We have one simple promise – to make a positive impact. Through our ground-breaking research, teaching excellence and commitment to sustainable living, we are changing lives for the better.

The University of Derby is a modern university with a modern outlook. Everything we do is driven by delivering excellence and opportunities for our students, our staff and our region.

We have committed to nurture and encourage research excellence across all our disciplines and career stages, recognising the strong link between excellent research and an excellent student experience.

We have some of the best university facilities in the UK and achieve outstanding results for our teaching and research and have been awarded Gold in the prestigious Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) 2023 – making it one of the top universities in the country recognised for its outstanding student experience and student outcomes.

We have entered a new and exciting era at the University, making investments in our students, staff and research infrastructure to help us achieve our overall aim of producing research that is high in quality and impacts, national and internationally. This ensures that knowledge created at our University informs our curriculum and supports industry, policy makers, international partners and the wider research community.

Our 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF) submission showed significant increases in our metrics, supported by a dedicated research and knowledge exchange office and enhanced governance processes. Our doctoral cohort has increased by 63.4% since 2014 and we now have over 450 doctoral students. Investment in our research facilities has continued at pace and in March 2022 we opened our Facility for Omics Research in Metabolism (FORM). Our Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF) outcome positioned us in the top 10% for working with business. Our Research Council funding and collaborative research income, from funders such as Innovate UK continues to rise, engaging our academics with both multinationals as well as small and medium size enterprises.

It’s an exciting time to be joining us and to play a role in supporting the University’s ambitions as we begin our preparations for REF 2029. The University, proud of its achievements in growing Innovation and Research, is embarking on the next step change to drive academic performance. We are focussing our investment into 3 areas of academic excellence:

Our Early Career Academic (ECA) appointments are a pivotal opportunity for our University to develop these themes with high quality talent and knowledge. These one year postdoctoral positions will be awarded to outstanding individuals who have the potential to progress to permanent academic roles at the University of Derby.

As an ECA, you’ll contribute to the work of the Colleges, engaging in a full academic role including high-quality teaching and enhancing our research profile by producing high-quality publications; contributing to a vibrant, supportive and collaborative research environment; and impacting positively on policy, practice and debate within your area.

The roles cut across traditional structural boundaries and you’ll work across disciplines to address real world challenges, whilst being supported to grow your research and teaching skills through a dedicated development plan. Candidates are expected to have completed their PhD or be pending award of their doctorate.

The intended start date for the ECA programme is 9th September 2024.