New Job Posting – Lecturer or Reader in Design Informatics – School of Informatics
Lecturer (Assistant Professor): UE08 – £44,414 – £52,841 Per Annum
Reader (Associate Professor): UE09 – £56,048 – £63,059 Per Annum
College of Science and Engineering / School of Informatics
Full-time (35 hours per week), Open-ended (Permanent)
Applications are invited for an academic position (Lecturer or Reader) in Design Informatics in the School of Informatics at the University of Edinburgh. This post is part of a continuing expansion of the Institute for Design Informatics, and associated expertise at the intersection of design, computer science, human-computer interaction, data science, and artificial intelligence, at the University.
Deadline for applications: 8th May 2023
Click here to view more information or apply for the position.
The Opportunity:
This post is associated with the Institute for Design Informatics (IDI) (designinformatics.org), a joint research initiative between the Schools of Informatics and Design. About to enter its tenth year, IDI draws upon Edinburgh’s unique combination of strengths in Informatics and Design, to inspire, equip and nurture a new generation of researchers, practitioners and entrepreneurs at the intersection of data, design and technology. IDI researchers engage in a wide-range of projects, with strengths around digital health and care, creative industries, fintech, data visualisation and analysis, digital humanities, co-creative and speculative methods, human-computer interaction, human-centered security and privacy, and the societal and ethical dimensions of data and AI. The successful candidate will join IDI’s dynamic team of 90+ academics, researchers, PhD students, software research engineers and professional services staff and their dedicated fully equipped lab spaces for data visualization, digital fabrication, and public and student engagement.
The University of Edinburgh is one of the top 5 UK universities. In the recent REF2021 assessment exercise, the School of Informatics was the computer science department with the largest research power (i.e., the combination of size and research excellence) in the UK. The School of Informatics and the School of Design both have well established connections with UK and international funding schemes. For example, as one of the founding partners of the UK’s Alan Turing Institute for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, staff and research students within IDI have opportunities to interact with PhD students, research fellows and senior researchers within the Turing Institute’s network of partners, fostering further collaborations.
Candidates
We are open to applications from candidates across the whole spectrum of subject areas and fields where design intersects with computer science, human-computer interaction, data science, or artificial intelligence. We are seeking applicants who can complement the existing strengths of the team, and who are able to take a strategic lead on the technical research agenda within IDI and build a strong research group within the institute. We are therefore very interested in applicants who explore the fusion of design with, for example, interactive and explainable machine learning, human-computer interaction, natural language interfaces and human-centred approaches to NLP, computer vision, human-robot interaction, multi-modal and intelligent interfaces, visual analytics, and immersive environments in virtual, mixed reality and cross-device interaction.
This new appointment will contribute to the Institute’s diverse research, teaching and entrepreneurship activities, help shape the future of its unique interdisciplinary Master’s programme, and build their own portfolio of externally funded research. Candidates should have experience of teaching and be interested and able to teach undergraduate and master’s level courses in Design Informatics as well as other areas of human-centred computing and human-computer interaction. They should also have an excellent publication track record, in prominent conference and journals (e.g., SIGCHI, SIGGRAPH, and other relevant IEEE and ACM venues).
The successful candidate will have (or be near to completing, for Lecturer) a PhD, an ambitious and impactful research agenda, and the enthusiasm and ability to undertake original research and build their own research group. They will show excellent teaching capability and engagement with academic supervision. We are seeking current and future leaders in the field.
Application
Applicants must provide a recent CV, a 2-3 page research statement, and a 2-3 page teaching statement, which should specify the candidate’s experience and approach to teaching, and what specialty and introductory (particularly pre-honours Informatics) courses they would be prepared and qualified to teach.
All applications must contain the following supporting documents:
- Teaching statement, 2-3 pages
- Research statement, 2-3 pages
- Full CV (resume) and publication list
- 3 references
Equal Opportunities
The University values equality, diversity and inclusion. Applications from individuals from under-represented groups are encouraged. The University of Edinburgh holds a Silver Athena SWAN award in recognition of our commitment to advance gender equality in higher education. We are members of the Race Equality Charter and we are also Stonewall Scotland Diversity Champions, actively promoting LGBT equality.
We also recognise that life and especially the pandemic may have affected some applicants disproportionately and aim to take this into account in the selection process. Applicants can optionally include a short statement regarding how their work has been disrupted by any factors (for example Covid, career breaks etc) and how this affects their recent track record. This statement should be part of the cover letter and shouldn’t be more than a paragraph in length.
Requirements and expectations
UE08 Lecturer:
- PhD and experience as an established academic in Design Informatics or a related field (e.g., Human-Computer Interaction, Interaction Design).
- Candidates who are close to completing their PhD, and who otherwise meet the selection criteria, will be considered.
- Proven experience of undertaking original research, including leading a research group.
- Proven experience of attracting research funding as an independent researcher.
- A track record of first author and/or collaborative publications in high quality journals and international conferences.
- Strong relevant research and teaching skills.
- Effective written and oral communication skills in a range of contexts (e.g. teaching, research presentations and publications).
- Experience of contributing to teaching on a range of non-Honours courses as well as in more specialist areas of relevance to Design Informatics.
- Experience of engaging with a range of teaching mediums including online and distance learning.
UE09 Reader: as above and including:
- Proven ability to provide leadership for activities in delivering the School’s objectives.
- Extensive experience in research, postgraduate supervision and teaching is essential.
- Proven ability to foster and embed a strong student-focused culture
- Evidence of significant achievement in the relevant field through (e.g.) successful knowledge transfer from research to academic community, public, private and/or voluntary sectors and general public; the receipt of prestigious prizes and awards; membership of national and international bodies relevant to the research field.
- Experience of managing, motivating and developing research staff, students and projects.
For the full job description:
Organisation
Feedback is only provided to interviewed candidates. References will be sought for all shortlisted candidates, where approval has been given on application.
Informal enquiries may be addressed to Professor John Vines (john.vines@ed.ac.uk) and Dr. Benjamin Bach (bbach@ed.ac.uk).
As a valued member of our team you can expect
An exciting, positive, creative, challenging and rewarding place to work. We give you support, nurture your talent and reward success. You will benefit from a competitive reward package and a wide range of staff benefits, which includes a generous holiday entitlement, a defined benefits pension scheme, staff discounts, family friendly initiatives, flexible working and much more. Access our staff benefits page for further information and use our reward calculator to find out the total value of pay and benefits provided.
Interviews are likely to be held in June.
If invited for an interview, you will be required to evidence your right to work in the UK. Further information is available on our right to work webpages.
The University is able to sponsor the employment of international workers in this role. If successful, an international applicant requiring sponsorship to work in the UK will need to satisfy the UK Home Office’s English Language requirements and apply for and secure a Skilled Worker Visa.
About Us
As a world-leading research-intensive University, we are here to address tomorrow’s greatest challenges. Between now and 2030 we will do that with a values-led approach to teaching, research and innovation, and through the strength of our relationships, both locally and globally.
About the Team
Informatics is the study of how natural and artificial systems store, process and communicate information. Research in Informatics promises to take information technology to a new level, and to place information at the heart of 21st century science, technology and society. The School enjoys collaborations across many disciplines in the University, spanning all three College, and also participates as a strategic partner in the Alan Turing Institute and, with Heriot-Watt University, in the Edinburgh Centre for Robotics.
The School provides a fertile environment for a wide range of studies focused on understanding computation in both artificial and natural systems. It attracts students around the world to study in our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, and currently has approximately 1000 undergraduate students, 320 MSc students and 350 PhD students. Informatics is one of seven schools in the College of Science and Engineering, at the University of Edinburgh. It is recognised for the employability of its graduates (demand exceeds supply), its contributions to entrepreneurship, and the excellence of its research. Since the first Research Assessment Exercise in 1986, Informatics at Edinburgh has consistently been assessed to have more internationally excellent and world-class research than any other submission in Computer Science and Informatics. The latest REF 2014 results have again confirmed that ours is the largest concentration of internationally excellent research in the UK. This contributes to our ranking in the top 15 CS departments world-wide according to the latest Times Higher Education ranking.
We aim to ensure that our culture and systems support flexible and family-friendly working and recognise and value diversity across all our staff and students. The School has an active programme offering support and professional development for all staff; providing mentoring, training, and networking opportunities.