Lecturer/Senior Lecturer/Reader in Functional Materials

Job summary

The Department of Materials wishes to appoint up to five new colleagues to join its academic staff in strategic areas. This will be at the level of Lecturer, Senior Lecturer or Reader depending upon experience. The appointed academic will be supported in their development of an internationally-leading experimental research programme relating to the specific themes of: (1) Engineering Alloys (2) Ceramics and glasses (3) Nanomaterials  (4)...

Job listing information

• Reference ENG02488
• Date posted 3 February 2023
• Closing date 27 March 2023

Key information about the role

• Location South Kensington and White City Campus - Hybrid
• Position type Full time, permanent
• Salary Internationally competitive plus benefits
• Department Department of Materials
• Category Academic & Teaching / Non Clinical Academic & Teaching

Job description

Job summary

The Department of Materials wishes to appoint up to five new colleagues to join its academic staff in strategic areas. This will be at the level of Lecturer, Senior Lecturer or Reader depending upon experience. The appointed academic will be supported in their development of an internationally-leading experimental research programme relating to the specific themes of:

(1) Engineering Alloys
(2) Ceramics and glasses
(3) Nanomaterials 
(4) Functional Materials 
(5) Materials for Quantum Technologies

The appointee will be expected to plan, direct and undertake the implementation of research activities and programmes of outstanding quality, international repute and innovation in the area of Functional Materials, in particular thin film growth and characterisation, with potential application in optoelectronic, memory and quantum devices.

You will join a friendly, dynamic, world-leading Materials department that enjoys an ethos of collaboration.  While the posts are distinct, you may have expertise in several themes. You will be expected to attract and supervise PhD students and postdoctoral research staff, publish high-quality papers in appropriate peer-reviewed journals, disseminate research findings at relevant conferences, seek and obtain external research funding, and contribute to the Department’s undergraduate and Master’s teaching programmes. You will also be encouraged to interact with scientists and engineers from other departments across Imperial and have a strong track record and interest in developing external collaborations both nationally (particularly in connection with the Faraday Institution, the Royce Institute, the London Centre for Nanotechnology, and National Labs and Facilities) and internationally.

Duties and responsibilities

We invite applications from exceptional candidates with demonstrable expertise relevant to the posts, with complementary research interests to our existing activities. 

We develop unprecedented function-properties insight through our range of state-of-the art characterisation facilities.  Our novel materials are applied to a wide range of fields such as microwave and terahertz devices for communication and sensing, molecular spintronics, organic optoelectronics and plasmonic enhancement for biosensing. 

We have a strong research activity in quantum applications of materials and are leaders and co-founders of the UK Materials for Quantum Technologies Network (M4QN). 

Key Responsibilities:

• To develop a research programme aligned with the academic mission of the Department and the College.
• To direct, lead and contribute to, the research area of Functional Materials aligned with our existing capabilities at the highest scientifically rigorous levels.
• To obtain funds and research grants and to encourage and guide junior research staff to do the same.
• To manage research projects.
• To teach and examine courses at all levels – undergraduate, masters and higher research degrees – through lectures, seminars, tutorials, laboratory classes, course work and personal supervision.
  To plan and review own approach to teaching.
• To take a leading role in, or contribute to, the development of teaching and teaching methods and assessment.
• To participate in the business planning and objective setting process for the academic team and the Department.
• To make a significant contribution to building and establishing links between the appropriate departments and colleagues in other parts of Faculty and wider College
• To demonstrate excellent leadership skills with regard to individual performance, academic teams, the department, Faculty, College, and when participating in national/international initiatives.

Essential requirements

Applicants will be assessed against the following person specifications, taking into account the level of the position for which they are applying (please refer to full Job description)

For Lecturer:

• A developing national reputation and expertise in the field of Functional Materials.  This can include their fabrication, characterization or implementation in device, or a combination thereof.
• A developing national reputation and expertise in the field of thin film growth.
• Experience of preparing grant applications for submission
• A portfolio of high-quality research publications, confirming national standing (commensurate with career stage)

Senior Lecturer:

• An established national and developing international reputation and expertise in the field of Functional Materials. This can include their fabrication, characterization or implementation in device, or a combination thereof. 
• An established national reputation and expertise in the field of thin film growth.
• A track record in attracting significant research funding.

Reader:

• An established international reputation and expertise in the field of Functional Materials and an ability to articulate a clear research vision which complements existing work.
• An established national reputation and expertise in the field of thin film growth.
• A track record in leading significant research funding bids
• Evidence of significant contribution to the development and performance of colleagues through coaching and mentoring

Further information

Starting salary:           

• Lecturer – £62,768 - £71,264 per annum
• Senior Lecturer - £68,313 - £71,264 per annum
• Reader - From £73,806 per annum

The post is fulltime and is open ended.

Candidates will need to complete the online application to be considered for this role.

Informal enquiries may be directed to Professor Sandrine Heutz, Head of the Department, (s.heutz@imperial.ac.uk).

Should you have any queries about the application process please contact Mrs Darakshan Khan (d.khan@imperial.ac.uk).

For technical issues queries, please contact: support.jobs@imperial.ac.uk.