"Lecturer Humanities Data Science"

The UCL Department of Information Studies (DIS) in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities launched a new BSc Information in Society programme at UCL East in 2024. The department also offers postgraduate qualifications for the library, archive, and information professions, publishing, information and data science and digital humanities, and collaborates in the delivery of an inter-faculty BSc in Information Management for Business. We have a strong international reputation for research and are deeply committed to teaching quality.

The Department of Information Studies wishes to appoint an innovative researcher to a full-time lectureship in Humanities Data Science, beginning in 2025/26. We welcome applicants with expertise applying data science solutions to humanities research problems. The humanities discipline, period, region, or language of research specialism is open. However, the candidate’s research should primarily be to contribute to humanities or social science academic conversations. Our department proudly teaches students from a wide range of national, religious, and cultural backgrounds. Applicants with both local and cross-cultural or international specialisms are particularly encouraged to apply.

The teaching focus will be undergraduate level as part of the Information in Society BSc at the UCL East Campus within the School for the Creative and Cultural Industries (SCCI). There may be scope to contribute to the teaching of postgraduate programmes in the Department of Information Studies at the UCL Bloomsbury campus. The successful candidate will be expected to supervise doctoral, Masters and undergraduate dissertations and undertake academic related administrative duties.

In the first instance, we are seeking a candidate who can effectively develop and teach research methods and data visualisation modules to upper year undergraduate students on the Information in Society BSc programme. Teaching may evolve in future years to reflect the interests of the candidate and the needs of the department. This initial teaching will include a range of information, data, and humanities research methods that will enable students to choose and apply appropriate methods for their dissertations. This will include qualitative, quantitative, and visual approaches to analysis and communication. A keen understanding and respect for disciplinary differences will be an asset in our interdisciplinary department. The successful candidate will have a strong grounding in the critical study of epistemology in the humanities and be able to engage students in thinking about methods and research design.

Strong data visualisation skills would also be an asset to the programme. A candidate with a balance of technical proficiency, criticality, and creativity is encouraged to apply. They will be comfortable guiding students through both the practical and theoretical dimensions of working with diverse data types. They should be able to support students in developing visual storytelling skills that are grounded in ethical, accessible, and contextually aware design principles. Familiarity with a range of tools and programming environments for data visualisation is key. Students on the programme learn Python earlier in their degree. We particularly welcome applicants whose work engages with inclusive, cross-cultural, or socially engaged approaches to data and knowledge production.

The appointment is a full-time, open ended role beginning 2025.