Assistant Professor in Psychology

Heriot-Watt University

Heriot-Watt University has established a reputation for world-class teaching and leading-edge, relevant research, which has made it one of the top UK universities for innovation, business and industry.

Heriot-Watt University has five campuses: three in the UK (Edinburgh, Scottish Borders and Orkney), one in Dubai and one in Malaysia. The University offers a highly distinctive range of degree programmes in the specialist areas of science, engineering, design, business and languages. Heriot-Watt is also Scotland's most international university, boasting the largest international student cohort

Shaping Tomorrow Together

The university is running a campaign to identify key academic talent join us across our Edinburgh and Dubai campuses and across multiple Schools and Disciplines. You will join as an Assistant Professor. This is an exciting campaign to kick off in late 2022 and into 2023. So, we are really interested in hearing from you as we look to you to help us shape tomorrow together.

About our Team

Psychology at Heriot-Watt University has expanded strongly in the last decade. We offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. Current research in Psychology focuses on the following areas: work, society and environment; lifespan health and wellbeing; and brain, cognition and behaviour. Much of our research is applied in nature, and takes place in collaboration with industry, the NHS or charities. The department offers undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes, and we currently have 2 vacancies for individuals with a passion for teaching, and who have interests that complement/extend those of our existing staff members.

Key Responsibilities

Based at the Edinburgh campus, you will be a member of a strong academic teaching and research staff team. You will liaise closely with colleagues at our Dubai and Malaysia campuses, who will also be delivering programmes to our students. 

Applicants with specialisms in Research Methods teaching, Developmental Psychology and/or Occupational/Business Psychology may apply. Appointments will be made on the basis of a Teaching & Scholarship post. Post holders will engage in teaching (approximately 70%), scholarship activities (approximately 10%) and carry out one or more administrative duties (approximately 20%).  Please ensure that you clearly note which area of expertise you have/are applying for on your application.

You will have a demonstrable commitment to teaching (and where appropriate, research/scholarship), along with strong academic credibility and experience of one or more administrative roles. Experience of close collaborative working with other academics and professionals along with highly-developed emotional intelligence, and personal resilience are all essential for this post.

The expectation is that you will have a flexible approach to teaching across a range of different areas within Psychology.

• Undertake personal research/scholarship activities as per contract (complementing and building on existing Departmental interests and taking advantage of its interdisciplinary nature) and produce publications of high quality in high impact journals.
• Further disseminate research/scholarship outputs using an appropriate range of media including external reports, conference presentations and short courses for knowledge transfer.
• Where appropriate, lead bids and tenders for externally-funded research projects or contracts, thereby generating significant grant income.
• Engage with existing research activity and be involved in the development and leadership of further research groups.
• Promote more generally the research culture and activities of the Department and University through collaborative work across the academic sector.
• Undertake MSc and PhD supervision 
• Act as Personal Tutor to undergraduate and postgraduate students.
• Contribute to the management and administration of departmental activities.

 Education, Qualifications & Experience

Essential criteria

• PhD in Psychology or an appropriate subject 
• PGT teaching and assessment experience in Psychology within a higher education context
• Track record of internationally high profile and high impact research in a relevant discipline
• Publications in major international journals
• Good, lucid, clear communicator 
• Good presentation skills 
• Able to articulate complex topics effectively 
• Able to demonstrate initiative in research/scholarship
• Demonstrates evidence of willingness to be involved in collaborative research/scholarship activities.

Desirable Criteria

• Has acquired background knowledge of the University and the School 
• Experience of course leadership in post-graduate teaching
• Experience of research supervision at PG level
• Relevant teaching qualification 
• Experience of developing/assessing course materials.

How to Apply

Applications can be submitted up until midnight on 19 February 2023.

Interested applicants must submit via the Heriot-Watt on-line recruitment system: (1) a cover letter describing their interest and suitability for the post; (2) a full CV; (3) A summary of their scholarship and teaching plans and ambitions; and (4) a list of publications. 

Heriot-Watt University is committed to securing equality of opportunity in employment and to the creation of an environment in which individuals are selected, trained, promoted, appraised and otherwise treated on the sole basis of their relevant merits and abilities.  Equality and diversity are all about maximising potential and creating a culture of inclusion for all.

Heriot-Watt University values diversity across our University community and welcomes applications from all sectors of society, particularly from underrepresented groups. For more information, please see our website https://www.hw.ac.uk/uk/services/equality-diversity.htm and also our award-winning work in Disability Inclusive Science Careers https://disc.hw.ac.uk/ .

We welcome and will consider flexible working patterns e.g. part-time working and job share options.

Use our total rewards calculator: https://www.hw.ac.uk/about/work/total-rewards-calculator.htm to see the value of benefits provided by Heriot-Watt University.