Position Details

Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, College of Medical and Dental Sciences

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK (Dubai Flying Faculty)

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £42,149 to £50,296, with potential progression once in post to £56,587

Grade 8

Full Time

Fixed Term Contract up to 31 August 2025

Closing date: 22 August 2022

The University has introduced a revised Academic Career Framework and new Assistant Professors joining us will participate in a 5 year Academic Development Programme which will provide mentorship and development opportunities to support their progression to Associate Professor at the end of the programme.

Background 

An opportunity has arisen to become part of the University of Birmingham and to join our mission to deliver a world-class university education and research in Birmingham and in the global city and international hub of Dubai.
The MSc program in Bioinformatics was launched in new campus in Dubai in 2021.  The program is part of the new University of Birmingham campus, opened in Dubai in November 2017, becoming the first global top 100 and Russell Group University to establish a campus in this rapidly developing international education hub. The University of Birmingham Dubai provides opportunities for students to study on a range of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes to the same recognised standards as those delivered on our UK campus. Our Phase 2 Dubai campus opened in 2021 will provide an academic home for up to 2,900 students, a community for Birmingham alumni in the region and a hub for local and global outreach and engagement activities.
As an Assistant Professor for the MSc Bioinformatics in Dubai, the post-holder will work closely with the Program Director in Dubai the Programme lead for the related MSc programme in Birmingham, to ensure the delivery of the programme on the Dubai campus. The post holder will also liaise extensively with academics based in the College of Medical and Dental Sciences (MDS) and the College of Life and Environmental Sciences (LES), in particular the Institute for Cancer and Genomic Sciences and School of Biosciences, to deliver teaching and research.  Across both Colleges there is  excellence and expertise in computational biology, systems biology, and bioinformatics across the range of fundamental and applied sciences, in both the University and allied health care arenas, delivering  world-class, independent and collaborative research, as well as teaching to a broad audience, ranging from undergraduates to health care professionals.

The post holder will contribute to the delivery of the MSc Bioinformatics programmes, including by developing new modules and leading  the taught and thesis components of the programme in Dubai as fits with their specific expertise. In addition, the post holder will contribute to the teaching of the wider Data Science for Life Science portfolio in both Edgbaston and Dubai, in particular the complementary MSc Health Data Science in Dubai, to be launched in September 2022.

Summary of Role

The post-holder will contribute to the whole range of teaching, research and administration of the MSc Bioinformatics at the University of Birmingham in Dubai and Edgbaston.

The post will be based in Edgbaston with significant time spent in Dubai. The post holder will be expected to lead existing MSc Bioinformatics modules on statistics and machine learning and contribute according to their subject knowledge to the other taught modules comprising the programme. The post holder will also develop new modules for this programme and/or complementary to other related programmes.

Teaching roles includes a substantial contribution to: (a) the management, development (including programme/module review) and delivery of teaching and assessment; and (b) enhancement of the student experience or employability.  The role will typically also involve developing and advising others, including: (a) providing expert advice to staff and students, (b) supervising and examining PhD students, and (c) developing and advising others on learning and teaching tasks and methods.

Management and administration roles are likely to involve contributions at the UoB Dubai and Institute level, and/or making an important contribution to some managerial/leadership activities (e.g. working groups) within the University.  This may include developing and making substantial contributions to knowledge transfer, enterprise, business engagement, public engagement, widening participation, school outreach, or similar activities at the Institute and College level or further within the University.

This post is a ‘flying faculty’ post and based at the University’s Edgbaston Campus. The successful candidate is expected to undertake international travel and carry out periods of work overseas particularly in the Dubai campus, to teach in blocks and then resume teaching duties in Edgbaston.

Main Duties / Responsibilities

The post-holder will:
•    Contribute to the MSc Bioinformatics and related programmes in Dubai and Edgbaston;
•    Assist the Program Director in running and promoting the course;
•    Lead the curriculum development and/or renewal;
•    Deliver the key modules of modules and statistics and machine learning in Dubai campus;
•    Provide substantial contribution to teaching in multiple modules of the programme; and
•    Develop and manage approaches to teaching and learning that are innovative to the subject area or institution
•    Undertake and develop a full range of responsibilities in relation to research supervision, marking and examining;
•    Advise others on aspects of learning, teaching and assessment;
•    Deliver (where appropriate to the discipline) specific professional programmes;
•    Advance the practice of teaching in their modules, and play an important role in student academic support;
•    Inform their teaching practice by discipline based research;
•    Frequently update their own subject expertise, and undertake personal professional development in teaching, including self-reflection on own teaching, using student and peer review feedback, to enhance own teaching and learning processes;

In addition, they will play an important role in the recruitment and admission of students; and co-supervise, with a research focused or research and teaching focused member of staff, doctoral students to completion.

Management/Administration

To contribute to Institute and University administration or have a high level of responsibility for others. This may include:
•    Contribute to the administration/management of research and/or teaching across College and UoB Dubai portfolios
•    Advise on personal development of colleagues and students
•    Make a major contribution to some administrative activities within the University (e.g. appeals panels, working groups)
•    Manage enterprise, business development, and public engagement activities of manifest benefit to the Institute, College and University
•    Develop and make substantial contributions to knowledge transfer, enterprise, business engagement, public engagement, widening participation, school outreach.
•    Actively manages equality, diversity and inclusion through monitoring and evaluation and actively challenging unacceptable behaviour

Person Specification

•    PhD or equivalent experience in Bioinformatics, Mathematics, Statistics, Computer Sciences or related fields
•    Extensive teaching experience and scholarship within subject specialism, especially in statistics and machine learning
•    Proven ability to devise, advise on and manage learning and research
•    Skills in managing, motivating and mentoring others successfully at all levels

Teaching

•    Ability to design, deliver, assess and revise teaching programmes.
•    Extensive experience and demonstrated success in developing appropriate approaches to learning and teaching, and advising colleagues
•    Experience and success in knowledge transfer, enterprise and similar activity that enhances the student experience or employability
•    Hold (or being working towards) a post graduate teaching certificate relating to practice in higher education

Research

•    An active research profile which may be demonstrated by publication of papers in leading peer-reviewed journals.
•    A record of obtaining independent research funding.

Management Administration

•    Ability to contribute to School/Departmental management processes
•    Ability to assess and organise resources effectively
•    Understanding of and ability to contribute to broader management/administration processes
•    Experience of championing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in own work area
•    Ability to monitor and evaluate the extent to which equality and diversity legislation, policies, procedures are applied
•    Ability to identify issues with the potential to impact on protected groups and take appropriate action

Further particulars can be found here.

Primary Location

 GB-GB-Birmingham

Job

 Academic Non-clinical

Organization

 Cancer and Genomic Sciences

Schedule

 Temporary

Job Posting

 26.07.2022, 3:15:53 PM

Salary (Pay Basis)

 42,149.00

Maximum Salary

 56,587.00

Advert Close Date

 22.08.2022, 11:59:00 PM