Assistant Professor in Theoretical Biological (Microbiome) Modelling (

Job Number:

25000278)

Department of Engineering

Grade 8: – £46,735 – £55,755 per annum

Open-Ended/Permanent – Full Time

Contract Duration: Permanent

Contracted Hours per Week: 35

Working Arrangements: Monday to Friday

Closing Date

: 03-Apr-2025, 11:59:00 PM

Disclosure and Barring Service Requirement: Not Applicable. 

Working at Durham University 

A globally outstanding centre of teaching and research excellence, a collegiate community of extraordinary people, 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 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. 

We believe that inspiring our people to do outstanding things at Durham enables Durham people to do outstanding things in the world.

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 University Strategy

Our Purpose and Values

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 Durham? information page. 

The Department 

The Department of Engineering at Durham University is continuing a period of strategic growth. This is an exciting opportunity to join an expanding, unified Engineering Department which is recognised as one of the very best in the UK, with a reputation for excellence in teaching, research and employability of our graduates. The University is in the QS Top 100, and the Department itself is ranked 6th in both the 2025 Times and Guardian tables and 4th in the Complete University Guide 2025. In the REF2021 exercise, 95% of our Engineering outputs were graded 3* or 4*, and the Department is committed to an ethos of research-led and industrially-relevant education at all levels of our taught programmes. We are a scholarly community that is open, representative and diverse: our commitment to this is expressed through work of the Department’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Group, and our Athena Swan Silver award.

The Department of Engineering demonstrates significant depth of research excellence across a range of disciplines, with activities that are currently concentrated around three Research Challenge areas: Sustainable Infrastructure, Future Energy Systems and Advanced Materials, Electronics and Communications. Thematically, our research is split into eight Research Nodes which group together our day-to-day activities and expertise. We are particularly proud of the collaborative interdisciplinary nature of our research, which also includes strong industrial partnerships. 

This role is for an Assistant Professor with expertise in theoretical biological modelling in the field of complex microbial systems ideally integrated soil plant microbial systems. The role will concentrate on research for the first three years, with a minimal amount of teaching. Thereafter, the role will include teaching at both undergraduate and postgraduate level.

The successful candidate will join the SMART (Soil Microbiome Augmentation and Restoration Technologies) Soils team, led by Professor Karen Johnson, in the Department of Engineering. There are seven new posts being created across the University in 2025. Durham University is investing in SMART Soils through this cross-Faculty initiative in recognition of the need for a revolution in the way we work with soils in order to address the global challenges facing the environment, and help us deliver a just transition to a more sustainable future. The Departments of Sociology (Professor Tiago Moreira) and Biosciences (Dr Stephen Chivasa) are also part of the SMART Soils project at Durham. Our ambition is to be a world-leading Institute of Living Soils by 2030.

SMART Soils is built on the understanding that soil is a living ecosystem with its microbiome key to its life-giving properties. Working with the soil microbiome, in both rural and urban environments, instead of against it, enables multiple co-benefits including carbon and water storage and better human and planetary health. Our vision requires not only a societal shift in our attitudes, behaviour and comprehension of soils but technological advances underpinned by digital innovation that allow us to put soil at the heart of a circular economy. 

This post offers an exciting opportunity to make a major contribution to the development of internationally excellent research and (in due course) teaching while allowing you unrivalled opportunities to progress and embed your career in an exciting and progressive institution. For more information, please visit our Department pages at: https://www.durham.ac.uk/departments/academic/engineering

and the SMART soils webpages here: www.durham.ac.uk/smart-soils

Assistant Professors at Durham 

Assistant Professors on the Education and Research track are encouraged to focus on research and teaching but also to engage in wider citizenship to enhance their own development, support their department and wider discipline, and contribute to the wider student experience.

Academic colleagues are supported to publish high-quality research in their area of interest with a focus on quality in high-impact outputs including monographs, essays in edited volumes, and book chapters, rather than quantity. We will fully support your research needs including practical help such as resources to attend conferences and to fund research activities, as well as a generous research leave policy and a designated mentor. 

Durham University is also committed to ensuring excellent teaching quality, stimulating learning environments, and innovative curricula for all of our students. You will be supported to develop your teaching expertise and to develop innovative teaching. 

We are confident that our recruitment process allows us to attract and select the best international talent to Durham. We, therefore, offer a reduced probation period of 1 year for our Assistant Professors and thereafter, subject to satisfactory performance, your position will be confirmed as permanent.

Assistant Professor in Theoretical Biological (Microbiome) Modelling

Applicants must demonstrate research excellence in theoretical biological modelling in the field of complex microbial systems, ideally integrated soil plant microbial systems. They should have the ability to teach our students to an exceptional standard and to fully engage in the services, citizenship and values of the University. The University aims to provide 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: 

• Pursue research that is high quality in terms of originality, significance and rigour.
• Develop clear plans for the pursuit of national and international funding opportunities to support research and end-user engagement.
• Play a role in relevant teaching and research supervision and contribute to ongoing curriculum development.
• Contribute to enhancing microbiome and biological modelling education within both existing and new programmes.
• Contribute to enhancing the quality of the research environment in the Department, the wider University and beyond through collaborative research activity.
• Demonstrate a willingness and ability to contribute to the administrative work, citizenship and values of the Department.
• Deliver lectures, seminars and tutorials at undergraduate and taught postgraduate levels across the Department, as well as engaging in related activity such as assessment, supervision of design, laboratories and practical work.
• Engage fully in and enhance the values of the Department.
• Contribute to attracting and supervising research students, and to enhancing the Department’s commitment to its vibrant and inclusive postgraduate culture.
• Carry out such other duties as specified by the Head of Department.

Durham University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion 

Our collective aim is to create an open and inclusive environment where everyone can reach their full potential and we believe our staff should reflect the diversity of the global community in which we work.  

As a University, equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are a key part of the University’s Strategy and a central part of everything we do.  We also live by our values and our Staff Code of Conduct.  At Durham we actively work towards providing an environment where our staff and students can study, work and live in a community which is supportive and inclusive. It’s important to us that all of our colleagues are aligned to both our values and commitment to EDI. 

We welcome and encourage applications from members of groups who are under-represented in our work force including disabled people, women, and black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. 

We are committed to equality: if for any reason you have taken a career break or periods of leave that may have impacted on the volume and recency of research outputs, such as maternity, adoption or parental leave, you may wish to disclose this in your application. We also understand that the Covid-19 pandemic will have had differential impacts on different people and welcome information on this if you wish to share it. The selection committee will recognise that this may have reduced the quantity of your research accordingly. 

The University has been awarded the Disability Confident Employer status. If you are a candidate with a disability, we are committed to ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process. We will make adjustments to support the interview process wherever it is reasonable to do so and, where successful, reasonable adjustments will be made to support people within their role.

Person Specification 

Candidates applying for this post should meet all the essential criteria. 

Research 

Candidates must have the capacity for and be progressing towards the independent development of internationally excellent research that produces high-quality outcomes, including some work that is recognised as world-class or that has world-class potential. 

Essential Research Criteria

1. Qualifications – a good first degree and a PhD in Environmental Engineering, Biosciences, Soil Science or a related subject.
2. Outputs – evidence of high-quality outputs, some of which is recognised as world-class. Candidates are asked to submit four research papers with their application (as outlined in the How to Apply section below). Candidates may additionally choose to submit evidence such as external peer review of their outputs.
3. Personal Research Plan – evidence of a personal research plan which supports and enhances the Department of Engineering’s research strategy. The research plan should articulate the candidate’s five year plan and outline a clear vision for research into soils.
4. The candidate should have clear evidence of carrying out research into modelling of microbial systems collaborating directly with experimental scientists.

Education

Candidates must demonstrate the development and delivery of high-quality teaching that contributes to providing a supportive and enabling learning environment and curricula which encourage students to achieve their potential.

Essential Education Criteria 

1. Quality – evidence of the development and delivery of effective and engaging teaching in an engineering context. (Candidates may choose to provide student evaluation scores and/or peer reviews of teaching).
2. Innovation – evidence of contribution to new programme development and innovation in the design and delivery of high quality teaching or assessment of learning including lectures, small group learning and/or using technology or other techniques to enhance learning and/or assessment.
3. Strategic – evidence of strategic teaching development – engagement in the design of excellent teaching programmes which are research informed and led.

Service, Citizenship and Values 

Active engagement in the administrative and citizenship requirements of the Department. Positive contributions to University values and to fostering a respectful environment as well as demonstrating their commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion. 

Essential Services, Citizenship and Values criteria

1. Citizenship contribution – evidence of participation in the citizenship/administrative activities of an academic Department, Faculty or University. Candidates should show evidence of interdisciplinary working across Departments and Faculties (Candidates may choose to evidence departmental or University roles, mentoring activity, pastoral and academic support of students, engagement with widening participation, involvement in equality and diversity initiatives and membership or engagement with external bodies).
2. Leadership – engagement in activities that contribute to the administrative functioning of an academic Department, Faculty, University and/or discipline including leadership or responsibilities in an academic context. (Candidates may choose to detail any leadership roles which they have undertaken, preferably in an academic context).
3. Communication – candidates must have excellent oral and written communication skills with the ability to engage with a range of students and colleagues across a variety of forums.
4. Professional recognition – to be either already professionally qualified as a Chartered Engineer or Scientist, or able to demonstrate progression towards becoming Chartered.

Desirable Criteria

The desirable criteria for this post (for which candidates should provide evidence of some if not all criteria) are:

1. Qualification – candidates to hold or have the ability to attain the rank of Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/individuals/fellowship/fellow), which is the national body that champions teaching excellence (or Equivalent) in Higher Education.
2. Research Leadership – contribution to the leadership of research groups and the mentoring of early career researchers. (Candidates may choose to include information about research group leadership, mentoring of research colleagues, invitations to external events, engagement with international networks or projects).
3. PhD Supervision – involvement in the provision of excellent supervision for PhD students.
4. Research Impact – demonstrable evidence of the impact or potential impact of the Candidate’s research beyond their institution.
5. Income Generation – evidence of engagement in the development of successful collaborative research projects and quality research grant proposals preferably with industry and/or policymakers
6. Desirable skills including expertise in working with large complex datasets (eg proteomics, transcriptomics) and an ability to work across biological scales.
7. A proven track record in modelling complex microbial systems

Contact Information 

Department contact for academic-related enquiries 

Professor Charles Augarde, Head of Department, charles.augarde@durham.ac.uk

Professor Karen Johnson, karen.johnson@durham.ac.uk

Contact information for technical difficulties when submitting your application 

If you encounter technical difficulties when using the online application form, we prefer you send enquiries by email. Please send your name along with a brief description of the problem you’re experiencing to e.recruitment@durham.ac.uk 

Alternatively, you may call 0191 334 6801 from the UK, or +44 191 334 6801 from outside the UK. This number operates during the hours of 09.00 and 17.00 Monday to Friday, UK time. We will normally respond within one working day (Monday to Friday, excluding UK public holidays). 

How to Apply 

We prefer to receive applications online.

Please note that in submitting your application, we will be processing your data.  We would ask you to consider the relevant University Privacy Statement https://www.dur.ac.uk/ig/dp/privacy/pnjobapplicants/ which provides information on the collation, storing and use of data.  

If you are unable to complete your application via our recruitment system, please get in touch with us on e.recruitment@durham.ac.uk. 

What to Submit 

All applicants are asked to submit: 

• A CV
• A covering letter which details your experience, strengths and potential in the requirements set out above (2 pages A4 maximum).
• A personal research plan for the next 3-5 years. Your strategy for securing funding to support the intended research should also be described (2 pages A4 maximum).
• Four of your most significant pieces of written work. Where possible your written work should have been published or submitted since 2021.

Where possible we request that you provide accessible web links to your publications, which the hiring Department will use to access your work. The application form contains fields in which to enter each of the web links. Please note we are unable to access publications behind a paywall. 

In the event you are unable to provide accessible links to online hosting of your work, your work should be uploaded as PDFs as part of your application in our recruitment system. Please ensure that your PDFs are not larger than 5mb. Please note that your work may be read by colleagues from across the Department and evaluated against the current REF criteria.

We will notify you on the status of your application at various points throughout the selection process, via automated emails from our e-recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to ensure you receive all emails. 

Referees 

You should provide details of three academic referees, plus details of your current line manager. Academic referees should not (if possible) include your PhD supervisor(s). The majority should be from a University other than your own (save for early career applicants applying for their first post). 

References will be requested for candidates who have been shortlisted and will be made available to the panel during the interview process. 

As part of your application, you will be asked whether you give your consent to your academic references being sought should you be invited to attend an interview. We will only request references where permission has been granted. 

We will seek a reference from your current line-manager if we make you an offer of employment (noting that you may have also nominated your line manager as an academic referee). Please clearly indicate which referee is your current line-manager and please let us know if we should only approach them once an offer has been made.

Next Steps 

All applications will be considered; our usual practice is for colleagues across the Department to read the submitted work of long-listed candidates. 

Short-listed candidates will be invited to the University, either virtually or in-person and will have the opportunity to meet key members of the Department. The assessment for the post will normally include a presentation to staff and students in the Department followed by an interview. We anticipate that the assessments and interviews will take place over two days in or around June 2025. 

In the event that you are unable to attend in person on the date offered, it may not be possible to offer you an interview on an alternative date. 

Applicant Guidance 

For further guidance on your application please see HERE 

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