Centre Fellows - Metabolism and Systems Research

Position Details

Metabolism and Systems Research

College of Medical and Dental Sciences

University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £30,395 to £39,609. With potential progression once in post to £42,036 a year

Full time/Fixed term for 3 years

Closing Date: 1st September 2019

A two day assessment centre will be run on 23rd and 24th September 2019, successful applicants will be required to attend on both days. Reasonable travel expenses will be reimbursed.

Job Purpose

Up to four 3 year research fellowships are available to facilitate further growth of the Centre for Systems Modelling and Quantitative Biomedicine. A new strategic activity of the University of Birmingham, the Centre is a group of innovators with backgrounds in mathematics, computer science and physics who are excited by tackling research challenges from biology, biomedicine and the clinic. Housed within the Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research, our integration within a medical school presents unique opportunities for us to bring communities together and to solve pressing healthcare challenges.

Centre Fellows are critical roles for the success of our interdisciplinary ethos. They present a fantastic opportunity to make the transition towards independent researcher within a highly dynamic environment, where seamlessly working across disciplines and with end-users is key. We can offer you an exciting role where you will be able to pursue your own research interests as well as to work with researchers across our University, Hospital and Industry ecosystem to co-develop exciting new projects of biomedical and clinical significance, for which approaches from mathematics, physics and data science are crucial to their solution.

These unique roles comprise two main parts to which you will devote your time equally:

1. You will develop your own programme of research in areas aligned to the focus of the Centre;
2. You will co-create and develop new and emerging areas of interdisciplinary research, leading to new research collaborations that transcend quantitative, biomedical and clinical disciplines. This will include pump priming projects, training and mentoring of students and academic colleagues, engaged research with members of the public and partnership development with key stakeholders.

At present we are seeking individuals with a strong background in one or more of dynamical systems, complex networks, continuum mechanics, machine learning and artificial intelligence, data analytics and visualisation, advanced imaging, diagnostics and decision support. If you are curiosity driven, seeking to further develop your quantitative skills and want to tackle some of the most pressing healthcare and societal challenges, then we want to hear from you.

Ideally with some postdoctoral experience already, you will receive strong support for developing your own independent programme of research, ultimately leading to personal fellowship funding. To facilitate this you will be given protected time to pursue your own research interests, as well as being automatically enrolled into our developing leaders programme. 14 graduates of this programme have secured their own personal fellowships over the past 3 years. This represents a success rate of over 80%. Further, through its Birmingham Fellows scheme, the University has a strong track-record of transitioning independent research fellowship holders into permanent academic careers.

To apply for the role applicants must submit:

• a detailed letter of application which explains how each of the essential criteria for the role, as detailed within the 'Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications and Experience Required' section, are satisfied;
• a two-page summary of the research they plan to undertake within the Centre;
• a recent publication that best reflects their skills and experience alongside a brief narrative describing its impact.

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to the University of Birmingham on 23rd and 24th September to attend an assessment centre for the roles. Due to the nature of the recruitment process, please ensure you are available to attend in person on these dates. Reasonable expenses for attending will be reimbursed.

Main Duties/Responsibilities

The role may include some but not all of the responsibilities outlined below:

• Develop research objectives and proposals for own or joint research, with assistance of a mentor if required
• Contribute to writing bids for research funding
• Analyse and interpret data
• Apply knowledge in a way which develops new intellectual understanding
• To work with industrial and clinical partners and support project review meetings
• Disseminate research findings for publication, research seminars etc
• Supervise students on research related work and provide guidance to PhD students where appropriate to the discipline
• Contribute to knowledge transfer on own specialism that is of manifest benefit to the College and the University, often under supervision of a project leader
• Contribute to developing new models, techniques and methods
• Undertake management/administration arising from research
• Contribute to Centre research-related activities and research- related administration
• Contribute to enterprise, business development and/or public engagement activities of manifest benefit to the College and the University, often under supervision of a project leader
• Collect research data; this may be through a variety of research methods, such as scientific experimentation, literature reviews, modelling, and research interviews
• Present research outputs, including drafting academic publications or parts thereof, for example at seminars and as posters
• Provide guidance, as required, to support staff and any students who may be assisting with the research
• Deal with problems that may affect the achievement of research objectives and deadlines
• Contribute to the planning and organising of the research programme and/or specific research project

• Co-ordinate own work with others to avoid conflict or duplication of effort
• Decide in consultation with Centre leadership, on the most appropriate way of undertaking the specified research activities
• Decide in consultation with Centre leadership and project sponsors as appropriate how to analyse and interpret the data from the specified research activities
• Decide in consultation with the Centre leadership and project sponsors what knowledge to draw on and how to apply it to develop new intellectual understanding
• Contribute to deciding what information to include in a bid for research funding and how to present the bid to maximise the likelihood of securing the funding
• Decide in collaboration with co-authors which aspects of the research findings to include in a presentation or a publication and how to convey the findings
• Give guidance, support and advice to students on research related work including PhD students and decide the most appropriate method of providing this supervision.
• Liaise with research staff and support staff on research-related matters
• Liaise with external collaborators on the research, where appropriate
• Give presentations and/or contribute to presentations at national and/or international conferences
• Referee articles for peer-reviewed academic journals
• Maintain contact with (including membership of) appropriate professional bodies
• Liaise with the relevant external research community via seminars and conferences
• Communicate with external clients of the University or members of the public.

Person Specification

(Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications and Experience Required)

• Hold a relevant first degree or masters in a quantitative discipline (e.g. Mathematics, Computer Science, Physics Chemistry, Engineering or closely related discipline)

• Hold a PhD in a quantitative discipline (e.g. Mathematics, Computer Science, Physics Chemistry, Engineering or closely related discipline)

• Relevant and up to date knowledge in one or more of the following areas:
o Dynamical Systems
o Complex Networks
o Continuum Mechanics
o Machine Learning or Artificial Intelligence
o Data Analytics and Visualisation
o Advanced Imaging
o Diagnostics and Decision Support Tools

• Extensive programming experience in multiple high-level programming languages (e.g. C, C++, Fortran, Matlab, Python)
• Sustained record of research output in internationally recognised peer-review journals
• Proven ability to communicate complex information clearly and to a range of stakeholders (for example evidenced through publications and presentations at conferences, in public engagement activities, through industry partnerships etc)
• Able to participate as part of an interdisciplinary team to develop new research ideas
• Evidence of the ability to collaborate actively within the Institution and externally to complete research projects and advance knowledge
• Able to identify sources of funding, generate income and build relationships for future activities
• Experience of teaching / demonstrating at undergraduate level

For further information please contact John Terry, J.R.Terry@bham.ac.uk