Academic ConnectJob Description
CMVM / Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies / The Roslin Institute
Full-time: 35 hours per week
Open-ended (permanent)
We are looking for an exceptional individual to work with our Principal Investigators, professional services staff and technical support teams to deliver a clear and exciting vision for the future of the Roslin Institute towards the wider School research strategy.
The Opportunity: Director of the Roslin Institute
Along with outstanding leadership and strategic skills, the successful candidate will demonstrate an inclusive approach to enhancing a productive research culture and the ability to forge new partnerships nationally and internationally. Building synergy across the Institute, School and the wider College, the successful candidate will accelerate the Institute’s discovery and translational research and provide leadership on teaching.
The Roslin Institute is a world-leading centre of animal bioscience research, supported strategically by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), with a vibrant postgraduate research programme and ca. 65 Group Leaders and Tenure-Track Fellows across eight research divisions. Roslin sits within the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies; one of the world’s leading vet schools (ranking 5th in QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024).
Further details are available in the PDF brochure including a summary of the new School Strategy (2025-2030).
This is a senior appointment by the University of Edinburgh and, as such, a competitive salary at Grade 10 will be offered and will be negotiable depending on experience
Your skills and attributes for success:
- Have an excellent research career with international peer recognition in an area of bioscience of relevance to the Institute;
- Be able to demonstrate vision and experience in the leadership of a science-driven organisation and the ability to think and operate strategically;
- Be a motivating, inclusive and effective leader, able to work with and enthuse a diverse range of staff, contributing to further development of the Institute
- Be able to manage and direct a sustainable, diverse research operation with significant numbers of staff, initially across a multi-location environment;
- Be committed to knowledge transfer and innovation, with an ability to translate research at the Institute into commercial opportunities; Ability to articulate policy to individuals, groups and the media and to develop effective partnerships.
Click to view a copy of the full job description (opens new browser tab)
Application Information Please ensure you include the following documents in your application:
- Full Academic CV
- Cover letter outlining your interests in and vision for the role and your contributions to supporting the wider research ecosystem.
As a valued member of our team you can expect:
- A competitive salary
- An exciting, positive, creative, challenging and rewarding place to work.
- To be part of a diverse and vibrant international community
- Comprehensive Staff Benefits, such as a generous holiday entitlement, competitive pension schemes, staff discounts, and family-friendly initiatives. Check out the full list on our staff benefits page (opens in a new tab)
Championing equality, diversity and inclusion
The University of Edinburgh holds a Silver Athena SWAN award in recognition of our commitment to advance gender equality in higher education. We are members of the Race Equality Charter and we are also Stonewall Scotland Diversity Champions, actively promoting LGBT equality.
Prior to any employment commencing with the University you will be required to evidence your right to work in the UK. Further information is available on our right to work webpages (opens new browser tab)
The University is able to sponsor the employment of international workers in this role. If successful, an international applicant requiring sponsorship to work in the UK will need to satisfy the UK Home Office’s English Language requirements and apply for and secure a Skilled Worker Visa.
Key dates to note
The closing date for applications is: Thursday 28th August 2025.
Unless stated otherwise the closing time for applications is 11:59pm GMT. If you are applying outside the UK the closing time on our adverts automatically adjusts to your browsers local time zone.
Interviews will be held: Monday 10th November 2025.
Shortlisted candidates will be expected to be present in Edinburgh w/c 3rd November 2025 for an informal visit to the Institute and to deliver a presentation to staff.
About Us
As a world-leading research-intensive University, we are here to address tomorrow’s greatest challenges. Between now and 2030 we will do that with a values-led approach to teaching, research and innovation, and through the strength of our relationships, both locally and globally.
About the Team
The Roslin Institute is a world-leading centre for animal bioscience research and has a distinctive niche within the UK National Institutes of Bioscience, supported strategically by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). The Institute moved to a new £60M state-of-the-art building at the Easter Bush Campus in 2011, which is now occupied by > 670 people including ~ 65 Group Leaders and Career Track Fellows, other research and support staff, students and visitors and ~90 staff from Scotland’s Rural College. The Institute has a vibrant programme of postgraduate research, with 176 PhD students registered at the time of writing. Research at the Institute is organised across three research divisions (Genetics & Genomics, Infection & Immunity and Developmental Biology) and three Institute Strategic Programmes (BBSRC funded from 2017-2022) that integrate many disciplines (Blueprints for Healthy Animals, Control of Infectious Diseases and Improving Animal Productivity & Welfare). Crosscutting themes in Epidemiology and Population Health and in Clinical Sciences link research at the Institute to clinical activities in the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and support the research activities of clinical academic staff. In the most recent Research Excellence Framework (REF 2014), a joint submission from The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, The Roslin Institute and Scotland’s Rural College was ranked 1st by research power (volume x quality) in the category of Agriculture, Veterinary and Food Science.
Over £200M has been invested in physical infrastructure at Easter Bush since 2008, including recently in the National Avian Research Facility and the Charnock Bradley Building, which houses the Roslin Innovation Centre – an incubator space for agritech start-up companies and spin out companies to commercialise the Institute’s intellectual property. Investments continue, as the Institute is a major partner in the new Agri-Tech Centre for Innovation Excellence in Livestock, which together with the University, funds the construction of a £25 M Large Animal Research and Imaging Facility. The Centre for Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health, primed by investment from the Gates Foundation and Department for International Development, aims to unlock the genetic potential of farmed animals by dissecting genotype-by-environment interactions to sustainably improve animal productivity in low- and middle-income countries.
The Institute’s income exceeds £30M p.a., around 50% of which derives from the BBSRC via strategic and competitive funding. Our focus on improving farming systems, animal productivity and welfare, and the control of animal and zoonotic diseases is key to delivery of the BBSRC’s strategic priorities for Agriculture & Food Security, Veterinary Vaccinology and Bioscience for Health. This research is expedited by extensive interactions with industry, including via ongoing platform agreements with major animal breeding and pharmaceutical companies. The addition of our own £15M equity-funded commercialisation vehicle, Roslin Technologies Ltd, will accelerate translation of research at the Institute in the years to come. The Institute holds a prestigious Athena SWAN Gold award in recognition of our commitment to advance the representation of women in science.
Further details of the research conducted at the Institute can be found at https://www.ed.ac.uk/roslin
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