Assistant Professor (Research)

Job Description - Assistant Professor (Research) (26001388)

Assistant Professor (Research)

Department of Sociology

Grade 7/8: £48,337-£57,666 per annum

Fixed Term - Full Time

Contract Duration: 36

Contracted Hours per Week: 35

Closing Date: 12-Nov-2026, 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 warm and friendly place to work, 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. The University is located within a beautiful historic city, home to a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and surrounded by stunning countryside. Our talented scholars and researchers from around the world 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. Being a part of Durham is about more than just the success of the University, it’s also about contributing to the success of the city, county and community.

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 Purpose and Values

We want our University to be a place where people can be free to be themselves, no matter what their identity or background. Together, we celebrate difference, value one another and are each responsible for creating an inclusive community that is respectful and fair for all.

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 Join Us? - Information Page.

Discover more about our total rewards and benefits package here.

The Department

The Institute for Medical Humanities and Department of Sociology at Durham University seeks to appoint a talented researcher and scholar to the role of Assistant Professor (Research) to work with The Practice, one of the sites of the Discovery Research Platform for Medical Humanities. We welcome applications from those with research interests in the field of medical sociology and anthropology and we are particularly eager to hear from applicants with expertise in ethnographic research on healthcare in marginalised communities.

This post is part of an exciting expansion of medical humanities at Durham funded by the Wellcome Trust. The Discovery Research Platform for Medical Humanities (DRP-MH) at Durham University aims to empower health and wellbeing researchers from different sectors and disciplines to co-develop new and experimental approaches to tackling health challenges, including those arising at the intersections of mental health and health inequalities. The Platform will create space for experimentation and intellectual risk-taking, support networks globally, and revolutionize the research capacity of the field of Medical Humanities. It will enable large-scale collaborations with community, creative, health and voluntary sector organisations, including through international partnerships with leading Universities in the USA, Sweden, the Netherlands, South Africa and China. Platform researchers come from a wide range of disciplines including Literary Studies, Psychology, Philosophy, History, Sport and Exercise Science, Education and Sociology. The DRP-MH supports the Institute’s vision to improve human health through research on hidden experience.

Applications are invited for an Assistant Professor (Research) in Sociology with a particular emphasis on experiences of health and illness in marginalised and/or socioeconomically deprived communities. The post holder will be responsible for designing and conducting research as part of The Practice, one of three collaborative Sites hosted by the Platform. The Practice is a partnership with a GP practice based in the Northeast of England. The Practice is concerned with developing new insights into intractable questions around health inequalities, mental health, and the treatment of complex multi-morbidities. The postholder will work closely with Site leads Dr. Jesse Proudfoot and Dr. Jonathan Coates (a GP at St. Anthony’s Health Centre and Associate Professor in Practice at the IMH) to design and conduct new research at The Practice, facilitate new projects from other Platform team members for the site, and support collaborations with other researchers and stakeholders.

Practice site activities may include but are not limited to regular participation in Site meetings, workshops and other events; collaboration in methodological innovation with interdisciplinary and cross-sector partners through a range of modalities; the design and delivery of pilot and proof-of-concept studies; and taking shared responsibility for sustaining a flourishing research culture in the Site and Platform more broadly. The post holder will also be expected and supported to collaborate with other Sites and Researchers across the Platform. Regular participation (in-person as well as virtual) at Site, Lab and Platform activities, as agreed with the Line Manager is essential.

The role offers an exciting opportunity to make an important contribution to the development of research and methodological innovation within the Discovery Research Platform for Medical Humanities and Department of Sociology, while allowing you excellent opportunities to develop your career in an exciting and progressive institution.

The Department of Sociology at Durham was established in 1964, initially as the Department of Social Theory and Institutions. We currently offer successful undergraduate degree programmes in Sociology and Criminology. Durham ranks 3rd for Sociology and 5th for Criminology in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2026. Sociology is ranked 4th in the Complete University Guide 2027, and Durham is ranked 5th for Sociology and Social Policy in the Guardian University Guide 2026. We also hold an Athena SWAN silver award and the Department is committed to promoting equality for all within the workplace and creating a diverse, inclusive and supportive working environment. The Department’s research strategy is built around five themes: Communities and Social Justice, Health and Social Theory, Higher Education and Social Inequality, Violence and Abuse, and Criminal Justice, Social Harms and Inequalities. We were ranked 4th in the UK for research impact in REF 2021.

The successful candidate will have dedicated time for professional development and can access a wealth of existing and bespoke training opportunities through the IMH in consultation with Site leads.

For more information, please visit our Institute and Platform pages at: https://www.durham.ac.uk/research/institutes-and-centres/medical-humanities/ and https://medhumsplatform.org/sites/the-practice/ and Department pages at: https://www.durham.ac.uk/departments/academic/sociology/

Assistant Professors (Research) at Durham

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

Academic colleagues are supported to publish excellent research in their area of interest with a focus on high quality outputs (including monographs and journal articles), rather than quantity. We aim to 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.

Applicants must demonstrate research excellence in the field of medical sociology or anthropology, with the ability to fully engage in the services, citizenship and values of the University.

We strive 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 world-leading in terms of originality, significance and rigour, commensurate with the Department’s continuing emphasis on international excellence;
• To be developing clear plans for the pursuit of suitable national and international funding opportunities to support research and end-user engagement;
• Contribute to enhancing the quality of the research environment in the Department, the wider University and beyond through collaborative research activity;
• Demonstrate a willingness to take contribute to the administrative work, citizenship and values of the Department;
• To fully engage in and enhance the values of the Department;
• To contribute to attracting and supervising research students, and to enhance the Department’s commitment to its vibrant and international postgraduate culture.
• Carry out such other duties as specified by the Head of Department.

The post is fixed term for 36 months from 11/01/2027 to 10/01/2030.

Equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are a key component of the University’s Strategy and a central part of everything we do. We also live by our Purpose and 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.

We welcome and encourage applications from those who are currently under-represented in our work force, including people with disabilities and from racially minoritised ethnic groups.

If you have taken a career break or periods of leave that may have impacted on the volume and recency of your research outputs and other activities, such as maternity, adoption or parental leave, you may wish to disclose this in your application. The selection committee will take this into account when evaluating your application.

The University has been awarded the Disability Confident Leader 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.

Contact Information

Department contact for academic-related enquiries

Jesse Proudfoot, Associate Professor, jesse.proudfoot@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).

University contact for general queries about the recruitment process

e.recruitment@durham.ac.uk

How to Apply

We prefer to receive applications online.

Please note that in submitting your application Durham University will be processing your data. We would ask you to consider the relevant University Privacy Statement Job Applicants/Potential Job Applicants - Durham University 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;
• Personal research plan.
• Three of your most significant pieces of written work. Where possible your written work should have been published or submitted since 2021, however work prior to 2021 may be submitted where candidates have had career breaks.

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, publications should be uploaded as PDFs as part of your application in our recruitment system.

Please ensure that your PDFs are not larger than 5mb. Your work may be read by colleagues from across the Department and evaluated against the current REF criteria.

All application documents should be uploaded with your name and document type as PDF files.

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 3 academic referees they 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.

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 short presentation followed by an interview and we anticipate that the assessments and interviews will take place over two days in or around 7th December 2026.

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

Person Specification

Candidates applying for a grade 8 post must meet all of 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 – Grade 8

1. Qualifications – a good first degree and a PhD in medical sociology or anthropology.
2. Outputs - evidence of high-quality outputs, some of which is recognised as world-class. Candidates are asked to submit three 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 Sociology Department’s research strategy and the research plans of The Practice.
4. Demonstrable ability to present research papers at national/international conferences and communicate complex information to specialists and within the wider academic community.

Skills

1. Experience in conducting high quality academic research, with specific experience in conducting ethnographic fieldwork on healthcare in marginalised communities and within NHS settings
2. Qualitative research skills (e.g. ethnography, interviews, focus groups, participant observation, co-produced research).
3. Demonstrable ability to work cooperatively as part of a team, including participating in research meetings.
4. Ability to work independently on own initiative and to strict deadlines.
5. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
6. Experience working with cross-sector partners such as healthcare and voluntary organisations

Service, Citizenship and Values

This post is focused on research but candidates will be expected to actively engage in the administrative requirements of the Department, notably related to their research, and/or the research and research environment of the department.

Active engagement in administrative and citizenship requirements and to fostering a respectful environment, including the active contribution to the creation of a welcoming environment in which colleagues feel included and valued.

Essential criteria

1. Citizenship contribution – evidence of participation in the citizenship/administrative activities of an academic Department, Faculty or University. (Candidates may choose to evidence departmental or University roles, mentoring activity, pastoral and academic support of students, engagement with widening participation and membership or engagement with external bodies).
2. 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. The ability to confidently engage and communicate with people in marginalised communities is of particular importance to this role.

Desirable Criteria

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

• Income generation - engagement in the development of successful research project proposals.
• Research supervision - involvement in the provision of excellent supervision for PhD, Masters, other research students, and IMH In-Practice fellows.
• 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 and engagement with external events, and/or involvement with international networks or projects.
• Research Impact – evidence of the impact of research that the candidate has been involved with beyond the candidate’s institution.
• Leadership - engagement in activities that contribute to the administrative functioning of the candidate’s academic department and/or discipline including any leadership or other responsibilities in an academic/research context.