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The School of Natural Sciences invites applications for full-time, permanent Lectureships in the areas of Wildlife Conservation (one post)and Conservation Science (one post) to support areas of growth and development within the School. We are a large and diverse School with a strong research record and successful recruitment into our undergraduate and postgraduate degrees.

Candidates should have a PhD in a subject related to wildlife conservation, or conservation science and experience in conservation practice, management or policy, and strong professional networks in this area. Candidates should demonstrate the capacity to develop and lead their own internationally recognised research programmes to deliver high-quality research outputs and impact and have an enthusiasm for teaching and outreach, as well as excellent interpersonal skills. We particularly welcome applications from those working on human dimensions of conservation science, management of wildlife populations, environmental impact assessment, conservation management planning, or conservation policy.

The successful candidates will commence on 1st August 2023 or as soon as possible thereafter.

This role will be located on campus at Bangor. Through our Dynamic Working framework, there will also be the option to spend some time working remotely (although remaining in the UK) to support work life balance, which will be discussed further with candidates at interview.

Applications will also be considered to carry out this role on a part-time or job share basis.

Informal enquiries can be made by contacting Professor Nia Whiteley, Head of School, email: [email protected] or Professor Julia Jones, Professor of Conservation Science, Email: [email protected]

Applications will only be accepted via our on-line recruitment website, jobs.bangor.ac.uk. However, in cases of access issues due to disability, paper application forms are available by telephoning 01248 383865.

Closing date for applications: 21st April 2023.

Committed To Equal Opportunities

Overview

Bangor University, firmly rooted in the beautiful location of North Wales, was established in 1884. The university leadership has a strong focus on contributing to a sustainable world for future generations. The College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering represents one of the largest concentrations of interdisciplinary environmental and natural resource scientists in UK universities. Research in the college is organized into five cross-cutting themes: Conservation and Restoration of Resilient Ecosystems; Sustainable Food Production; One Health; Earth Systems Science and Renewable Energy; and Sustainable Manufacturing. In the recent Research Excellence Framework, we were ranked 1stin the UK for the impact of our research in earth systems and environmental sciences. The College has over 2300 students and 350 teaching and support staff and consists of three academic schools and the BioComposites Centre.

The School of Natural Science (SNS) within this College has a world-class reputation in research and teaching. We have research expertise in: Conservation science; Animal behaviour, ecology, and physiology; Evolution, development, and molecular biology; Microbiology and biotechnology; Biogeochemistry of soils, wetlands and marine environments; Forestry; Agriculture, food and the environment; Data analytics/Geospatial analysis. We are highly focused on conducting research which contributes to addressing the nature and climate emergencies through our policy-relevant research and strong pathways to impact via our global networks.

We offer a wide range of degree programmes at undergraduate and taught post-graduate level in subjects as diverse as Zoology, Biology, Conservation, Forestry, Environmental Science and Geography. On the conservation side, we run several undergraduate degrees including Wildlife Conservation, Environmental Conservation, Zoology with Conservation, and Conservation with Forestry. We also offer opportunities to complete 4th year Master degrees, well-subscribed placement opportunities and international years aboard. We offer postgraduate taught programmes in Conservation and Land Management and (from 2024) Wildlife Conservation.

The School

The School of Natural Sciences provides important facilities for our research and teaching: the Natural History Museum with its comprehensive collection of vertebrate and invertebrate material; extensive freshwater and marine aquaria; animal holding facilities, newly refurbished teaching laboratories, and the Henfaes Research Centre. The School is co-located with the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (NERC) in the Environment Centre Wales building, where our extensive soils/biogeochemistry and molecular ecology analytical laboratories are situated.

The University’s Treborth Botanic Garden plays an important role in our teaching and research. It was founded over 50 years ago with collections of more than 2000 species of plants across seven glasshouses replicating tropical and subtropical habitats. The Garden contains 12 ha of high conservation-value woodland, as well as species-rich natural grasslands. An attractive teaching laboratory allows students and researchers to study the collections in detail. The garden is also home to an avian housing facility that enables studies on flight energetics and navigation.

The Henfaes Research Centre’s 252 ha of land is a unique resource encompassing the environmental gradient from the sea to amongst the highest mountains in Wales, giving a high diversity of habitats, land uses, climates, and geology. It is a member of the Global Farm Platform Network and hosts long-term Bangor DIVERSE (tree diversity) and silvopasture agroforestry experiments, extensive controlled-environment glasshouses, mobile greenhouse gas emission laboratories, analytical laboratories, and a range of livestock, including the recent addition of alpacas, providing opportunities for animal management placements.

We make the most of our natural environment (between the Menai Straits and Snowdonia National Park) and deliver a wide range of local field trips as a key feature of our degree programmes, as well as offering overseas field courses to USA, India, Spain and Tenerife.

Bangor University is a member of the NERC Envision Doctoral Training Partnership and the NERC/BBSRC Soils Training and Research Studentships (STARS) Centre of Doctoral Training, which funds a number of PhD studentships in the School on an annual basis.

Purpose of the Job

The School wishes to appoint full-time, permanent Lectureships in the areas of Wildlife Conservation (one post) and Conservation Science (one post) to support areas of growth and development within the School. We particularly welcome candidates working on human dimensions of conservation science, management of wildlife populations, environmental impact assessment, conservation management planning, or conservation policy.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

Teaching duties:

Plan, prepare and deliver lectures, practical classes and tutorials in a wide range of topics and respond effectively to a variety of student backgrounds, class sizes.
Motivate students to engage in learning and provide meaningful and constructive feedback on the quality of their work.
Supervise undergraduate and postgraduate research projects.
Act as personal tutor for undergraduate and postgraduate students and provide pastoral support.
Contribute to the development of new programmes.
Liaise with external conservation employers to develop opportunities for our students (for placements or projects).

Research duties:

Develop and lead a programme of internationally recognized research related to wildlife conservation or conservation management.
Attract external research funding
Manage research projects
Publish research with impact, including high-quality peer-reviewed journals and dissemination of research outputs to policy and practitioners through other media.
Supervise research students.

Administrative duties:

Participate in the student recruitment and induction procedures of the School.
Contribute to the School's management and participate in the administration of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.
Undertake an active role in supporting and mentoring less experienced members of staff within the School/College.
Undertake other administrative duties and responsibilities as directed by the Head of School.

Other Duties and Responsibilities

Post holders will be expected to participate in performance review and career development activities.
Post holders will be expected to comply with the University’s equality policies and statements, Dignity at Work and Study Policy and the University’s Welsh Language Scheme.
Post holders have a general and legal duty of care in relation to health, safety and wellbeing and must take all reasonable steps to ensure a safe and healthy working environment for themselves and for other members of staff, students and visitors affected by their actions or inactions. Post holders are also required to comply with all applicable health and safety policies, procedures and risk assessments.
Post holders must comply with relevant legal and financial policies and procedures and be aware of their responsibilities in terms of the legal requirements of their posts.

Person Specification

Qualifications/Training

Essential

PhD in a subject related to conservation science
Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education (PGCertHE) or equivalent, be recognised by the HEA as a Fellow, or have a minimum of 3 years substantial teaching experience for conversion to HEA Fellowship within 3 years of appointment.

Experience/Knowledge

Teaching

Essential

Capability to effectively teach a wide range of topics in wildlife conservation or conservation science
Experience and enthusiasm for teaching and student engagement at higher education level with evidence of successful learning outcomes.
Evidence of good/ innovative pedagogic practice.
Experience of module development and delivery in higher education.
Experience of supervising undergraduate and postgraduate projects.
Excellent networks with conservation employers.

Desirable

Ability to teach applied skills relevant to conservation-related employees in the UK (management planning, habitat mapping, species survey techniques)
Experience of delivering safe and effective overseas field trips.
Evidence of contribution to the wider student experience e.g. in recruitment/retention initiatives, in employability/enterprise initiatives, student welfare

Research

Essential

Strong publication record (appropriate for career stage) in conservation science or practice.
Proven ability to manage and contribute to inter-disciplinary research projects, and to disseminate results through publication in relevant journals.
Ability to develop a programme of internationally recognized research and attract appropriate external funding to support this research.
Ability to attract, and successfully supervise, research students.
Established networks in conservation policy or practice.

Skills/Abilities

Essential

Demonstrate innovative and exciting approaches to teaching and research.
Demonstrate the ability to prioritise workload and work to deadlines.
Ability to work effectively as part of a team and on own initiative.
Excellent verbal and written skills.
Excellent computer literacy

Desirable

Ability to use and teach “R” for quantitative analysis and data visualisation.
Ability to use and teach GIS.
Evidence of successful external networking and profile-raising
Some administrative and organisational experience, related to academic development or equivalent
The ability to communicate in Welsh is desirable for this post. If applicants are not able to speak / write in Welsh at present, there are many opportunities to learn if the successful candidate wishes to do so.

General

The University is committed to supporting and promoting equality and diversity and to creating an inclusive working environment. We believe this can be achieved through attracting, developing, and retaining a diverse range of staff from many different backgrounds. We strive to develop a workforce from all sections of the community regardless of sex, gender identity, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, trans identity, relationship status, religion or belief, caring responsibilities, or age. We promote and facilitate the use of the Welsh language through our progressive Welsh Language Policy. We comply with the Welsh Language Standards and are committed to equality of opportunity. You are welcome to apply for any job in English or Welsh and all applications submitted will be treated equally.

We are a member of Advance HE's Athena SWAN Gender Equality charter and hold a Bronze award in recognition of our commitment to and progress towards gender equality within the University's policies, practices, and culture. We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer.

All members of staff have a duty to ensure their actions are in line with the overall environmental aims of the University and minimise their environmental impact.

All offers are made subject to proof of eligibility to work in the UK and receipt of satisfactory references.

All candidates must meet the requirements of UK ‘right to work’ requirements *** If you require Home Office permission to work in the UK, or need to switch your visa status in order to take this job we recommend you use the following link to information about the routes into employment and to check eligibility requirements: https://www.gov.uk/browse/visas-immigration/work-visas.

We have a legal responsibility to ensure that you have the right to work in the UK before you can start working for us. When you apply for this post you will be required to explain the basis upon which you believe you will able to live and work in the UK legally on the commencement date of the role should your application be successful. If you do not have the right to work freely in any position in the UK already, any offer of employment we will make to you will be subject to you obtaining a right to work visa. The following link provides information on the various visa routes into employment and the eligibility requirements (including switching visa status where permissible) https://www.gov.uk/browse/visas-immigration/work-visas. If you are successful in your application we will discuss visa options with you at the time of making the offer of employment.

Candidates should also note that they may be required to apply for an ATAS certificate (Academic Approval Technology Scheme) from the Counter-Proliferation and Arms Control Centre of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office before being able to apply for a visa - https://www.gov.uk/guidance/academic-technology-approval-scheme

Please note that, in the event of applications being received from candidates on the University's Redeployment Register with a reasonable skills match to the post specification, these applicants will be given prior consideration.