Associate Professor Research FCS

Our Mission

Coventry University is a global Education Group that empowers students and communities to transform their lives and society through teaching, learning, research, and enterprise. An ambitious and innovative university, our research is designed to have real-world impact on society and tackle global challenges through our 16 challenge-led, interdisciplinary research centres.

The Research Centre for Fluid and Complex Systems (FCS) specialises in fundamental and applied fluid mechanics and statistical physics, tackling problems in applied mathematics, theoretical and experimental sciences with applications to natural, industrial but also societal processes.

The Role

Applications are invited for an Associate Professor in statistical physics, fluid mechanics or nonequilibrium systems in the Centre for Fluid and Complex Systems, Coventry University. 
As an Associate Professor (Research) you will actively be contributing to the research strategy and activities within the Research Centre with the aim of providing strategic direction, academic leadership and management of research. 

The post is expected to align with one of the following research groups:

• The Nonequilibrium in Environment and Engineering Systems (NEES) research group uses a blend of engineering sciences, physics and mathematics to study and model problems involving fluid dynamics and nonequilibrium systems and their applications to environmental and geophysical problems.
• The Statistical Physics research group is interdisciplinary in nature and combines network science, cultural complexity, biophysics, sociophysics, computational physics, scientometrics, stochastic dynamics in nature/laboratory, information theory, and other areas. Classical and quantum statistical physics, focusing on universality in and out-of-equilibrium, also remains at the core of the group’s activities.
• The Fluids research group specialises in turbulence, instabilities, magnetohydrodynamics, transition and control, particulate flows, rotating flows, convection and plasma physics. Besides an internationally recognised expertise in these fundamental fields, the group is renowned for its cutting-edge research based on the application of these fields into industrial fluid mechanics, nuclear fusion, astrophysical fluid dynamics and especially geophysical fluid dynamics and planetary interiors.

The centre operates at the core of a large network of international collaborators with the specificity of blending theoretical with in-house experimental approaches. The centre maps to REF Unit of Assessment 10 (mathematics) and 95% of its output was deemed internationally excellent or world-leading during the 2021 REF exercise. The centre’s research is supported by UK and European funding bodies (UKRI, ERC and others), as well as industry.

As an Associate Professor within FCS you will be responsible for commissioning and leading impactful research, while working with the head of the group to provide leadership in research activity or develop and lead independent research groups. You will take the lead in promoting and disseminating research outputs in a range of field specific media, attend and present research at relevant conferences, give invited lectures, chair sessions and sit on conference organising committees. You will lead major funding bids and seek and secure external research funding.

The role will allow you to take an active lead in the research centres strategy and agenda, producing research with a demonstrable contribution to society and the economy through developing relationships and partnerships externally. You will also be a key part of leading the research culture and environment of the university group while supervising research fellows/assistants, doctoral students, masters’ students, technical and other support staff. 

Personal Specification

The ideal candidate will demonstrate international excellence, as evidenced by their track-record in publications, research awards and attracting research funding.

The School of Computing, Mathematics and Data Science offers undergraduate degrees in mathematics, mathematics and statistics, physics and mathematics, physics, and data science; our postgraduate courses include data science & computational intelligence and data science. The successful candidate will be able to contribute to academic modules on these courses at undergraduate and postgraduate level.

You will work closely with the course teams to help provide the high-quality academic environment our students expect. Within the centre the successful applicant(s) will be expected to lead research within the remit of REF UoA 10 (mathematics), to deliver internationally excellent or world-leading outputs, industrial or societal impact, and to attract sufficient funding to help grow the centre's research portfolio. As senior members of FCS, candidates will be expected to lead on strategic activities of the centre including impact generation, outreach and industrial collaborations.

Qualifications Required

A PhD in either engineering, physics, mathematics or equivalent.

The Benefits

As a staff member of Coventry University, you will have a access to a wide range of industry leading rewards and benefits which includes:

• Excellent Employers Pension Contribution
• 38 days Annual leave plus Bank Holidays
• New Holiday Purchase Scheme up to 5 additional days
• BUPA Cash Plan
• 50% off Tuition Fee’s for staff dependants
• CU Reward Scheme – Discounts across a range of High Street/ Online Retailers
• New Electric Car Scheme
• Cycle To work scheme

Our Culture

As a global Education Group, equality, diversity, and inclusion are embedded within the fabric of our organisation and are a key focus of our core values. We harness the power and potential of the diverse cultures, backgrounds, abilities, and experiences of our students, colleagues, and partners to create opportunities for all.

Further information

For informal enquiries about the position, please contact:

Prof. Alban Potherat aa4111@coventry.ac.uk (Fluids research group)

Prof. Ralph Kenna csx267@coventry.ac.uk or Prof. Eun-Jin Kim ad3116@coventry.ac.uk

(Statistical Physics research group)

Dr Ran Holtzman ad2472@coventry.ac.uk (Nonequilibrium in Environment and Engineering Systems research group)

Further information regarding the Research Centre for Fluid and Complex Systems can be found here.

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