Career Development Fellowships

Job Title: Career Development Fellow in Computer Science

Working Arrangements: TBC

Closing date: 30 March 2025

Potential interview date: week of 19-23 May

Working at Durham University

A globally outstanding centre of teaching and research excellence, a warm and friendly place to work, a unique and historic setting - Durham is a university like no other.

As one of the UK's leading universities, Durham is an incredible place to define your career. The University is located within a beautiful historic city, home to a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and surrounded by stunning countryside. Our talented scholars and researchers from around the world are tackling global issues and making a difference to people's lives.

We believe that inspiring our people to do outstanding things at Durham enables Durham people to do outstanding things in the world. Being a part of Durham is about more than just the success of the University, it's also about contributing to the success of the city, county and community.

Our University Strategy is built on three pillars of research, education and wider student experience, but also on our keen sense of community and of inspiring others to achieve their potential.

Our Purpose and Values

We want our University to be a place where people can be free to be themselves, no matter what their identity or background. Together, we celebrate difference, value one another and are each responsible for creating an inclusive community that is respectful and fair for all.

Find out more about the benefits of working at the University and what it is like to live and work in the Durham area on our Why Join Us? - Information Page

Discover more about our total rewards and benefits package here .

Career Development Fellowships

The University is committed to enabling all our colleagues to achieve their full potential. This Career Development Fellowship is a three-year fixed term position, and includes structured development support for early career academics to deliver outstanding education, innovative research/scholarship, and the opportunity 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 is one of the UK's leading Computer Science departments, with an outstanding reputation in research, teaching, and student employability. Our internationally recognised research covers Algorithms and Complexity, Artificial Intelligence and Human Systems, Networks, Scientific Computing and Vision, Imaging and Visualisation. There is a lively research culture with many visitors and events, and active and rewarding collaborations with other departments in Durham and with other scientists in the UK and internationally. In the assessment exercise REF2021 we improved by six places in the ranking. We aim to provide an encouraging and friendly environment with a strong sense of community. The Department has recently grown rapidly, and now has more than 55 permanent members of academic staff. In 2021, we moved to a newly constructed building, which we share with Mathematics.

The Department has a proud tradition of delivering excellence in its undergraduate programmes through research-led teaching. Attracting some of the best students in the UK, the Department is ranked in the top 10 of several UK league tables. As part of the expansion of the Department, new MSc programmes in Advanced Computer Science, Business Analytics, Scientific Computing and Data Analysis, and in Data Science launched within the past five years.  The Department holds an Athena SWAN Silver award. Athena SWAN is a national initiative that recognises the advancement of gender equality, representation, progression and success for all in academia.

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 https://www.durham.ac.uk/departments/academic/computer-science/

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 1 September 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 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, dealing with student disciplinary matters and complaints.

Research/Scholarship

• Demonstrate progress towards independent development of internationally excellent research/scholarship.
• Develop clear plans for the pursuit of national and international funding opportunities to support research/scholarship and end-user engagement.
• Develop a personal research/scholarship plan which supports and enhances the department's research and/or pedagogic strategy.
• Contribute to enhancing the quality of the research environment.

Working at Durham

• A competitive salary is only one part of the many fantastic benefits you will receive if you join the University: you will also receive access to the following fantastic benefits:
• 30 Days annual leave per year in addition to 8 public holidays and 4 customary days per year - a total of 42 days per year.
• As a new member of staff you will be automatically enrolled into the ...