Job description

The School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences is looking to recruit up to 5 new academic’s at Lecturer or Senior Lecturer level. These posts will enable the School to continue its growth in education and research, through increasing student numbers, working with our academics to target research calls and growing our academic staff numbers in strategic areas to maximise growth.  

Appointment to Lecturer or Senior Lecturer will be dependent upon experience. 

Our mission: Engineering better health with a broad vision to foster collaborations and facilitate problem-solving research through collective insight to create solutions and an ecosystem to address some of the most pressing engineering research questions, building a better, more sustainable world to the benefit of society. 

Innovations in health technology have the potential to tackle the biggest healthcare challenges of our time. The School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences is advancing healthcare engineering research, teaching, and entrepreneurialism by bringing life-changing medical technologies to patients and clinicians faster.  

We are driven by the ambition to improve the way we deliver healthcare through advanced engineering. The School trains the next generation of world-class biomedical engineers and prioritises collaboration between researchers, clinicians and industry.  

Our students and researchers break down barriers between disciplines to deliver faster translation of research into the clinic. By being embedded within one of the UK's largest NHS Trusts, we can improve the quality of life for patients around the world. 

These positions will be at the intersection of a number of significant research and infrastructural initiatives within the School and at King’s.  

The London AI Centre for Value-based, population health research via mobile apps, e.g. Zoe Covid App and the MedTech Hub’s symbiotic academic-industry model to healthcare innovation, strengthening of our links with key industrial players such as Medtronic, Nvidia, Siemens, Philips and GE.  

The appointees will also benefit from the recently completed infrastructure with the school such as the Department of Surgical & Interventional Engineering’ with access to state-of-the-art facilities including our mock operating room provisioned for cadaver human studies, specialist optics laboratories and MAISI a national facility for the Manufacture of Active Implants and Surgical Instruments and they will be able to capitalise on the in-house Quality Management System expertise.

The School also has an established research track record in MRI and PET with clinical applications in cardiology, oncology and immunology. With the development of St Thomas’ as a MedTech cluster for the next generation of technologies, the London Institute for Healthcare Engineering will open towards the end of the year providing facilities for researchers (both academic and clinical) to support the translation of research in healthcare engineering into new products and technologies that will benefit patients and therefore couple research impact with clinical translation. 

Healthcare Engineering is a strategic priority for King’s and the School has identified and prioritized a number of research areas that will inform the School’s research strategy over the next five years to ensure the School’s future research ambitions are fully realized in line with King’s Strategic Vision 2029.

In particular, the School is looking to expand in the research areas of Digital Health, Neuro-technology, Neuro-engineering, Digital Twins, Cardiac Imaging, AI applied to Total Body PET, but will welcome applications across all research areas in the School.

Expertise in these areas will help strengthen the School’s research base and reinforce our collaborations and partnerships across King’s and with our industry partners. The post holder will enhance our research, contribute to REF and grant income. The post holder will increase the School’s capabilities with new technologies and methodologies and is primed for the creation of new IP and for collaborative projects with industry and contribute towards the sustainability of key King’s wide initiatives. 

Key aims:

• Lead research programmes, as Principal Investigator, in relevant aspects of their specialist field and attract funding to them. 
• Promote work of the School by presenting work at international meetings and conferences as invited speaker. 
• Bring specialist skills and expertise to pursue research focused on the translation and development of their specialist research area.  
• Build an independent research program focusing on their specific research area. 
• Supervise RAs, PhD students as well as contribute to teaching. 
• Actively engage in administrative work in the School as a member or chair of committees. 

This post will be offered on an indefinite contract   

This is a full-time  post - 100% full time equivalent

Key responsibilities

Research

• To provide research leadership within the research field of the appointee.
• To undertake internationally leading research and submit research for publication, so as to contribute to the School’s research record and the further advancement of the discipline/profession
• To raise funding through peer reviewed grant applications to support a programme of research.
• To develop and strengthen links with others in the appointee’s area of expertise and with external bodies (academic institutions, industry, healthcare systems, funders, patients, etc.) to promote the research and to assist in funding it.
• Develop clear forward plan for sustaining /enhancing research programme, consistent with the School’s research strategy

Teaching

• To teach undergraduate and postgraduate courses relevant to the appointee’s expertise
• To assist with setting and marking examinations, as required, for any papers and courses taught including attendance at Examiners’ meetings
• Supervising and training research students at undergraduate and postgraduate level.

Administration

• To carry out any administrative duties assigned by the Head of Department or School
• To represent the School on College and University Committees as required
• Recruit, mentor and manage high quality research staff, within agreed framework and procedures.
• Participate in the development and delivery of diversity and inclusion initiatives such as Athena Swan and Race Equality Charter Mark, and demonstrate inclusive working practices.

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

Essential criteria (Senior Lecturer)

1.      PhD in relevant field

2.      Track record of independent research in one or more aspects in Surgical Robotics or relevant field

3.      Established network of collaborations in interdisciplinary research

4.      Excellent written and oral communication

5.      Excellent analytical skills

6.      Grant writing and track record of successful research funding commensurate with opportunity/career stage

7.      Writing and publishing papers

8.      Supervising junior researchers

9.      Teaching and lecturing at undergraduate/postgraduate level

10.    Undertaking collaborative research at both a local and international level, including collaboration with a view to commercialisation/translation of research

11.    Team player with commitment to both lead and assist in research projects as appropriate and support of junior academics

12.    Discretion when dealing with personal issues involving subordinates especially students

Desirable criteria (Senior Lecturer)

1.      Membership of a professional body

2.      Postgraduate teaching qualification in higher education

3.      Leadership of undergraduate/postgraduate teaching – programme or module level

Essential criteria (Lecturer)

1.      First degree in relevant field

2.      PhD in relevant field

3.      Track record of independent research in one of the relevant fields 

4.      Excellent written and oral communication

5.      Excellent analytical skills

6.      Writing and publishing papers

Desirable criteria (Lecturer)

1.      Grant writing and track record of successful research funding commensurate with opportunity/career stage

2.      Supervising junior researchers

3.      Teaching and lecturing at undergraduate/postgraduate level