Associate Professor Silicon Detector Instrumentation for Particle Physics Research and Education - School of Physics and AstronomyGrade 9

Position Details

School of Physics and Astronomy

Location: University of Birmingham Edgbaston Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range 56921 to 65814 with potential progression once in post to 85544

As this vacancy has limited funding the maximum salary that can be offered is Grade 9 salary 65814

Full Time Permanent

Closing date: 18th May 2025

UK and International travel may be required for this role

Role Summary

The School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Birmingham (UoB) seeks to appoint a high quality motivated academic with a specialisation in silicon tracking detectors to help drive activity as part of the Birmingham Instrumentation Laboratory for Particle physics and Applications (BILPA).

The post holder will play a role in all aspects of the BILPA work including our ongoing experiments and R&D as well as helping build new activities. An important priority will be to play a leading role in Birmingham work on the MAPSbased Silicon Vertex Tracker for the ePIC experiment at the US Electron Ion Collider (EIC). There may also be opportunities to contribute to directing the laboratory.

The BILPA facility is a 200 m² suite of wellequipped clean rooms supported by further substantial recently refurbished laboratory space. Its core user team currently includes two academics in addition to the appointee four PDRAs one engineer and four technicians with numerous PhD students also engaging. Workstreams include:

• Major construction projects currently including contributions to the siliconstrip detectors for the ATLAS ITk upgrade at the LHC and the MAPSbased silicon vertex tracker for the ePIC detector at EIC.
• Strategic R&D into CMOS sensors and 4D tracking technologies for next generation facilities.
• Projects leading to wider societal impact for example based on the use of particle tracking detectors for imaging and dosimetry in proton cancer therapy.
• Work towards the creation of a unique facility for radiationhardness characterisation based on proton and neutron beam facilities in Birmingham.

The successful candidate will be expected to teach in our undergraduate degree are expected to demonstrate academic citizenship develop and maintain mutually respectful and supportive working relationships with staff and students and ensure their role impacts positively on others.

Role specifications include the following:

• Expertise in silicon technologies ideally MAPSbased also emerging silicon technologies such as radiation hard CMOS sensors and fast timing detectors.
• Experience of contributing to detector design development and construction for particle physics (and potentially wider) applications.
• Evidence of effectively engaging with academic or wider user communities.
• Evidence of providing effective support and mentoring to PhD students technical staff and/or early career research staff.
• Demonstrated publication and scientific track record.
• Strong communication skills in English with ability to communicate effectively with staff and students in formal and informal settings.

You should make sure to attach the following to your application:

• An academic CV along with a full publication list;
• A statement of future research plans and objectives in the context of the advertised role (max 2 pages);
• A statement on your teaching approach and experience (max 2 pages); and
• Contact details for three referees.

The Birmingham Particle Physics group currently has 12 academic staff 21 postdoctoral researchers and engineers 35 support staff and 22 research students. It attracts funding of around 3M per year. Our present activities include ATLAS and LHCb at the CERN LHC NA62 at the CERN SPS the future EIC at Brookhaven and nonaccelerator interests in direct Dark Matter searches.

The School of Physics and Astronomy is a worldleading physics department excelling in both research and teaching. Our physics research was recently ranked top in the UK for 4starcategory research and 4th by GPA by the Research Excellence Framework 2021. The 2013 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Higgs and Englert for their theoretical prediction of the Higgs boson that was discovered in 2012 with strong involvement of the Birmingham team within the ATLAS experiment. The 2016 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Professor Mike Kosterlitz and Professor David Thouless jointly for their work into the discoveries of the properties of matter work which started when they were at Birmingham together. The 2017 Prize was awarded for the detection of gravitational waves in which Birmingham staff played a key role. The School is an excellent environment for an upcoming academic.

The Schools research portfolio is wideranging and covers three principal themes: Quantum Matter; Particle and Nuclear Physics; and Astronomy and Experimental Gravity. It has over 120 academic and research staff together with 120 graduate students with around 50 technical and clerical support staff.

The School of Physics and Astronomy is an Institute of Physics Juno Champion since 2014 and holder of the Athena SWAN Silver Award. Both initiatives recognise the Schools commitment to promote diversity and equality and to encourage better practice for all members of the community whilst also working towards developing an equitable working culture in which all students and staff can achieve their full potential. We welcome applications from all qualified applicants and encourage applications from traditionally underrepresented groups in Physics and Astronomy including but not limited to women and Black Asian and Minority Ethnic Groups.

Main Duties

Education

You will contribute across the range of teaching and learning activities:

• making a significant contribution to the pedagogical knowledge base of the subject that advances teaching through the enhancement of practice the development of teaching resources and/or through practicebased research;
• leading on the management and the development of approaches to teaching and learning including designing innovative approaches to digital resources/environments and supporting colleagues to use them that are innovative to the subject area or institution;
• leading on curriculum design at module and programme level to ensure it is contemporary inclusive engaging and academically challenging;
• actively engaging students in curriculum design and sharing evidence of what works;
• making an impactful high quality contribution to debates about education policy methods and practices through internal and external publications subject societies and conference activity;
• developing an external profile evidenced through engaging in external quality assurance activities related to teaching eg. external examining and engaging with/supporting education in other institutions;
• playing an important and sustained role in the recruitment and admission of students;
• cosupervising doctoral students to completion;
• leading the development of teaching learning and assessment policies and strategies;
• acting as an education mentor to colleagues in the School/Department/College or more widely;
• leading the development of new and appropriate approaches to learning and may be underpinned by research and evaluation of teaching methods and systems;
• leading sustained high value impact in knowledge transfer and enterprise (includingbusiness engagement public engagement) that enhances the student experience and/or or employability and is of manifest benefitto learning and teaching in the College and the University;
• undertaking own teaching which will include teaching and examining courses at a range of levels planning and reviewing own teaching approaches developing programme proposals supervision marking and examining. You will ensure that your teaching practice is informed by discipline based research through participating in the research culture of the School.

Research

To pursue sustained research activity through original research and scholarship including other researchrelated contributions through conference papers and presentations and/or consultancy projects and advice including (as appropriate):

• contributing to the management of research activities and/or supervising other research staff;
• leading successful funding bids;
• consistently publishing internationally excellent research with some research regarded as world leading that results in a sustained highly respected reputation of international quality;
• supervising and examining PhD students both within the institution and externally;
• providing expert advice internally and externally;
• peer reviewing articles for peer reviewed academic journals and grant applications by research councils and/or other major funding bodies;
• leading sustained impact activity including public engagement and makes a significant contribution to policy development at a national and international level;.
• supervising and examine PhD students both within the institution and externally;
• as appropriate managing research activities and/or supervising other research staff;
• developing novel methodologies and techniques appropriate to the type of research being pursued.

Management/administration

Lead activities in the Department/ School and represent the School on College/ University committees or working groups. Where appropriate to the discipline this is likely to include some but not all of the responsibilities listed below:

• making an important contribution to the development and running of the Department or School for example leading activity on research and/or teaching assessment
• leading a successful international engagement at School or College level;
• developing and managing staff and resources in support of major research and/or teaching activities;
• making important contributions to the development of the Departments research and/or learning and teaching strategy;
• contributing significantly to the development and delivery of knowledge transfer enterprise business engagement and public engagement activities with sustained high value impact of manifest benefit to the College and the University;
• promoting a culture (including policies and procedures) that embeds equality and values diversity and inclusion;
• leading serving on and assisting the work of committees and task and finish groups beyond School/ Research Institute e.g. Senate Council University Education or Research Committee etc.;
• leading external committees e.g. those associated with public/professional bodies ordelivery of activities for an external body at an appropriate level e.g. chairing sub committees associated with large elements of work;
• leading/project managinga team to devise and implement a new and/or revised process (e.g. a new research initiative or a recruitment drive);
• making a sustained contribution to widening participation schools outreach and/or public understanding of the discipline;
• contributing to administrative activities within the University (e.g. appeals panels working groups).

Citizenship

• identifying wellbeing issues within the School/College/University and developing appropriate solutions to address these;
• taking collective ownership of challenges faced by the School or College and working with colleagues to develop solutions;
• mentoring and coaching of colleagues particularly those in the early stages of their career.

Person Specification

• Normally a higher degree relevant to the research/teaching area (usually PhD) or equivalent qualifications.

Demonstrated excellence in at least Research with competence in Learning and Teaching and Management and Administration.

Learning and teaching requirements

An excellent teaching profile and performance in terms of both impact and teaching quality demonstrated to be informed by an appropriate level of scholarship.

Where appropriate evidence of success under the following headings:

• High national reputation for the development of teaching and learning excellence within the discipline
• Successful and sustained use of a range of appropriate teaching methods and assessment strategies that promote high quality learning including learning that is flexible distinctive and current and stimulates learners natural curiosity
• Significant and sustained contribution to one or more of the following: strategic development of new programmes; approaches to learning; the development of learning resources
• High quality and sustained contributions to fostering excellence in teaching activities more widely i.e. in the Department/School or College and/or externally
• Track record of substantial and sustained high value impact on the enhancement of the student experience and/or employability
• Mentoring and expert advice which develops the skills of colleagues in teaching and in fostering learning

Research requirements

An excellent national reputation and a developing international profile through significant original research work and a clear record of impact. Evidence of success under the following headings as appropriate to the discipline:

• High level peer esteem as evidenced by:
  • Excellent reputation in the UK and often internationally reflected in sustained high quality output level of innovation impact on subject and recognition
  • An excellent and sustained record of peer reviewed research publications
• Successful and sustained supervision of doctoral students to completion
• Substantial and sustained research income generation e.g. through research grants contracts research consultancy or other external funding
• Sustained high value impact knowledge transfer and enterprise that is of manifest benefit to the College and University

Management and administrationrelated requirements

Demonstrated significant achievement in management and administrationrelated activities which may include leadership of activities/ of success under the following headings

• Successful and sustained performance in significant administrative/managerial role (s) (e.g. exams officer)
• Significant and sustained high quality innovative contributions to the management/administration of the Department/School/College or University
• Successful and sustained contribution to the corporate life of the School/College/University displaying willingness to contribute actively to committees collaborative teaching and administrative tasks
• Actively promotes equality and diversity to internal and external stakeholders
• Able to use data to identify equality and diversity issues
• Experience of developing interventions to address equality and diversity issues

Informal enquiries to Professor Paul Newman email: or Professor Cristina Lazzeroni email:

We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyoneon our website.