Job description

We are seeking to appoint two highly motivated individuals at Lecturer level who can contribute excellent research-led teaching to our BSc Psychology programme at the Department of Psychology within the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London (KCL).

These individuals will lead undergraduate modules within core areas of the BPS curriculum and supervise undergraduate research projects as part of our highly successful BSc Psychology programme.

Candidates must be able to demonstrate teaching skills and experience including curriculum and assessment design, an ability to supervise student research, and the ability to produce high quality research outputs.

Candidates will require subject expertise to teach material within the BPS core curriculum. We plan to appoint one candidate with expertise in Qualitative Research Methods, Social Psychology or Cultural Psychology; the second appointment may be to a candidate with expertise in any curriculum area.

Successful candidates will be appointed to the Academic Education Pathway meaning that their core responsibilities will relate to education and scholarship.

About the Department of Psychology

Since the Department of Psychology was founded in 1950, it has carried on a distinguished programme of research, teaching and clinical practice, with a long-standing link with the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. In 2004, the psychology sections of Guy’s, King’s and St Thomas’ School of Medicine merged with the Department, creating one of the world’s largest groupings of clinical and health psychologists. Today, Psychology is one of the largest departments in the IoPPN.

The department offers a range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses. These include our Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (the UK’s oldest training programme which helped to establish the scientist/practitioner model that is now almost universal in the field), our MSc in Health Psychology, and BSc programmes (BSc Psychology, BSc Neuroscience with Psychology, and Intercalated BSc in Psychology). In addition, we are internationally renowned for our wide range of clinical training programmes for mental health professionals including diplomas and certificates in CBT Psychosis, Family & Early Intervention, high intensity Adult IAPT training, CYP IAPT (Children & Young People) training and IAPT for Long Term Conditions/Medically Unexplained Symptoms. These courses are made possible by the expertise of the staff within the department and elsewhere within the IoPPN and our close ties with our NHS partners, the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, and King’s College London NHS Foundation Trust. Many members of academic staff are qualified Clinical and Health Psychologists providing expert psychological services to our NHS partners as part of their work.

The Department’s established research excellence span a wide range of mental health disorders and physical health problems, including anxiety disorders, trauma, somatoform disorders, pain, psychosis, depression, antisocial personality, disorders in childhood and adolescence, emotion and personality, and neurodegeneration. In physical health, we work at the interface between physical health and mental health and wellbeing, focusing on the development and evaluation of new psychological treatments and on understanding the mechanisms that maintain psychological distress. Much of our past work has informed UK national treatment guidelines in mental and physical health.

The breadth of research expertise has broadened considerably in the last five years, with the recruitment of psychologists in a range of disciplines whose interests intersect with and extend our profile in translational and applied research.

Link to Department of Psychology webpage:  http://www.kcl.ac.uk/ioppn/depts/psychology/index.aspx

About the Faculty

The IoPPN is a Faculty of King's College London and the largest academic community in Europe devoted to the study and prevention of mental illness and brain disease.

The complementary roles of the IoPPN are: (i) to pioneer research into new and improved ways of understanding and treating mental illness and brain disease; (ii) to offer advanced research training for psychiatrists, psychologists, neurologists and other scientific and paramedical workers.  The IoPPN's greatest strength is the interdisciplinary nature of both its research strategy and educational activities, providing unique opportunities for students and staff.

The IoPPN comprises three Academic Schools in Neurosciences; Academic Psychiatry; and Mental Health & Psychological Sciences. These encompass researchers with interests in addictions, biostatistics, child and adolescent psychiatry, basic and clinical neuroscience, forensic mental health sciences, health service and population research, neuroimaging, psychology, psychological medicine, old age psychiatry and psychosis studies. The Institute also hosts the NIHR Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre focussed on mental and neurological disorders.

Link to IoPPN webpage:  http://www.kcl.ac.uk/ioppn/index.aspx

At King’s we are deeply committed to embedding good equality and diversity practice into all our activities so that the university is an inclusive, welcoming, and inspiring place to work and study, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marital status, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion, sex or sexual orientation.

We particularly encourage applications from candidates within minority groups which are under-represented within the University at higher academic levels. 

This vacancy is opened for two positions. 

These posts will be offered on an indefinite contract.

These are full-time posts, although reduced and/or flexible hours working patterns may be possible.

Key responsibilities

Education

• Contribute to teaching, assessment and module leadership on modules that cover the BPS curriculum, and/or a specialist module in an area of their research expertise.
• Design educational materials using appropriate teaching, learning support, and assessment methods.
• Supervise project(s) for a number of undergraduate students each year.
• Contribute to pastoral support of students as a personal tutor.
• Contribute to the supervision of doctoral students (PhD or DClinPsy students, as appropriate), and support studentship applications.
• Undertake or update professional skills as appropriate and relevant in support of teaching excellence.

Research

• Undertake nationally leading research, in an area of Psychology or Higher Education, that complements the work of the wider Department.
• Develop a consistently high-level output of publications and presentations.
• Develop competitive applications to external funding partners to support individual or collaborative research.
• Develop their personal research through collaboration with colleagues across the Department and wider Faculty.

Additional responsibilities

• Sit on appropriate departmental and faculty committees, as required, and contribute to the academic community.
• Undertake any other reasonable duties that may be requested by the Line Manager and/or Head of Department.
• Support the Department and Faculty/College leadership in fostering a stimulating, innovative & inclusive culture and environment across the College enabling all students and staff to thrive and develop.
• Demonstrate a commitment to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion, actively addressing areas of inequity. 

The above list of responsibilities may not be exhaustive, and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks and responsibilities as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post.

Skills, knowledge, and experience

Role Specific Requirements

• Ability to contribute to the Department’s teaching and research strategy
• Effective balance and management of workloads in research and teaching
• Commitment to ensuring that colleagues and students feel supported and valued, contributing to a cooperative team ethos
• Commitment to continuing professional development and partnership working
• Understanding of, and commitment to upholding, the principles of equality and diversity

Essential criteria

1. First degree in Psychology or related subject
2. A completed PhD in Psychology or related area
3. Experience of designing and delivering excellent teaching and assessment for Undergraduate students, in person and online
4. Ability to supervise undergraduate research projects.
5. Understanding of the UK Higher Education environment
6. Skills in research design, quantitative and/or qualitative research methods relevant for field
7. Ability to produce internationally excellent scientific outputs
8. Developing research record with evidence of potential to secure external funding
9. Peer reviewed publications as a key contributor

Desirable criteria

1. Fellow (or higher) of the Higher Education Academy (or equivalent)
2. Evidence of ability to disseminate work beyond academia
3. Experience of providing pastoral support and guidance to undergraduate students