Careers in research

The first part of your career will involve being a researcher or lecturer. Within these roles, there are a range of positions available depending on your experience, such as assistant and senior positions. Research roles (Research Assistant, Researcher and Senior Researcher) are more commonly associated with fully funded projects while lecturing roles (Lecturer and Senior Lecturer) will allow you to share your knowledge through teaching while working on your own research.

In both roles, you will become an expert in your discipline, generate your own research and support others’ research and bring in external income and funding. Your research will also contribute to the Research Excellence Framework (REF). In more senior roles, you will be leading on research programmes, knowledge exchange and enterprise activity. Within a lecturing role, you will ensure that research informs and inspires a research-led curriculum and teaching.

Having gained considerable experience, progressing to an Associate Professor is the next career step. There are three roles available as an Associate Professor; Associate Professor (Professional Practice), Associate Professor (Research) and Associate Professor (Learning and Teaching). All three roles have a slightly different focus, but they each require you to be an expert in your chosen discipline and have a research impact that is nationally and internationally visible.

As an Associate Professor (Professional Practice) you will contribute to the Innovation and Research Strategy and/or the Learning and Teaching Strategy to enhance learning and teaching practices and/or innovation and research. You will achieve this through academic leadership, professional practice and reputation enhancement.

As an Associate Professor (Research) you will contribute to the Innovation and Research Strategy with academic leadership and research activity through extensive experience in research and research management. You will also be leading on research-informed activity and collaborative research bids as well as further research projects.

As an Associate Professor (Learning and Teaching) your key focus is to contribute to the Learning and Teaching Strategy to enhance practices, manage and develop learning, develop assessment strategies and deliver leading-edge practice. This will be achieved through academic leadership and appropriate research activity and by bringing extensive experience in learning, teaching and pedagogic practice. You will also lead on collaborative research bids in learning and teaching and ensure links are made back to pedagogic practice, the curriculum and student experience as appropriate.

As a Professor at level 3, you will have substantial experience and in-depth knowledge of your specialism, alongside a significant national track record and an emerging international reputation within your field. You will make a substantial contribution to the pedagogic practice and learning and teaching strategy. Within your subject/professional specialism, you will have an influence on national policy and your research contributions are beginning to be recognised internationally. You will also apply your expertise in developing and winning external funding. You will take on leadership and management roles, including collaborations outside of the University with public and private partners, academic institutions, research funders, government agencies, non-government bodies and industry.

As a level 4 Professor, you have considerable academic standing and experience, with a significant international track record. Within your field, you will have gained an international reputation, with experience in developing and winning substantial funding and grants. Your extensive research record will be internationally excellent (as defined through the Research Excellence Framework) and will represent the University externally to industrial partners, research funders and government agencies, advising governmental and non-governmental bodies, in accordance with their chosen specialism.

To be a level 5 Professor you will be widely recognised as a leading authority in your subject area and have achieved high academic distinction. You are likely to have been elected to esteemed scholarly societies such as the Royal Society, British Academy or comparable societies outside of the United Kingdom. Within your field, you may have played a pivotal role in working with leading academic, governmental or industrial partners on a range of interdisciplinary collaborations that are highly impactful.

Plus, you will have substantial experience in developing and winning external funding bids, and successfully delivering externally funded multi-institutional/stakeholder projects on time and on budget. You will be expected to have a sustained record of research activity that is internationally excellent and/or world-leading (as defined through the Research Excellence Framework) and will represent the University externally to industrial partners, research funders and government agencies, advising governmental and non-governmental bodies, in accordance with their chosen specialism.