Stipendiary Junior Research Fellowship in the Science of Climate

I           THE APPOINTMENT

Jesus College invites applications for a stipendiary Junior Research Fellowship (a postdoctoral fellowship) in the Science of Climate, tenable for a fixed-term of three years from 1 October 2019.  The Fellowship is open to those researching in appropriate areas in the science of climate, and is intended for candidates who are at an early stage in their academic career.  Applicants will be talented researchers, who have already produced excellent research during their doctorate and in any postdoctoral positions. They will be free to conduct their own research programme. This is a full-time position that cannot be held concurrently with any other substantive post without explicit permission of the College.

 

The objectives in making this appointment are to develop and strengthen the research profile of the College and more generally to contribute to the goal of maintaining the University of Oxford as a leading centre for research in climate and climate evolution of Earth and other planets, including climates of the newly discovered exoplanets.  There is considerable commonality between the fundamental physics applied to problems such as human-caused climate change in the next few centuries, climates of the recent and distant past of Earth, climates of Solar System planets, and climates of exoplanets (whether habitable or not).  There are also considerable synergies between climate research in these diverse areas, with progress in one often stimulating progress in the others.  The emphasis in selecting a holder of this JRF post will be on quality, originality and importance of the candidates research and research plans.

 

Jesus College is grateful to Professor Thomas Phillips and Jocelyn Keene for making this JRF possible. Professor Thomas Phillips was the College’s first Junior Research Fellow in 1963. He is now Professor Emeritus at the California Institute of Technology and wants to give a young researcher a similar opportunity to that which he received at Jesus.

 

Responsibilities

 

The successful applicant will be expected to:

• Undertake original research of the highest academic standard;
• Disseminate their results via conference presentations and journal publications;
• Manage their own academic and administrative activities;
• Assist in the supervision of student projects and the development of student research skills;
• Act as College Advisor to a small number of postgraduates at the College;
• Participate in and contribute to the life of the College.

 

To assist in their academic career development, the JRF will be required to contribute up to three hours of departmental teaching per week for the 24 weeks of each academic year, averaged over the period of the Fellowship to allow for extended visits elsewhere. If desired, the JRF may undertake a limited number of hours of undergraduate tutorial teaching at the College but this is not a requirement of the post.

 

Criteria for appointment

The successful applicant will meet the following criteria:

Essential criteria

1. A doctorate in any area of the physical sciences or a related discipline of relevance to climate on Earth or other planets, completed in the last 3 years; 
2. Independence and ability to undertake research of the highest academic standard;
3. An outstanding record (for the stage of their career) of papers related to the subject area of this JRF, published in major international journals;
4. A realisable research plan relevant to the research activities of appropriate research groups in the Department of Physics, the Department of Earth Sciences or the Mathematical Institute, and that would enhance the overall research profile of the College.
5. Participation in conferences, seminars or research workshops;
6. Ability to teach students in small groups;
7. The ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing.

 

Jesus College

Jesus College has a strong commitment to promoting and enabling education, learning, scholarship and research at the highest levels amongst its students and academic staff, whilst preserving an informal and friendly atmosphere.  Founded in 1571 by Elizabeth I, the College is a self-governing educational charity and is one of the 38 constituent colleges of Oxford University.  With Professor Sir Nigel Shadbolt FRS, FREng, as its Principal, the College comprises some 70 Fellows, 25 lecturers, 240 graduates, 350 undergraduates, and 90 support staff.  The College is located on an attractive historic site in the centre of Oxford, with excellent access to the Bodleian Library and other university libraries, the Science Area, and the University’s department and faculty buildings.  Full information about the College is available on the college website: www.jesus.ox.ac.uk. 

The College encourages the academic achievements of its students (being regularly towards the top of the table for the best performance in final examinations) with excellent teaching, and generous and varied financial support.  Similarly it celebrates and supports the academic endeavours of its Fellows, both in research and teaching.

The Fellows of the College form a lively multi-disciplinary and international community.  Weekday lunches in particular are a popular and lively time for Fellows to talk to their immediate colleagues and those in other disciplines.  Guest Nights on Wednesdays and Fridays during term offer very pleasant occasions for Fellows to entertain professional and personal guests, and a chance to meet a wide range of interesting people.  The College hosts a number of well-attended formal dinners throughout the year, at which the post-holder and his/her guest would be most welcome.

Fellows can make use of the College’s well-equipped seminar and other rooms for meetings, entertainment, conferences etc., and can book accommodation for guests in dedicated Fellows’ guest rooms.  Junior Research Fellows regularly use College facilities to host seminars, colloquia and conferences of several days’ duration.  Lunches and dinners of a high standard may also, on occasion, be hosted by Fellows for professional or personal purposes.  A dedicated Fellows’ Resources Room provides computers, printers, a photocopier and a fax.  

Full information about the College is available on the College website: www.jesus.ox.ac.uk

Physics at Jesus College

Professor Raymond Pierrehumbert is the Halley Professor of Physics and his research focuses on the physics of climate of the Earth and other planets, ranging over the past 4 billion years to the next several billion years, and extending from the Solar System out to the newly discovered exoplanets. This includes questions of near-term interest, such as the nature and impact of climate disruption that will result from human-associated emissions of carbon dioxide (the “Global Warming” problem), and extends even to such things as the effect of agricultural practices on climate change.

Professor Tim Palmer is Royal Society Research Professor in Climate Physics. His research spans a wide variety of areas, from the theoretical to the practical, in issues related to the predictability and dynamics of weather and climate. Most recently his research has focused on the use of energy-efficient hybrid stochastic/deterministic computer hardware to simulate climate at extremely high resolution.

Dr. Sarah Rugheimer is an astrophysicist working on how to detect life on an exoplanet. Her research interests are modelling the atmosphere and climate of extrasolar planets with a particular focus on atmospheric biosignatures in Earth-like planets as well as modeling early Earth conditions. Her focus has been on the star-planet interaction and how the UV environment of the host star influences the atmosphere and detectable features of terrestrial worlds.

Other fellows in Physics at the College include:

Professor Donal Bradley, Professor of Engineering Science and Physics and Head of the Division of Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences;

Professor Philip Burrows in particle physics and accelerator science;

Associate Professor Yulin Chen in Condensed Matter Physics. He is also a College tutor;

Dr Malcolm John in Particle physics. He is also a College tutor;

Dr John Magorrian in theoretical astrophysics; he is also a College tutor.

Web pages for Jesus’ academic staff may be found at www.jesus.ox.ac.uk/fellows-and-staff.

 

Each year, the College expects to admit 8 undergraduates to the Physics degree.  We normally have at least 15 postgraduate students on doctoral programmes in the various fields of Physics.

  The Department of Physics

Oxford has one of the largest physics departments in the UK and hosts an outstanding and broad research programme. It aspires to be one of the best physics departments in the world by conducting cutting-edge research and by teaching and developing the careers of the next generation of physicists. The Department is one of 12 located in the Mathematical, Physical, and Life Sciences Division.  The physics department is divided into six sub-departments covering a broad range of research topics, of which Atmospheric and Oceanic Planetary Physics is one.

The department’s students, both undergraduate and postgraduate, benefit from this exceptional concentration of experts through daily contact with leaders in their field. Each year about 195 students join the challenging undergraduate courses. They receive a rigorous education in modern physics from academic staff who are not only world leaders in research but dedicated and talented teachers of the next generation.

Each year about 100 people with outstanding undergraduate records join the department’s research groups from all over the world to work for a doctorate with leading physicists and make the next step towards becoming a professional physicist themselves. In total there are over 700 undergraduates and over 300 postgraduate students working for degrees in the department.

The department has 104 permanent academic staff and 24 long term research fellows. There are 185 post-doctoral researchers and 162 technical and support staff. The department receives about £18 million of research funding each year from UK Research Councils, mostly STFC and EPSRC with relatively small amounts from NERC and BBSRC, and other agencies.

In the past year eleven researchers from the department have won national or international prizes for their work.

For further information please see:

www2.physics.ox.ac.uk/research

www2.physics.ox.ac.uk/research/atmospheric-oceanic-and-planetary-physics

II         REMUNERATION AND OTHER ENTITLEMENTS

1. Salary: there is a three-year scale on points 29-31 of the national pay spine, with appointments being made on the first point of the scale.  The figures include a nominal Fellowship stipend of £180 p.a..  The scale values as at 1 October 2018 are given below. 

Year 1 of post: national pay spine point 29: £32,236 p.a.

Year 2 of post: national pay spine 30: £33,199 p.a.

Year 3 of post: national pay spine 31: £34,189 p.a. 

 

2. Study space in College: study space in College (equipped with standard Windows desktop pc and black & white printer) will be provided if required.

 

3. Accommodation: a single Fellow may rent furnished rooms in College if available (note there will be no kitchen facilities and the rooms are not ensuite).  The annual rent will be at the prevailing level of charges, currently in the region of £5,187 for 2018-19.

 

4, Dining rights: the Fellow will be entitled to lunch and dinner free of charge with members of the Senior Common Room during term and vacation, except when the kitchens are closed.  

 

5. Membership of the Senior Common Room (SCR): small charge payable

 

6. Research grant: a research grant to the value of £1,000 p.a. (reviewed annually) is available towards the support of research, e.g. laboratory expenses, purchase of books or attendance at conferences. 

 

7. Major Research Grants Fund: Junior Research Fellows are eligible to apply to a cash-limited Major Research Grants Fund, currently worth approx. £40,000 p.a.  Applications are invited in spring each year.  Preference may be given to Fellows at an early stage in their career and to those with little access to alternative funding sources.

 

8. Pension: the person appointed will be eligible to join USS, under which scheme (currently) 8% of his or her stipend is deducted.

III        OTHER TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Probation: the College Statutes require that the first year of a Junior Research Fellow’s appointment should be probationary.  Probation is assessed in the summer term by the Governing Body on the basis of a report from the JRF, and at least two references.  A usual condition of passing probation is that any JRF who took up the post without having completed his/her doctorate should have gained his/her doctorate by the time he/she writes the probationary report.  Upon satisfactory completion of the initial first year of appointment, the post-holder will be eligible for re-election for a further two years.

 

Mentor: the College will ascribe a Fellow in a cognate area to be the Junior Research Fellow’s academic mentor.

 

Teaching: Junior Research Fellows are encouraged to develop their teaching skills, if appropriate, and may undertake a maximum of six hours teaching per week in term. However, there is no requirement to undertake any College teaching at all during the Fellowship if the holder does not wish to do so. There is a teaching requirement for the University, as stated above.

 

Data protection.  All data supplied by applicants will be used only for the purposes of determining their suitability for the post and will be held in accordance with the principles of the Data Protection Act 2018 and the College’s Data Protection Policy.

Work permits.   All appointments are made in accordance with the University of Oxford Equal Opportunities Policy and Code of Practice and applications are welcomed from a wide range of candidates. The University undertakes not to discriminate unlawfully against any applicant on the basis of any information revealed.

The Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 makes it a criminal offence for employers to employ someone who is not entitled to work in the UK. We therefore ask applicants to provide proof of their right to work in the UK before employment can commence. 

 

IV        PROCEDURE FOR APPLICATION AND APPOINTMENT

How to apply:  There is no application form.  Please email the following as ONE DOCUMENT to Mrs Helen Gee, the Principal’s Secretary (helen.gee@jesus.ox.ac.uk) by noon on Friday May 17^th, 2019

• a covering letter
• a curriculum vitae
• a list of publications
•  an outline of the proposed programme of research
• the names and contact details, including email addresses, of three referees
• applicants who are undertaking a doctoral thesis but have not yet submitted it are asked to include a clear timetable for its completion within 3 months of taking up the post.

References will be sought at longlisting.

Applicants are also requested to inform their referees that, under the 2018 Data Protection Act, any reference they may be asked to provide will be regarded as disclosable to the subject of the reference unless marked “strictly confidential”. This instruction must appear on the letter of reference itself and not just on the envelope in which the letter is contained.  Referees should also be asked to note that even where a reference is marked “strictly confidential” it could still be disclosed to the subject of the reference if that subject so requested and the College’s Data Protection Officer deemed it appropriate. 

Application process: a short list of applicants will be drawn up by the selection committee in May 2019.  Please note that at this stage shortlisted candidates will be asked to submit a sample of their written work, such as an offprint of a published article or a thesis chapter.

It is expected that short-listed candidates will be invited for interview at Jesus College, Oxford on 7^th June 2019   Those shortlisted will be invited to give a short presentation to the selection committee on their research and their research plans if they were to hold the Fellowship.  Reasonable interview expenses (including flights) will be reimbursed, and overnight accommodation can be offered free of charge if required. 

Queries may be addressed through the Principal’s Secretary, Mrs Helen Gee (principals.secretary@jesus.ox.ac.uk).