Further Information: http://www.uclan.ac.uk/information/services/work/191A-22-07.php
Salary: Management Contract. Full-time indefinite contract. Reference: 191A-22-07
Closing Date: Monday 31st October 2011 at 17:15 GMT. Interviews are expected to be held in early December 2011
How to apply: http://www.uclan.ac.uk/information/services/work/apply.php
The University of Central Lancashire is seeking a successor to Professor Gordon Bromage as Director of the Jeremiah Horrocks Institute, based in Preston, prior to his retirement in 2012/13. The JHI includes around 40 staff and research students in Astrophysics and related research areas, and achieved internationally excellent and world leading ratings in the UK’s 2008 Research Assessment Exercise.
The JHI is a partner in the Southern African Large Telescope and in the COSMOS HPC project, holds core membership in the Herschel-ATLAS and GAMA survey teams, and hosts the UK data hub for Solar Dynamics Observatory. The University has a Space Act Agreement with NASA that is unique amongst UK Universities. JHI staff are involved in collaborations active on every continent on Earth. Research interests include: solar and solar-terrestrial physics; stellar and interstellar physics including asteroseismology, evolved stars and pre-stellar objects; galaxy formation and evolution, extragalactic jets and large-scale structure.
The JHI sits within the School of Computing, Engineering and Physical Sciences, which hosts teaching in Physics and Astronomy including a highly successful Astronomy distance learning programme attracting around 400 students internationally each year and providing the only BSc(Hons) Astronomy programme by distance learning. Many JHI staff also teach on the School’s Mathematics programme. There are existing and developing synergies with other aspects of physics, mathematics, engineering, computing, nuclear and energy disciplines within the School.
The appointee will be a world-class researcher with excellent leadership abilities, and be responsible for driving an increase in the fraction of JHI research judged to be world leading and internationally excellent. In addition the appointee will work closely with the School Executive Team and Professoriate, and the University Director of Research, to develop inter-disciplinary links including support for activities around teaching and knowledge transfer. Key to the role is leading and further developing the supportive environment for staff and students to enable them to perform to the best of their abilities. It is envisaged that the appointee would take up a professorial role at the University prior to the current Director retiring to enable a managed transition into the role. This is a professorial appointment: candidates should meet all the essential criteria on the person specification and the specific professorial criteria as described via the Further Information link at http://www.uclan.ac.uk/information/services/work/191A-22-07.php .
Informal enquires regarding this post may be addressed to Robert Walsh, University Director of Research rwwalsh@uclan.ac.uk or Robert Wallace, Dean of School rrwallace@uclan.ac.uk .