• Job Description

  Req#: 2932

  Position Details

  School of Government

  Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

  Full time starting salary is normally in the range £56,021 to £64,914 with potential progression once in post to £84,644

  Grade: 9

  Full Time, Permanent

  Closing date: 30th November 2023

  Background

  The School of Government at the University of Birmingham welcomes applications at Associate Professor level from candidates with academic interests at the intersection of transformative technologies, innovation, and global affairs.

  We are seeking to appoint exceptional candidates to contribute to the Data Science Initiative in the College of Social Sciences, which aims to expand research and practice focused on transformative technologies (e.g., artificial intelligence) and data science in the social sciences. This forms part of a sustained and increasing programme of investment in data science and AI research at the University of Birmingham. As our Data Science Initiative expands, we aim to build up our position in the global ecosystem where cutting-edge technology perspectives interface with society, businesses, and government issues.

  Transformative technologies bear immense potential to solve global problems, but they also pose new unforeseen risks. Recent advancements in AI have the potential to fundamentally transform the public and private sector, including personal and collective spheres. This technological leap requires well-thought-out approaches, policies, regulations, and other responses, both domestically and internationally. It calls on academic, industry and governmental partners to develop responsible technologies that deliver for the good of humanity.

  To this end, we are creating an academic position with a significant focus on government and business engagement, and domestic and international partnerships. An Associate Professor appointment in this role would act as a bridge between academia, industry, and government - three sectors that frequently operate in separate silos but stand to gain significantly from increased collaboration. They would expedite knowledge transfer, promote the application of our research, and cultivate an understanding of how AI can be harnessed to address national and global challenges.

  We invite applications from candidates with expertise in AI, innovation, and global affairs. We are particularly interested in candidates with a senior level experience in business, government, or international organisations and multilateral processes. Successful candidates will be based in the School of Government but will collaborate closely with the School of Computer Science through the Institute for Interdisciplinary Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (IIDSAI). We expect successful candidates to be passionate about interdisciplinary research and teaching.

  We particularly welcome applications from female, black and minority ethnic candidates who are underrepresented in the school. We are happy to discuss flexible working.

  Role Summary

  Contribute at a senior level on a sustained basis to a range of Enterprise, Engagement and Impact (EE&I), teaching, and leadership and management activities. 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.

  EE&I activities will include, as appropriate a range of activities such as high value impact, knowledge transfer, enterprise, business engagement, and public engagement.

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

  Management and administration is likely to include Departmental/School leadership and management activity with University wide involvement.

  Main Duties

  EE&I

  You will lead and contribute, as appropriate, across a range of EE&I activities:

  • delivering significant knowledge transfer activities in partnership with industry, public services, government or NGOs; this could be in the form of contract research, consultancy and/or collaboration
  • carrying out activity which demonstrates economic benefit through commercialisation activity (e.g. a spin-out company);
  • attracting medium-large scale external funding to develop and deliver innovative and distinctive national (and ideally international) EE&I activities;
  • developing and maintaining high level networking links and collaborations, with industry, government, professional and funding bodies;
  • shaping debates through expert contributions to media (which may be print, broadcast, online and social media) or policy debate;
  • working collaboratively with national (and possibly international) partners, helping to deliver demonstrable impact from research, teaching and other University activities;
  • delivering high-quality impact, which may be evidenced through case studies;
  • developing and delivering CPD/training/consultancy activities;
  • roles on important sectoral bodies eg professional regulators eg chairing accreditation committees on behalf of professional bodies;
  • taking up roles on government and research council steering committees, or similar;
  • leading on public engagement/outreach activities;
  • acting as a mentor to colleagues in the School/Department/College or more widely on impact, engagement etc.

  Education

  You will contribute across the range of teaching, development/training/CPD/professional practice activities, including practice/industry focussed:

  • making a contribution to enhancing teaching/development/training practice, the development of teaching resources and/or practice-based research;
  • leading on the management and the development of approaches to teaching and learning, including designing innovative approaches and supporting colleagues to use them in 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;
  • making an impactful, high quality contribution to debates about education policy, methods and practices through internal and external publications, subject societies and conference activity;
  • playing an important and sustained role in the recruitment and admission of students;
  • co-supervising students to completion;
  • leading the development of teaching, learning and assessment policies and strategies;
  • leading the development of new and appropriate approaches to learning and teaching;
  • 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.

  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;
  • leading successful international engagement at School or College level;
  • developing and managing staff and resources in support of major research and/or teaching and/or EEI activities
  • making important contributions to the development of the Department’s strategies, particularly in relation to any EEI activities;
  • 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/Department e.g., Senate, Council, other University level committees 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. new EEI initiative);
  • 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 discipline area or equivalent qualifications.

  Demonstrated excellence in EE&I, with competence in Learning and Teaching, and Management and administration.

  EE&I requirements

  Demonstrated significant achievements in EE&I activities, which may include leadership of activities/initiatives. Evidence of success under the following headings:

  • High national reputation and recognition with key stakeholders for EE&I activities
  • Ability and successful record, as appropriate for the discipline, in attracting funding for EE&I activities
  • Evidence of substantial impact of EE&I activities eg a spin out company, shaping of debates, knowledge transfer
  • Evidence of high level networking activity used to deliver impact
  • Evidence of working collaboratively internally and externally with stakeholders
  • Sustained high value impact knowledge transfer and enterprise that is of manifest benefit to the College and University

  Learning and teaching requirements

  An excellent teaching profile and performance in terms of both impact and quality. 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.
  • Mentoring and expert advice which develops the skills of colleagues in teaching and in fostering learning.

  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. Impact Lead).
  • 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.

  All applications must contain the following supporting documents via the online application system:

  1. Cover letter addressing your suitability for the role.
  2. Full CV.
  3. Teaching statement (up to 2 pages).
  4. Contact details for three referees.
  5. Enterprise, Engagement, and Impact statement (up to 2 pages)

  We will invite shortlisted candidates for a campus visit to meet the faculty in the School of Government and School of Computer Science. Interviews with the selected candidates will be held subsequently. We will start reviewing applications on [20th September 2023] and invite shortlisted candidates for the campus visit on a rolling basis. If all positions are filled prior to the final closing date [30th November 2023], we may close the advert, so we encourage early applications.

  Informal enquires to Professor René Lindstädt (Head of School of Government) at R.Lindstaedt@bham.ac.uk; Professor Slava Jankin (School of Government and IIDSAI) at v.jankin@bham.ac.uk; Dr. Timea Nochta (INLOGOV) - t.nochta@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.

• About the company

  The University of Birmingham is a public research university located in Edgbaston, Birmingham, United Kingdom.

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