King's College London

About us

The Department of Global Health & Social Medicine is a unique, interdisciplinary social sciences department at King’s College London founded in 2012. Its mission is to address the changing landscape of global health and medicine through social science perspectives.

About the role

The Department invites applications for a Lecturer in Social Science and Social Theory. This is a 2-year fixed term post that will not be extended beyond the 2 years.

We welcome applicants in any area of the social sciences with an interest in the social, cultural, political and economic aspects of contemporary medicine and health. You should hold a PhD degree in the social sciences or humanities (e.g., anthropology, sociology, history, geography, political science, STS, development studies). Your areas of research might include but are not limited to: the politics of global health; drugs and culture; the politics of reproduction; racism and health; emerging infectious diseases and zoonosis; toxic environments and health; humanitarian reason; pharmaceuticalisation; structural violence; mental health and society; biopolitics; as well as other areas that relate to one of our research groups.

The successful candidate will also have proven teaching ability, expertise in enquiry-based, participatory and critical pedagogies, and a commitment to inclusive and democratic ways of working.

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. King’s offers inclusive benefits to staff including flexible working, Enhanced Parental Leave, funds for Parents and Carers and the potential to join community staff networks.

The start date for the post is expected to be no later  thenJanuary 2027.

This is a full-time post, and you will be offered a 2-year fixed term contract.

About you

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

Essential criteria

1. PhD Degree in a relevant area of the social sciences or humanities (e.g., sociology, anthropology, geography, political science, history, science & technology studies, development studies)
2. Excellent knowledge and understanding of a relevant field of expertise
3. Experience of teaching relevant subjects at undergraduate level, with evidence of innovative and effective teaching and ability to engage and inspire students of diverse and international backgrounds
4. Commitment to student learning, supporting student welfare, and enhancing the student experience 
5. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills 
6. Ability to use own initiative and think critically 

Desirable criteria

1. Developing record of high-quality scholarly publications appropriate to career stage
2. Experience of assessment procedures in UK Higher Education and providing excellent feedback
3. Completion of appropriate training in Higher Education teaching and learning/academic practice
4. Experience of academic administration
5. Experience of providing academic advice and pastoral support to students

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 next page after you click “Apply Now”. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.

Further information

At King’s, we believe that the diversity of our community and a culture that is welcoming, open, inclusive and collaborative, are great strengths of the university. 

The Equality Act of 2010 protects the rights of our students and staff and provides a framework to fulfil our duties to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and in addition, to advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between those who share a protected characteristic and those who do not. At times, this will include balancing rights and beliefs that can feel in tension.

We are committed to free speech and to academic freedom, believing that our foundational purpose as a university, is to create spaces where a wide range of ideas, including ideas that are controversial, can be discussed and debated, and where members of our community can express lawful views without fear of intimidation, harassment or discrimination.

When engaging in the robust exchange of ideas, we ask that our community is mindful of our Dignity at King’s guidance.

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 person specification section of the job description. 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.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is evolving rapidly, and we recognise its growing role in professional work. Applicants may use AI tools to support preparation of their application, for example to research the role or structure written responses. However, applications must reflect the applicant’s own work and experience. AI tools should not be used during interviews or assessment activities unless this has been agreed in advance as a reasonable adjustment. Further guidance on the use of AI in recruitment can be found here.

We reserve the right to close adverts early due to the volume of applications we receive. While the closing date may change, all adverts will close at 23:59 to allow sufficient time for applications to be submitted on that day.

We encourage you to apply at the earliest opportunity to avoid disappointment as once we have closed a vacancy you will be unable to submit your application.

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

We anticipate interviews will be held in late September.