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Lecturer in Observational Astronomy
Job Summary
Category
Visiting and Non-tenure Faculty Positions
Institution
Durham University
Department
Physics
Number of Positions Available
1
Duration
5 Years
Could the duration be extended?
No
Work Arrangement
In-Person
In-Person Location(s)
Durham
United Kingdom
Job Description
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 of Physics is investing in excellence and seeks to appoint a talented scientist to the role of Lecturer for a fixed term of five years. We welcome applications from those with research and teaching interests in the broad field of observational astronomy and we are particularly eager to hear from applicants with a focus on exploiting both the current and next generation of astronomical observatories such as the ESO VLT and ELT, VRO LSST, SKA, Euclid, DESI and 4MOST, in which Durham is heavily involved.
This post offers an exciting opportunity to make a major contribution to the development of research and teaching Astronomy at Durham. It will also allow you to participate in internationally excellent research and research-led teaching while giving you unrivalled opportunities to progress and embed your career in an exciting and progressive institution. For more information, please visit our Department pages at www.dur.ac.uk/physics.
To create the right platform to advance our research, we have invested in physical infrastructure. In 2017, our astronomy groups, the Centre for Advanced Instrumentation, the Centre for Extragalactic Astronomy and the Institute for Computational Cosmology, moved into the new Ogden Centre for Fundamental Physics, designed by the world-renowned Studio Daniel Libeskind. The University has invested in centralised machine rooms to host our high performance computers.
The Department is committed to research-led and small group teaching. The Complete University Guide ranks Durham's Physics Department in fourth place nationally based on entry standards, student satisfaction, research and graduate prospects.
The preferred start date for the successful candidate is October 2025.
Lecturer (Fixed Term) at Durham
The role of a fixed term Lecturer at Durham provides the opportunity to deliver outstanding education and research within an inclusive and supportive environment that is staffed by world class colleagues. Lecturers will be supported to develop their academic careers by training and financial support in research and education, guided by a designated mentor. The primary focus of this role is on research and teaching but there will also be the opportunity to engage in wider citizenship within the University and beyond. The role of Lecturer is for a fixed term of 5 years, to provide cover for a colleague who will be undertaking another role. It is not anticipated that this period would be extended beyond the initial fixed term.
Applicants must demonstrate research excellence in the field of observational astronomy, with the ability to teach our students to an exceptional standard and to fully engage in the services, citizenship and values of the University.
The University provides a working and teaching environment which is inclusive and welcoming and where everyone is treated fairly with dignity and respect. Candidates will be expected to demonstrate these key principles as part of the assessment process.
Key responsibilities:
- Pursue research that is world-leading in terms of originality, significance and rigour, commensurate with the Department's continuing emphasis on international excellence;
- To develop clear plans for the pursuit of suitable national and international funding opportunities to support research and end-user engagement;
- Play a role in relevant teaching and research supervision, and contribute to ongoing curriculum development;
- Contribute to enhancing the quality of the research environment in the Department, the wider University and beyond through collaborative research activity;
- Demonstrate a willingness to contribute to the administrative work, citizenship and values of the Department;
- Offer lectures, seminars and tutorials at undergraduate and taught postgraduate levels, with the opportunity to teach more widely within the Department, as well as engaging in related activity such as assessment;
- To fully engage in and enhance the values of the Department;
- To contribute to attracting and supervising research students, and to enhance the Department’s commitment to its vibrant international postgraduate culture;
- Carry out other duties as specified by the Head of Department.
Compensation and Benefits
Compensation Type
Salary
Currency
368
Compensation Range
$46,735USD to $55,755USD
Included Benefits
Durham University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion
Our Values - Durham University
Equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are a key component of the University’s Strategy and a central part of everything we do. We also live by our Purpose and Values and our Staff Code of Conduct. At Durham we actively work towards providing an environment where our staff and students can study, work and live in a community which is supportive and inclusive. It’s important to us that all colleagues undertake activities that are aligned to both our values and commitment to EDI.
We welcome and encourage applications from those who are currently under-represented in our work force, including people with disabilities and from racially minoritised ethnic groups.
If you have taken a career break or periods of leave that may have impacted on the volume and recency of your research outputs and other activities, such as maternity, adoption or parental leave, you may wish to disclose this in your application. The selection committee will take this into account when evaluating your application.
The University has been awarded the Disability Confident Leader status. If you are a candidate with a disability, we are committed to ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process. We will make adjustments to support the interview process wherever it is reasonable to do so and, where successful, reasonable adjustments will be made to support people within their role.
Compensation Notes
Working at Durham University
A globally outstanding centre of teaching and research excellence, a warm and friendly place to work, a unique and historic setting – Durham is a university like no other.
As one of the UK’s leading universities, Durham is an incredible place to define your career. The University is located within a beautiful historic city, home to a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and surrounded by stunning countryside. Our talented scholars and researchers from around the world are tackling global issues and making a difference to people's lives.
We believe that inspiring our people to do outstanding things at Durham enables Durham people to do outstanding things in the world. Being a part of Durham is about more than just the success of the University, it’s also about contributing to the success of the city, county and community.
Our University Strategy is built on three pillars of research, education and wider student experience, but also on our keen sense of community and of inspiring others to achieve their potential.
We want our University to be a place where people can be free to be themselves, no matter what their identity or background. Together, we celebrate difference, value one another and are each responsible for creating an inclusive community that is respectful and fair for all.
Find out more about the benefits of working at the University and what it is like to live and work in the Durham area on our Why Join Us? - Information Page
Discover more about our total rewards and benefits package here.
Application Details
Application Instructions
We prefer to receive applications online.
Please note that in submitting your application Durham University will be processing your data. We would ask you to consider the relevant University Privacy Statement Job Applicants/Potential Job Applicants - Durham University which provides information on the collation, storing and use of data."
What to Submit
All applicants are asked to submit:
A CV;
A covering letter which details your experience, strengths and potential in the requirements set out above;
A personal research plan;
A statement (maximum 1 page) outlining how you will support the University's equality and diversity initiatives to develop an inclusive and diverse research and learning culture within the Department;
Two of your most significant pieces of written work, all of which published or submitted since 2020.
Where possible we request that you provide web links to these which the hiring Department will access to read your work. The application form contains fields in which to enter each of the web links.
In the event you are unable to provide accessible links to online hosting of your work, your work should be uploaded as PDFs as part of your application in our recruitment system. Please ensure that your PDFs are not larger than 2Mb. Please note that your work may be read by colleagues from across the Department and evaluated against the current REF criteria.
Please save all application documents with your name and document type as PDF files.
We will notify you on the status of your application at various points throughout the selection process, via automated emails from our e-recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to ensure you receive all emails.
Referees
You should provide details of 3 academic referees and the details of your current line manager so that we may seek an employment reference (if they are not listed as an academic referee). Please note:
We shall via greenbean by NEG seek the academic references during the application process. Academic referees should not (if possible) include your PhD supervisor(s) and a majority should be from a University other than your own (save for early career applicants applying for their first post). We would ask that you alert your academic referees to this application as soon as possible, and provide them with a copy of the CV you submit with your application, so that we can quickly obtain references should you be progressed to the long list stage. As part of your application you will be asked whether you give your consent to your academic references being sought at the longlisting stage.
Academic references sought for long-listed candidates may be made available to the panel during the shortlisting process.
We will seek a reference from your current line-manager if we make you an offer of employment (albeit you may have also nominated your line manager as an academic referee). Please clearly indicate which referee is your current line-manager and please let us know if we should only approach them once an offer has been made.
Please note that in submitting your application Durham University will be processing your data. We would ask you to consider the relevant University Privacy Statement Job Applicants/Potential Job Applicants - Durham University which provides information on the collation, storing and use of data."
What to Submit
All applicants are asked to submit:
A CV;
A covering letter which details your experience, strengths and potential in the requirements set out above;
A personal research plan;
A statement (maximum 1 page) outlining how you will support the University's equality and diversity initiatives to develop an inclusive and diverse research and learning culture within the Department;
Two of your most significant pieces of written work, all of which published or submitted since 2020.
Where possible we request that you provide web links to these which the hiring Department will access to read your work. The application form contains fields in which to enter each of the web links.
In the event you are unable to provide accessible links to online hosting of your work, your work should be uploaded as PDFs as part of your application in our recruitment system. Please ensure that your PDFs are not larger than 2Mb. Please note that your work may be read by colleagues from across the Department and evaluated against the current REF criteria.
Please save all application documents with your name and document type as PDF files.
We will notify you on the status of your application at various points throughout the selection process, via automated emails from our e-recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to ensure you receive all emails.
Referees
You should provide details of 3 academic referees and the details of your current line manager so that we may seek an employment reference (if they are not listed as an academic referee). Please note:
We shall via greenbean by NEG seek the academic references during the application process. Academic referees should not (if possible) include your PhD supervisor(s) and a majority should be from a University other than your own (save for early career applicants applying for their first post). We would ask that you alert your academic referees to this application as soon as possible, and provide them with a copy of the CV you submit with your application, so that we can quickly obtain references should you be progressed to the long list stage. As part of your application you will be asked whether you give your consent to your academic references being sought at the longlisting stage.
Academic references sought for long-listed candidates may be made available to the panel during the shortlisting process.
We will seek a reference from your current line-manager if we make you an offer of employment (albeit you may have also nominated your line manager as an academic referee). Please clearly indicate which referee is your current line-manager and please let us know if we should only approach them once an offer has been made.
Link to Online Application
Publication Start Date
2025 Jul 21
Application Deadline
2025 Aug 18
Reference Code
Job Number: 25000906