Professor of Economics

# Job description

The Department of International Development, King’s College London, is a young, innovative and contemporary Development Studies department. Our focus is on global patterns of wealth and inequality, with a core focus on middle income countries where substantial wealth sits alongside poverty and precarity. The mission of the department is to understand sources of success as well as major development challenges. We have cross and interdisciplinary teams in five varied research groups which share the objectives of improving wellbeing and future lives. 

 

The Department is seeking to appoint a new, internationally distinguished Professor in development economics, to add to the Department’s excellence in research and critical scholarship. The successful candidate will have a PhD, substantial experience in all aspects of academic life and work, an outstanding track record in research, teaching, publications, academic leadership and other forms of scholarship, and demonstrable commitment to collegiality, diversity, equity and inclusion. The successful candidate will provide strategic academic leadership and foster research and educational excellence.  

 

We welcome applicants from the full spectrum of development economics, including mainstream and heterodox, with preference given to candidates working on middle-income countries. Candidates will have substantial research, grant-making and teaching experience, extensive experience supervising doctoral research students, and a strong dedication to collegiality and to mentoring junior colleagues. Candidates may also have a demonstrated commitment to engagement with policy-makers, practitioners and publics beyond academia.  

 

At King’s, we are deeply committed to equality of opportunity and the recognition and promotion of diversity and inclusion in all our activities so that the university is an inclusive, welcoming and inspiring place to work and study, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marital status, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion, sex or sexual orientation. King’s offers inclusive benefits to staff including flexible working, Enhanced Parental Leave, funds for Parents and Carers and the potential to join community staff networks.  The Department of International Development is committed to the provision of equality of opportunity and the recognition and promotion of diversity for all our students, staff and visitors. We hold Bronze Athena SWAN Certification and King’s was awarded a Race Equality Charter Bronze Mark in 2020. Our policies align with the College’s equalities policies, including efforts to build an anti-racist university as outlined in the King’s Race Equality Action Plan 2020-2024. We work to ensure that applicants from under-represented backgrounds and those with protected characteristics feel confident applying to work in our Department. 

 

This post will be offered on an indefinite contract 

This is a full-time post - 100% full time equivalent# Key responsibilities

- To take a significant leadership role within the Department, and to contribute to academic leadership within the School of Global Affairs.
- To lead, undertake and publish high-quality research, developing a portfolio of individual/joint research projects with high quality outputs and impact in line with Departmental, School and College research strategies and research profile.
- To take an active role in securing major external grant funding for research activities, for example from the ESRC.
- To contribute to the ongoing development and design of new and existing teaching programmes in the Department and the College.
- To participate fully in teaching, assessment and examination processes as appropriate using a variety of methods and techniques and provide effective, timely and appropriate feedback to students to support their learning, and to assist students with difficulties.
- To undertake the supervision of postgraduate research, at Masters and PhD levels.
- To promote the aims of the next generation of academics by mentoring early career researchers and junior staff as required.
- To carry out major external roles (e.g., within a professional association on advisory boards, within a research council, etc).
- To engage in external academic activities in accordance with the Department, School and Faculty’s research strategy, and which will enhance its national/international research profile.
- To contribute to performance and development review processes as appropriate in accordance with the College’s strategy.
- To engage in professional development as appropriate to update skills, and to support teaching excellence.
- To demonstrate impact produced from own research, demonstrated by links with non-academic stakeholders and significant public engagement activity.
- To undertake any other reasonable duties requested by the Head of Department.

 

*The above list of responsibilities may not be exhaustive, and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks and responsibilities as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post.*

# Skills, knowledge, and experience

**Essential criteria**

1.      PhD in economics, development economics or applied economics.

2.      Evidence of established international research profile as evidenced by publications and social science scholarship of an international standard and successful grant capture, with demonstrable impact on the field of international development

3.      Expertise in economics research applied to middle-income countries.

4.      Proven experience of significant leadership roles at Department, Faculty or University level

5.      Demonstrable ability to design and deliver teaching of economics effectively at undergraduate and/or postgraduate level from a gender- and race-aware, Global South-focused and decolonial perspective.

6.      Demonstrable commitment to and/or experience of working in a multi-disciplinary and diverse research and teaching environment and collaboratively as a part of a team

7.     Demonstrable understanding of diversity, equity and inclusion and how these principles can be applied in a higher education setting.

8.      Evidence of successful supervision through to completion of PhD students.

 

**Desirable criteria**

1.      Evidence of engagement with appropriate research, practitioner and policy communities.

2.      Proven experience of impact leadership, demonstrated by links with non-academic stakeholders and significant public engagement activity.

3.      Evidence of successful external grant applications from major research funders such as the ESRC, Wellcome Trust, European Commission or equivalent funders.

4.      Portfolio of leadership roles in the wider profession (e.g., editorship of journal, leadership within professional association, membership of advisory boards).

## Further information

The selection process will include a presentation to the wider department and a panel interview. The post is scheduled to start in April 2024.