Career Development Fellow in Classical Archaeology and Practice

Job Title: Career Development Fellow in Classical Archaeology and Archaeological Practice

Department: Archaeology

Working Arrangements: Full-time fixed term

Closing date: 15 November 2024

Potential interview date: early December 2024 [Planned start date January 2025]

Working at Durham University

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Career Development Fellowships

The University is committed to enabling all our colleagues to achieve their full potential. Durham University's Career Development Fellowships are fixed term positions, which include structured development support for early career academics to deliver outstanding education, innovative research/scholarship, and to engage in citizenship activities. The post-holder will be a full academic member of the Department, working alongside world-class colleagues, with the support of a designated mentor.

Career Development Fellows will benefit from tailored support to strengthen their skills, will be provided with a range of academic opportunities, and will benefit from protected time to foster different aspects of their career. The Career Development Fellowships will enable early career academics to acquire a strong and well-rounded foundation to support future applications for substantive academic roles at Durham or elsewhere (no guarantee can be given that a permanent role at Durham will be available for the CDF to apply for at the end of the Fellowship).

The Department and the Role

Durham University's Department of Archaeology is one of the UK's top Archaeology departments with an outstanding reputation for excellence in teaching, research and the employability of our students. We are consistently ranked one of the top Archaeology departments in the UK (e.g. Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021, The Guardian University Guide 2023, Times University Guide 2024) and one of the top five globally (World University QS rankings 2024). Our expertise covers a broad chronological and geographical span, from the Palaeolithic to the present-day, and from Europe via Africa, the Middle East and South Asia to China. We have particular expertise in Roman and Classical archaeology, and work closely with Durham University Oriental Museum and the Department of Classics. We are home to a series of cutting-edge laboratories, including digital visualisation and materials analysis, artefact conservation, aDNA, isotopic and luminescence research, and field- and lab-based commercial operations. The Department has four single honours undergraduate degrees, two joint honours UG degrees, six post-graduate taught degrees and a large community of research students at Masters and PhD level, as well as post-doctoral researchers. Our teaching strives to be inclusive and diverse, and our culture and employment practices enabled the department to achieve an Athena Swan Silver award in 2022. Major international research projects are exploring topics from landscape archaeology and cultural heritage protection across Africa, Asia and Europe to bioarchaeological evidence for health and mobility of populations. For further information on our current projects, research and teaching, please visit our website, https://www.dur.ac.uk/departments/academic/archaeology/

This post offers an exciting opportunity to make a major contribution to the development of internationally excellent research and teaching while allowing unrivalled opportunities to progress your career in an exciting and progressive institution.

The Department of Archaeology at Durham University seeks to appoint a talented individual to the fixed term Career Development Fellowship in Roman or Classical archaeology. We welcome applications from those with research and teaching interests in the field of Classical archaeology. We are particularly eager to hear from applicants with experience and interests in teaching a range of practical aspects of archaeology and fieldwork. The post offers an opportunity to help develop and deliver the Classical archaeology strand on our world-leading MA in Archaeology and work with colleagues to review opportunities for new modules and programmes in the fields of classical and practical archaeology.

This post offers an opportunity to develop internationally excellent research/scholarship and teaching while providing unrivalled, tailored support for your career progression at an exciting and progressive institution.

Given the developmental nature of this role it is not anticipated that the post will be extended beyond the initial fixed term. Following the end of the term, the role-holder will be in a strong position to apply for relevant permanent academic roles, should they arise, at Durham or elsewhere.

Successful applicants are normally expected to be within 8 years of completing their PhD, although career breaks for parental leave and/or health reasons will be considered. This is because the roles are aimed at early career academics who would benefit from a structured development programme and provision of both formal and 'on the job' training. The posts are also open to those who are returning to academia after a career in another sector.

Successful applicants will, ideally, be in post by January 2025

The University provides a working and teaching environment that is inclusive and welcoming and where everyone is treated fairly with dignity and respect. Candidates will be expected to demonstrate these key principles as part of the assessment process.

Key responsibilities:

It should be noted that the precise content of each Career Development Fellowship will vary dependent on the experience of the role-holder, their career aspirations, and the business need of the Department.

At the outset of the Fellowship a personal development plan will be produced in discussion with the Head of Department which will outline any training needs, or other experience the post-holder wishes to gain to develop their academic career.

The development plan is a tool to assist the post-holder's academic career progression and will be reviewed regularly during the Fellowship to ensure that development needs are being met.

During the course of the Career Development Fellowship the successful candidate will gain valuable experience in a wide spectrum of academic activities. Examples include:

Development

· Membership of Departmental committees and appropriate professional body.

· Contribute to a collegial and respectful working environment which is inclusive and welcoming and where everyone is treated fairly with dignity and respect.

· Engage in citizenship to support the department and wider discipline.

· Engage in continuing professional development by attending relevant training and development courses, as detailed in the personal development plan. Opportunities could include:

• • Research Project Leadership
  • Supported progression towards Higher Education Academy (HEA) membership
  • Leadership in Learning and Teaching course

Education

· Teach and convene modules at undergraduate/postgraduate levels, developing an awareness of different approaches to and methods of teaching and supporting student learning.

· Develop the ability to manage own teaching and designing, planning and writing of engaging ...