Career Development Fellowship - Sociology/Criminology

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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

The Department of Sociology at Durham University seeks to appoint a talented individual to a three-year fixed-term Career Development Fellowship in Criminology/Sociology. The successful candidate will complement and extend existing work in at least two of our research themes and contribute to teaching on core and selected optional modules. We welcome applications from early-career scholars with interests in one or more of our research themes.

The Department of Sociology at Durham was established in 1964, initially as the Department of Social Theory and Institutions. We currently offer successful undergraduate degree programmes in Sociology and Criminology. Durham ranks 3rd for Sociology and 5th for Criminology in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2026. Sociology is ranked 4th in the Complete University Guide 2027, and Durham is ranked 5th for Sociology and Social Policy in the Guardian University Guide 2026.

We run a professional masters programme in Social Work (Durham was Social Work University of the Year in 2022), an MSc Sociology, and an MSc in Criminology and Criminal Justice. We also support the core delivery of the Faculty's ESRC Research Methods Training. Our work on decolonising the curriculum has led the department to provide a co-convenor on the Faculty of Social Sciences first Faculty-wide decolonising module.

Sociology at Durham is continuing an ambitious programme of investment to consolidate and expand its research capacity in its overarching research themes:

• Communities and Social Justice

• Criminal Justice, Social Harm and Inequalities

• Health and Social Theory

• Higher Education and Social Inequalities

• Violence and Abuse

Information about all of our research themes can be found here .

The successful candidate is expected to be able to contribute to core sociological and/or criminological theory, and/or social research methods, as well as optional module teaching.

This post offers an exciting opportunity to develop internationally excellent research/scholarship and teaching while providing unrivalled, tailored support for your career progression at an exciting and progressive institution. For more information, please visit our Department pages at Department of Sociology - Durham University

Given the developmental nature of this role, the post will not typically be extended beyond the agreed fixed term duration to allow others the opportunity of a CDF post and the career development that it provides. Therefore, current role-holders who are undertaking/have completed a Career Development Fellowship role are not eligible to apply for a further Career Development Fellowship role should one become available. 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 mid September 2026

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:

o Research Project Leadership

o Supported progression towards Higher Education Academy (HEA) membership

o Leadership in Learning and Teaching course

Education

• Teach 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 and innovative teaching materials.
• Develop and deliver an inclusive curriculum and make an active contribution to an inclusive community in which diversity is embraced and celebrated.
• Co-supervise undergraduate and postgraduate students, and where appropriate act as part of a PhD supervisory team.
• Provide student support, assessment of academic performance and provision of feedback, ...