Assistant Professor (Research and Education) Spectroscopy

Durham University; North East; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A prestigious UK university is seeking an Assistant Professor in experimental spectroscopy. The role involves establishing a world-class research group and teaching core chemistry at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in spectroscopy and a commitment to contribute to the academic community.

Qualifications

• Strong background in experimental spectroscopy across various chemistry fields.
• Experience in establishing and maintaining research groups.
• Ability to teach complex chemistry concepts effectively.

Responsibilities

• Establish and maintain an externally funded research group.
• Teach chemistry through lectures, tutorials, workshops, and lab classes.
• Contribute to Departmental academic citizenship.

Skills

Experimental spectroscopy

Research group management

Teaching core chemistry

Collaboration and engagement

Education

PhD in Chemistry or a related field

Job description

The Department of Chemistry at Durham is one of the very best in the UK, with an outstanding reputation for excellence in research, teaching and employability of our students. We are an active and vibrant Department, with a strong cohort of early career academics and future leaders. We hold an Athena Swan Silver Award, recognising our commitment to gender equality. Our undergraduate programmes are ranked fifth in the Complete University Guide 2026. At postgraduate level, our students come from all over the world to carry out research.

Our research strategy is focussed around three interdisciplinary grand challenge themes: Chemistry for Health; Chemistry for Sustainability; and Chemistry for Change, and there is a strong culture of collaboration within the Department and with other Departments and Institutes within the University, including the Biophysical Sciences Institute, the Durham Energy Institute and the Institute for Data Science. We have strong links with many universities, research centres, and a long tradition of working closely with industry both in the North East region, across the UK and overseas. The Department benefits from excellent facilities, including mechanical, electrical and glass-blowing workshops, as well as state-of-the-art analytical capability.

The Department of Chemistry at Durham University seeks to appoint a talented and motivated individual to the role of Assistant Professor in the broad field of experimental spectroscopy. This can include, but is not limited to, spectroscopic method development and/or applications in inorganic, organic, physical or biological chemistry. The successful candidate will be expected to establish and successfully maintain an externally funded world‑class research group. They will be required to teach aspects of core chemistry through lectures, tutorials, workshops and laboratory classes and contribute fully to teaching across the Department at both undergraduate and postgraduate level, whilst also engaging in Departmental academic citizenship.

This post offers an exciting opportunity to make a major contribution to the development of internationally excellent research and teaching.

For more information, please visit our Department pages at http://www.durham.ac.uk/chemistry.

Informal enquiries about to position may be made to Prof. Robert Pal.