equivalent qualifications.
• Demonstrated excellence in at least Research, with competence in Learning and Teaching and Management and Administration.
  Learning and teaching requirements
  
  An excellent teaching profile and performance in terms of both impact and quality. The teaching quality demonstrated to be informed by an appropriate level of scholarship.
  
  Where appropriate, evidence of success under the following headings:
  
  • High national reputation for the development of teaching and learning excellence within the discipline
  • Successful and sustained use of a range of appropriate teaching methods, and assessment strategies that promote high quality learning, including learning that is flexible, distinctive and current and stimulates learners' natural curiosity
  • Significant and sustained contribution to one or more of the following: strategic development of new programmes; approaches to learning; the development of learning resources
  • High quality and sustained contributions to fostering excellence in teaching activities more widely, i.e. in the Department/School or College and/or externally
  • Track record of substantial and sustained high value impact on the enhancement of the student experience, and/or employability
  • Mentoring and expert advice which develops the skills of colleagues in teaching and in fostering learning
  Research requirements
  An excellent national reputation and a developing international profile through significant original research work and a clear record of impact. Evidence of success under the following headings, as appropriate to the discipline:
  
  • High level peer esteem as evidenced by
  • Excellent reputation in the UK and often internationally, reflected in sustained high quality output, level of innovation, impact on subject and recognition
    An excellent and sustained record of peer reviewed research publications
    
    • Successful and sustained supervision of doctoral students to completion
    • Substantial and sustained research income generation, e.g. through research grants, contracts, research consultancy or other external funding
    • Sustained high value impact knowledge transfer and enterprise that is of manifest benefit to the College and University
    Management and administration-related requirements
    Demonstrated significant achievement in management and administration-related activities, which may include leadership of activities/initiatives. Evidence of success under the following headings
    
    • Successful and sustained performance in significant administrative/managerial role (s) (e.g. exams officer)
    • Significant and sustained high quality innovative contributions to the management/administration of the Department/School/College or University
    • Successful and sustained contribution to the corporate life of the School/College/University, displaying willingness to contribute actively to committees, collaborative teaching and administrative tasks
    • Actively promotes equality and diversity to internal and external stakeholders
    • Able to use data to identify equality and diversity issues
    • Experience of developing interventions to address equality and diversity issues
    We particularly welcome applications from female, black and minority ethnic candidates who are underrepresented in the School. We are happy to discuss flexible working.
    Our sister department (the Institute of Local Government Studies - INLOGOV) is also recruiting and we may share details of suitable candidates with them unless requested otherwise.
    
    Informal enquiries are welcomed - please contact one of the following: Professor René Lindstädt (Head of School of Government) at R.Lindstaedt@bham.ac.uk ; Dr Richard North (Head of POLSIS) at R.North.2@bham.ac.uk ; or Jason Lowther (Head of INLOGOV) at J.Lowther@bham.ac.uk.
    
    Valuing excellence, sustaining investment
    
    We value diversity and inclusion at the University of Birmingham and welcome applications from all sections of the community and are open to discussions around all forms of flexible working.