Job Description

Job id: 071247. Salary: \xc2\xa349,737 - \xc2\xa358,421 per annum, including London Weighting Allowance.

Posted: 13 July 2023. Closing date: 27 July 2023.

Business unit: IoPPN. Department: Biostatistics & Health Informatics.

Contact details: Daniel Stahl. Daniel.r.stahl@kcl.ac.uk

Location: Denmark Hill Campus. Category: Academic & Teaching.

Job description

This is an exciting opportunity for a Lecturer in Biostatistics to join us to contribute to the postgraduate educational programme at the Department of Biostatistics and Health Informatics (BHI) at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King\'s College London (IoPPN, KCL). The appointment will be made on the Academic Education Pathway, where the primary contribution is to education (80% of the role) and secondary contribution is to research (20%). Our expertise in Biostatistics includes prediction modelling and personalized medicine; causal evaluation and the analysis of therapeutic mechanisms; the Psychometrics & Measurement Lab; life course research and mental health trial statistics. The Health Informatics group is focused on translational health informatics and its application to complex diseases.

The role involves contributing to the delivery of our MSc/PGDip/PGCert program in "Applied Statistical Modelling and Health Informatics" and teaching Biostatistics to other postgraduate programmes in Psychology, the successful candidate will play a vital role in providing high-quality education, fostering academic growth, and contributing to the development of a modern curriculum in Biostatistics and Statistical modelling.

We are seeking an enthusiastic and dedicated colleague who can make a distinctive contribution to education and link with collaborative high-quality research. We are particularly interested in recruiting someone with a strong biostatistical background, and experience in health research, specifically related to our department and/or education research focusing on statistics in education. The ideal candidate should possess excellent teaching and communication skills and be capable of effectively explaining complex statistical topics to postgraduate-taught students in psychology as well as conveying mathematical concepts to our postgraduate-taught students.

Education and training of the next generation of scientists is a priority at the Department of Biostatistics and Health Informatics. As post holder, you will provide educational leadership on our MSc/PGDip/PGCert in Applied Statistical Modelling and Health Informatics as well as other statistics modules within postgraduate programs across the faculty. This could include programme and/or module leadership, course delivery, assessment, research project supervision, and personal tutor roles. In collaboration with others, you will also support postgraduate Biostatistics courses within the School and Faculty, for example through the supervision of Graduate Teaching Assistants.

You should be able to demonstrate suitable teaching skills and experience including curriculum development and assessment design, along with an ability to supervise student research dissertations. Your research focus should either be in a pedagogical area or in applied medical statistics that complements the existing interdisciplinary research in our department. Inter-disciplinary research collaboration with existing departmental research programmes will be encouraged. We encourage open science practices in data, software and publishing. We welcome applicants who are disabled, LGBTQ+ and/or from a minority ethnic background, as they are under-represented 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. The Department strives to be an open and supportive community, with a strong emphasis on working practices that promote diversity and inclusion, including an anti-racism working group.

About the Faculty and Department of Biostatistics & Health Informatics

About the MSc in Applied Statistical Modelling and Health Informatics

This post will be offered on an indefinite contract. This is a full-time post - 100% full time equivalent; a part-time role would be considered.

Key responsibilities

Education

• Contribute substantially to teaching (80% of role)
• Lead/co-lead the MSc/PGDip/PGCert in Applied Statistical Modelling and Health Informatics through programme and/or module leadership, course delivery, assessment, research project supervision, and personal tutor roles
• Engage in teaching innovation activities and practices
• Supervise research projects for postgraduate taught students
• Design appropriate educational materials using relevant teaching, learning support, and assessment methods
• Contribute to and help shape new educational offerings including in person, blended and online courses
• Actively participate in creating an atmosphere of diversity and inclusion at the department, the IoPPN and King\'s
• Play an active role in the personal tutor scheme and be involved in new initiatives for student welfare and experience
• Generate excellent student success and feedback
• Undertake or update professional skills as appropriate and relevant in support of teaching excellence
• Identify strategic development opportunities in teaching and research and contribute to the development of these ideas
• Contribute to peer review and departmental-based teaching development activities (away days, reviews, policy changes etc.)
• Disseminate teaching innovations and initiatives at Department, Faculty and/or College level
• Communicate educational scholarship, through peer engagement, publication and conferences

Research

• Engage in pedagogical and mental health research
• Link with research groups at the BHI department and IOPPN
• Contribute to the dynamic and collegiate research environment at the Department of BHI

Additional responsibilities

• Contribute effectively to the administrative duties of the department of BHI, in discussion with the Head of the Department.

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 * PhD in an area relevant to the BHI department, to the MSc/PGDip/PGCert programme in Applied Statistical Modelling and Health Informatics and to modules and to modules covering Introductory Statistics for postgraduate taught students at the IoPPN

• Experience of designing and delivering excellent teaching and assessment for postgraduate in person and/or online for students of statistics and psychology (or other health areas)
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to effectively convey complex statistical concepts to students from diverse academic backgrounds
• Ability to supervise postgraduate taught research projects
• Understanding of the UK Higher Education environment
• Skills in modern statistical modelling, mathematical statistics and data science relevant to the field
• Track-record of excellent scientific research, as evidenced by peer reviewed publications
• Demonstrable understanding of, and commitment to, working within the principles of culture, equality, diversity and inclusion
• Evidence of high self-motivation and ability to organize, plan and prioritize workload

Desirable criteria * Fellow (or higher) of the Higher Education Academy (or equivalent)

• Background in Psychology and Psychiatry
• Strong background in Mathematical statistics
• Experience of providing pastoral support and guidance to postgraduate and undergraduate students
• Ability to contribute to the Department\'s teaching strategy

King\'s College London