Job title: Postdoctoral Research Associate
Vacancy reference: 22002150
Department: Law School
Responsible to: Dean of School
Grade: 7
Salary Range: £35,333.00 - £42,155.00
Working arrangements: The role is full time but we will consider requests for flexible working arrangements including potential job shares
Closing date: 1st March 2023 midnight
Preferred start date: Successful candidates will ideally be in post by end of March 2023
Durham University
Durham University is one of the world’s top universities, boasting a welcoming and vibrant international community. Durham is an exceptional place in which to base your career. Our strengths across the Arts and Humanities, Sciences and Social Sciences see us listed as a top 5 UK and top 100 global university with our students and our world leading academics sitting at the heart of delivering our ground-breaking work.
About Durham University
As one of the UK’s leading universities, Durham is an incredible place to define your career while enjoying a high quality work/life balance. We are home to some of the most talented scholars and researchers from around the world who are tackling global issues and making a difference to people's lives.
The University sits in a beautiful historic city where it shares ownership of a UNESCO World Heritage Site with Durham Cathedral, the greatest Romanesque building in Western Europe. A collegiate University, Durham recruits outstanding students from across the world and offers an unmatched wider student experience.
Less than 3 hours north of London, and an hour and a half south of Edinburgh, County Durham is a region steeped in history and natural beauty. The Durham Dales, including the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, are home to breath-taking scenery and attractions. Durham offers an excellent choice of city, suburban and rural residential locations. If you’d like to find out more about the University, please visit https://www.dur.ac.uk/jobs/recruitment/
The School
Durham Law School is a leading law school. Consistently ranked in the Top 10 nationally and Top 50 globally, it has been growing strongly over the past few years and now comprises a community of over 100 academics and professional support staff. Durham Law School fosters innovative and interdisciplinary approaches to legal research and wishes to attract scholars with strong backgrounds in these areas. The Law School provides a supportive environment for its community of academics, which comprises a very generous sabbatical policy and an infrastructure of high-profile research centres that brings together colleagues for collaborative projects. The School is housed in the iconic Palatine Centre overlooking Durham Cathedral in the heart of the city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is located on the main East Coast trainline connecting to London and Edinburgh and also within convenient reach of Newcastle Airport. The School has an extensive network of leading international partner institutions and close ties with the City of London and the Inns of Court. It counts among its alumni two Supreme Court Justices.
Our top-ranked global law courses are very competitive with an excellent and diverse student population from across the world delivering a cutting-edge, research-led curriculum with a commitment to small group teaching through seminars and tutorials much prized by employers.
Our School’s strategic objectives put EDI at the heart of everything that we do. We are committed to Equality Diversity and Inclusion and actively develop our policies and procedures to ensure that everyone within our community is treated fairly and is provided with the same opportunities. This applies to our everyday work in teaching, research and administration, including academic progression and promotion processes. The Law School has recently achieved an Athena Swan Bronze award.
The Role
The Law School at Durham University seeks to appoint a talented individual to the role of Postdoctoral Research Associate in Constitutional Law with a particular emphasis on unwritten constitutional principles, constitutional politics and constitutional reform. The successful candidate will work on an Open Research Area (ESRC) research project led by Dr Se-shauna Wheatle which focuses on a comparative examination of the use of unwritten constitutional norms and principles.
This project examines the phenomenon of unwritten constitutionalism from a comparative and interdisciplinary perspective, focussing on three jurisdictions: Canada, the United Kingdom, and Germany. The project team includes Dr Silvia Suteu, Co-Investigator for the UK Team, Prof Vanessa MacDonnell (Lead Researcher in Canada) and Prof Florian Meinel (Lead Researcher in Germany). The project will last three years, starting in March 2023. It will include workshops, graduate seminars and an international conference. The primary research outputs will include a blog symposium, a special journal issue and an edited book, which will be disseminated through multiple channels and will be tailored to speak to different target groups. More information on the project is available at: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=ES/X008185/1#/tabOverview .
Responsibilities :
- To conduct individual and collaborative research under the direction of the Principal Investigator or Grant-holder.
- To prepare and deliver presentations on research outputs/activities to audiences which may include: research sponsors, academic and non-academic audiences.
- To publish high quality outputs, including papers for submission to peer reviewed journals and papers for presentation at conferences and workshops under the direction of the Principal Investigator or Grant-holder.
- To assist with the development of research objectives and proposals.
- To work with the Principal Investigator or Grant-holder and other colleagues in the research group, as appropriate, to identify areas for research, develop new research methods and extend the research portfolio.
- To conduct case studies in line with the research objectives and project workplan outlined by the Principal Investigator and other colleagues in the research group
- To deal with problems that may affect the achievement of research objectives and deadlines through discussion with the Principal Investigator or Grant-holder and offering creative or innovative solutions.
- To liaise with research colleagues and make internal and external contacts to develop knowledge and understanding to form relationships for future research collaboration.
- To assist with dissemination of research outputs, including through the preparation and distribution of briefing papers
- To assist with the organization of seminars, workshops and conferences under the direction of the Principal Investigator or Grant holder and other colleagues in the research group
- To oversee the maintenance of the research project website
- To plan and manage own research activity and research resources in collaboration with others
- To contribute to fostering a collegial and respectful working environment which is inclusive and welcoming and where everyone is treated fairly with dignity and respect.
- To engage in wider citizenship within the department and wider discipline.
- To engage in continuing professional development including by attending relevant training and development courses.
The post-holder is employed to work on research/a research project which will be led by another colleague. Whilst this means that the post-holder will not be carrying out independent research in his/her own right, the expectation is that they will contribute to the advancement of the project, through the development of their own research ideas/adaptation and development of research protocols.
This post is fixed term until March 2026. Successful applicants will, ideally, be in post by end of March 2023.
How to Apply
For informal enquiries please contact Dr Se-shauna Wheatle at [email protected].
We prefer to receive applications online via the Durham University Vacancies Site. https://www.dur.ac.uk/jobs/. As part of the application process, you should provide details of 3 (preferably academic/research) referees and the details of your current line manager so that we may seek an employment reference.
Applications are particularly welcome from women and black and minority ethnic candidates, who are under-represented in academic posts in the University. We will provide the supports required to allow persons with disabilities to participate as full members of the project team.
What to Submit
All applicants are asked to submit:
- A CV and covering letter which details your experience, strengths and potential in the requirements set out above;
- A e-copy of the most significant research output.
Next Steps
The assessment for the post will include shortlisting and an interview stage. Interviews date TBC.
The Requirements
Essential:
Qualifications
- A good first degree in Law.
- A PhD (or be close to submission) in constitutional law or related subject.
Experience
- Experience in conducting high quality academic research.
- Demonstrable ability to write material of a quality commensurate with publication in highly-ranked journals.
- Demonstrable ability to present research papers at national or international conferences and communicate complex information to specialists and within the wider academic community.
Skills
- Demonstrable ability to work cooperatively as part of a team, including participating in research meetings.
- Ability to work independently on own initiative and to strict deadlines.
- Ability to plan and develop techniques of research dissemination.
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
Desirable:
Experience
- Publication record in peer-reviewed journals, commensurate with stage of career.
- A track record of presenting research at conferences, symposia, or meetings, commensurate with stage of career.
- Demonstrable ability to develop research proposals and designs in collaboration with other academics.
Skills
- Demonstrable ability to plan and manage independent research.