King's College London

About us

King’s College London is one of England’s oldest and most prestigious universities, founded within the tradition of the Church of England by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington who granted our royal charter in 1829.

King's has a proud history of inspiring and supporting those who seek to solve the world's most pressing problems. For almost 200 years, our community has been deeply rooted in the belief that learning and research should serve society.

This commitment to knowledge with purpose – using our expertise as a force for good – lies at the heart of our core mission at King’s. From research that led to the discovery of the structure of DNA, to developing life-changing therapies and making maths education available to underrepresented groups, we continue to have a transformational impact on society.

Fourteen people from King’s and its associated institutions have been awarded the Nobel Prize, including  Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu for his role in South Africa’s anti-apartheid campaign, and  Professor Michael Levitt for his joint work in developing multiscale models for complex chemical systems.

Notable alumni include British sprinter and world-record holder Dina Asher-Smith , biophysicist  Dr. Rosalind Franklin, famous for her work in X-ray spectroscopy, and acclaimed children’s writer  Sir Michael Morpurgo.

The Faculty of Arts & Humanities at King’s is distinctive in representing exceptional strength in both the longer established disciplines (such as Philosophy, Classics, English, History, Languages, Music Philosophy and Theology) and world-leading quality in more recently established fields (such as Digital Humanities, Film, Interdisciplinary Liberal Arts, and Culture, Media and Creative Industries).

About the role

The role will be on our Education and Research pathway.

The successful candidate will have proven experience of university teaching, a record of published research appropriate to their career-stage, and also be able to undertake administrative and pastoral duties. They will be able to convene and teach on a range of undergraduate and postgraduate modules. These may include the core level 4 modules Reading Theory and Reading Poetry (taught in small tutorial groups);  the level 5 module Genres of Liberation in the Black Atlantic, and the level 6 module Black Studies: Method, Aesthetics, Environment. The role will involve supervision of BA dissertations on topics relating to the successful candidate’s field. They will also be asked to supervise MA dissertations for students on our MA in Contemporary Literature, Culture and Theory and to deliver teaching on the core modules for that programme, Post-1945: Literature, Culture, Theory and Thinking the Contemporary: Theory and Fiction in the Twenty-First Century. The postholder will contribute, as personal tutor, to the pastoral care of students. They will be expected to undertake departmental administration as required, including taking a leading role in the organisation of our annual Sylvia Wynter lecture, as well as our research strand on Critical Race Studies and Global Englishes. They will be responsible to the Head of Department.

Shortlisted candidates will be asked to give a short presentation to the interviewing panel at the beginning of their interview.

This is a full-time post, offered on a fixed-term contract from 5 January 2026-31 December 2026 (Maternity cover)

About you

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

Essential criteria

1. PhD qualified (i.e. PhD must have been awarded) in English Literature or related field
2. Experience of inclusive teaching of Black Atlantic studies and Contemporary literature in a diverse classroom: ability to communicate difficult concepts and material to students of all levels; ability to inspire and innovate a wide range of students; skilled at helping students to develop their individual intellectual and personal potential
3. Original research profile that complements and enhances the department’s existing strengths
4. Collegiate, proven ability to work with others and to support them where necessary
5. Experience of contributing to the pastoral care of students
6. Excellent administrative skills: ability to support the organisational aspects of teaching, learning and research

Desirable criteria

1. Experience of events organisation
2. Experience of dissertation supervision

Downloading a copy of our Job Description

Full details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document, provided at the bottom of the page. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.

Further information

We pride ourselves on being inclusive and welcoming. We embrace diversity and want everyone to feel that they belong and are connected to others in our community.

We are committed to working with our staff and unions on these and other issues, to continue to support our people and to develop a diverse and inclusive culture at King's.

As part of this commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, it is our aim to develop candidate pools that include applicants from all backgrounds and communities.

We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the advert. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible.

To find out how our managers will review your application, please take a look at our ‘ How we Recruit’ pages.

Interviews are due to be held on 25th November 2025.