Working at Durham University
A globally outstanding centre of teaching and research excellence, a warm and friendly place to work, a unique and historic setting – Durham is a university like no other.
As one of the UK’s leading universities, Durham is an incredible place to define your career. The University is located within a beautiful historic city, home to a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and surrounded by stunning countryside. Our talented scholars and researchers from around the world are tackling global issues and making a difference to people's lives.
We believe that inspiring our people to do outstanding things at Durham enables Durham people to do outstanding things in the world. Being a part of Durham is about more than just the success of the University, it’s also about contributing to the success of the city, county and community.
Our University Strategy is built on three pillars of research, education and wider student experience, but also on our keen sense of community and of inspiring others to achieve their potential.
Our Purpose and Values
We want our University to be a place where people can be free to be themselves, no matter what their identity or background. Together, we celebrate difference, value one another and are each responsible for creating an inclusive community that is respectful and fair for all.
Find out more about the benefits of working at the University and what it is like to live and work in the Durham area on our Why Join Us? - Information Page
The Role and Department
Applications are invited for this role to work across nationally-leading health and care research programmes funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), as part of the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) North East and North Cumbria. The fellows will support the ARC in joining national research networks to deliver impactful research and knowledge mobilisation activities with partners across the health and care system.
The role will be a part of the Department of Sociology, which was established in 1964 initially as a Department of Social Theory and Institutions. The Department delivers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in Sociology, Criminology and Social Work and supports the delivery of a faculty research methods programme as part of the collaborative NINEDTP. The Department’s research strategy is built around five themes: 1) Communities and Social Justice; 2) Health and Social Theory; 3) Higher Education and Social Inequality; 4) Violence and Abuse; and 5) Criminal Justice, Social Harm and Inequalities. The post holder will also be a key member of the Wolfson Research Institute for Health and Wellbeing, a university-wide research institute focused encouraging and supporting high calibre interdisciplinary research to understand and address human health challenges.
The Role
The post holder will affiliate with one of the ARC research themes, establish inclusive communities of practice, and lead programmes of research across the North East and North Cumbria and nationally, in line with the strategic aims of the theme. The five themes across the ARC are:
Prevention including multiple long-term conditions.
Addressing inequity in health and care systems.
Supporting children, women, and family health.
Workforce Inclusion and Innovation for Impact.
Care Improvement and Safety.
The research opportunity at Durham University is aligned to the theme: Prevention including multiple long-term conditions. Please indicate up to two secondary themes you would like to align your application to. All candidates will be expected to work in partnership across themes. We are also looking for candidates who wish to express an interest in leading research aligned to Research Inclusion.
The successful applicant will be expected to have existing and well-established networks with a range of health, social care and community-based collaborators, including across other NIHR infrastructures. They will develop their own specialist research leadership while working in a pro-active and collaborative way to deliver work addressing critical national and regional priorities. They will be adaptive and responsive to emerging system needs, benefitting from the outstanding mentoring and supportive environment to secure additional grant funding over the 4-year period of the role. The role holder will be required to spend 50% of their time working responsively with health and social care partners to design and deliver programmes of work.
As part of our commitment to grow our applied research community and promote a supportive research culture, the role holder will be required to spend at least two days per week in person in the university or at relevant ARC events.
Key responsibilities:
The postholder will lead programmes of research aligned to ARC research themes, in collaboration with senior investigators, theme leads and co-leads.
Work responsively (50% of the contracted time), with a wide range of health and care partners and public members, to design and deliver impactful research projects.
Develop the research objectives and proposals for funding and contribute to or lead grant applications in collaboration with others.
Carry out high quality applied health research within agreed timelines, meeting milestones and to an appropriate standard.
Contribute to study design and collect, organise and analyse data relating to various projects across the ARC’s research themes.
Contribute to training and capacity building activities across the ARC.
Work with relevant stakeholders including members of the public to ensure research is relevant to their needs and that public involvement and community engagement is embedded cross the research programmes.
Identify and undertake a programme of professional development, including further training in research methods and other transferable skills.
Develop and maintain inclusive regional and national collaborator networks.
Contribute to research inclusion activities.
Contribute to knowledge mobilisation activities to ensure research impact, including working with Knowledge Mobilisation team and Fellows.
Ensure that research activity and any data collection is consistent with current research governance instructions and Data Protection legislation.
Attend meetings and other events appropriate to the Applied Research Collaboration and its programmes of work.
Prepare papers for publication in high quality peer reviewed journals, and disseminate findings at conferences and events as required.
To contribute to wider ARC activities, including with other relevant research infrastructures regionally and nationally.
Carry out administrative tasks and other duties to support the ARC as required by the theme lead, co-lead or the ARC NENC Directors.
Contribute to education and training activities related to applied health, public health and social care.
Contribute to events celebrating public involvement and engagement, and research and practice specifically aimed at tackling social injustices.
Develop an awareness of University structures, policies and procedures and relevant issues in the higher education, research, social and political environment.
Successful applicants will, ideally, be in post by 1 September 2026. This post is fixed term for a maximum of 4.5 years [March 2031; the duration of the funding period for the Applied Research Collaboration 2.0].
Working at Durham
A competitive salary is only one part of the many fantastic benefits you will receive if you join the University.
You’ll receive 30 days annual leave per year in addition to 8 public holidays and 4 customary days per year – a total of 42 days per year. The University closes between Christmas and New Year.
We offer a generous pension scheme, and as a new member of staff you will be automatically enrolled into the University Superannuation Scheme (USS).
No matter how you travel to work, we have you covered. We have ample parking across campus, a cycle to work scheme which helps you to buy a bike and discount with local bus and train companies. You can also take advantage of our cost-effective and environmentally friendly Tusker Car Benefit Scheme, allowing you to lease a brand-new electric or hybrid vehicle with savings on tax and National Insurance.
We have a genuine commitment to developing our colleagues professionally and personally. There is a comprehensive range of development courses, apprenticeships and access to qualifications and routes to develop your career in the University. All staff have dedicated annual time to concentrate on their personal development opportunities.
We provide wide-ranging health and wellbeing support including discounted membership for our state-of-the-art sport and gym facilities and access to a 24-7 Employee Assistance Programme.
Our on-site nursery is rated Outstanding by Ofsted, and you can access holiday camps for children aged 5-16.
Our family-friendly policies, including maternity and adoption leave, are among the most generous in the higher education sector (and likely above and beyond many employers).
We offer all staff the opportunity to take part in volunteering activities to make a difference in the local community.
You can access exclusive discounts via our benefits portal including money off at supermarkets, high street retailers, IT products such as Apple, eating out and days out at various attractions.
Various salary sacrifice schemes are also available to help you take advantage of tax savings on benefits.
If you are moving to Durham, you may be eligible for help with removal costs, and we have a dedicated team who can help you with the practicalities such as house hunting and schools. If you need a visa, we cover most visa costs and offer an interest-free loan scheme to pay for dependant visas.
Discover more about our total rewards and benefits package here.
Durham University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion
Equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are a key component of the University’s Strategy and a central part of everything we do. We also live by our Purpose and Values and our Staff Code of Conduct. At Durham we actively work towards providing an environment where our staff and students can study, work and live in a community which is supportive and inclusive.
We welcome and encourage applications from those who are currently under-represented in our work force, including people with disabilities and from racially minoritised ethnic groups.
If you have taken a career break or periods of leave that may have impacted on the volume and recency of your research outputs and other activities, such as maternity, adoption or parental leave, you may wish to disclose this in your application. The selection committee will take this into account when evaluating your application.
The University has been awarded the Disability Confident Leader status. If you are a candidate with a disability, we are committed to ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process. We will make adjustments to support the interview process wherever it is reasonable to do so and, where successful, reasonable adjustments will be made to support people within their role.
Contact Information
Department contact for academic-related enquiries
Mark Stoutenberg
Professor & Co-Director, Wolfson Research Institute for Health and Wellbeing
[email protected]
Contact information for technical difficulties when submitting your application
If you encounter technical difficulties when using the online application form, we prefer you send enquiries by email. Please send your name along with a brief description of the problem you’re experiencing to [email protected].
Alternatively, you may call 0191 334 6801 from the UK, or +44 191 334 6801 from outside the UK. This number operates during the hours of 09.00 and 17.00 Monday to Friday, UK time. We will normally respond within one working day (Monday to Friday, excluding UK public holidays).
University contact for general queries about the recruitment process
[email protected]
How to Apply
To progress to the assessment stage, candidates must evidence each of the essential criteria required for the role in the person specification below. It will be at the discretion of the recruiting panel as to whether they will also consider any desirable criteria, but we would urge candidates to provide evidence for all criteria.
While some criteria will be considered at the shortlisting stage, other criteria may be considered later in the assessment process, such as questions at interview.
Submitting your application
We prefer to receive applications online. We will update you about your application at various points throughout the selection process, via automated emails from our e-recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to make sure you have not missed any of our updates.
What to Submit
All applicants are asked to submit:
o Career breaks due to parental leave, or periods of illness
o Reduced time spent undertaking research due to a disability or caring responsibilities. This could include any physical or mental difficulty that may have impacted your research career. These are situations that have a significant impact on your ability to undertake research.
o Reduced opportunities to career support (e.g. mentorship) and limited opportunities to undertake prior research and training.
o Please also use this section to detail any other factors that may have impacted your research career not listed in the examples provided. This could include such impacts as limited opportunities to obtain grant funding, or fewer publications. In general terms, mitigating factors should be significant, and relevant.
Next Steps
Short-listed candidates will be invited to interview, either virtually or in-person and will have the opportunity to meet key members of the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration North East and North Cumbria. The assessment for the post will include a presentation to the interview panel followed by the interview questions. We anticipate that the interviews will take place over the week of 23 June 2026. In the event that you are unable to attend in person on the date offered, it may not be possible to offer you an interview on an alternative date.
Please note that in submitting your application Durham University will be processing your data. We would ask you to consider the relevant University Privacy Statement Job Applicants/Potential Job Applicants - Durham University which provides information on the collation, storing and use of data.
When appointing to this role the University must ensure that it meets any applicable immigration requirements, including salary thresholds which are applicable to some visas.
Person Specification
Essential Criteria
Qualifications
1. A PhD awarded, or submitted for examination, in a subject related to health / public health and social care as well as statistics / data science / economics relating to the health and care arena. Candidates with formal confirmation of the completion of their studies who are within a writing-up year are also welcome to apply.
Experience
2. Experience of conducting and/or leading high-quality research working across applied health, public health and social care, with a wide range of external partners.
3. Evidence of successfully achieving external grant funding either as a lead or co-investigator, this can include studentships and travel grants.
4. Experience of quantitative and / or qualitative data collection and analysis.
5. Demonstrable ability to work independently and as part of research teams.
6. Evidence of delivering research projects within agreed timelines, meeting project milestones and producing research to an appropriate standard.
Skills
7. emonstrable ability to work cooperatively as part of a team, including participating in research meetings.
8. Ability to work independently on own initiative and to strict deadlines.
9. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
10. Ability to maintain confidentiality and protect research/personal data according to protocols and principles of good research practice.
Attributes and Behaviour
11. Keen to help others and play a role in a positive and inclusive research culture.
12. Enthusiastic to grow and develop as a researcher.
13. Motivation to secure a personal fellowship or external funding from an external, national panel or via NIHR infrastructure or programmes opportunities.
14. Follows-through on commitments and drives projects forward.
15. Ability to work responsively to meet the needs of a wide range of health and care partners and changing government priorities.
16. Commitment to equality, diversity, inclusion, and social justice.
17. Ability to prioritise key tasks.
18. Excellent organisational, communication and interpersonal skills.
19. Ability to work flexibly and cooperatively with others across a range of settings, including with public members and health and care professionals.
Desirable Criteria
Qualifications
Experience
Experience of co-production approaches and/or creative methods.
Evidence of methodological innovation relevant to applied research in health, public health and social care
Experience of delivering teaching or training.
Experience of knowledge mobilisation approaches.
Skills
