Assistant Professor (Research)

The role will be a part of the Department of Sociology, which was established in 1964 initially as a Department of Social Theory and Institutions. The Department delivers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in Sociology, Criminology and Social Work and supports the delivery of a faculty research methods programme as part of the collaborative NINEDTP. The Department’s research strategy is built around five themes: 1) Communities and Social Justice; 2) Health and Social Theory; 3) Higher Education and Social Inequality; 4) Violence and Abuse; and 5) Criminal Justice, Social Harm and Inequalities. The post holder will also be a key member of the , a university-wide research institute focused encouraging and supporting high calibre interdisciplinary research to understand and address human health challenges.

The Role

The post holder will affiliate with one of the ARC research themes, establish inclusive communities of practice, and lead programmes of research across the North East and North Cumbria and nationally, in line with the strategic aims of the theme. The five themes across the ARC are:

1. Prevention including multiple long-term conditions.
2. Addressing inequity in health and care systems.
3. Supporting children, women, and family health.
4. Workforce Inclusion and Innovation for Impact.
5. Care Improvement and Safety.

The research opportunity at Durham University is aligned to the theme: Prevention including multiple long-term conditions. Please indicate up to two secondary themes you would like to align your application to. All candidates will be expected to work in partnership across themes. We are also looking for candidates who wish to express an interest in leading research aligned to Research Inclusion.

The successful applicant will be expected to have existing and well-established networks with a range of health, social care and community-based collaborators, including across other NIHR infrastructures. They will develop their own specialist research leadership while working in a pro-active and collaborative way to deliver work addressing critical national and regional priorities. They will be adaptive and responsive to emerging system needs, benefitting from the outstanding mentoring and supportive environment to secure additional grant funding over the 4-year period of the role. The role holder will be required to spend 50% of their time working responsively with health and social care partners to design and deliver programmes of work.

As part of our commitment to grow our applied research community and promote a supportive research culture, the role holder will be required to spend at least two days per week in person in the university or at relevant ARC events.