Independent Research Fellows Recruitment Event 2011

Monday 18 July 2011, 9.00AM

2012 Event

Next year's Independent Research Fellows Recruitment Event will be in mid-July 2012.  Details will appear here.

York Physics is growing vigorously, with an investment package during the last six years of 18 new academic posts, plus major new laboratories and facilities (£4M) including the new York-JEOL Nanocentre. Independent Research Fellows – who hold research fellowships such as those listed below that allow them to pursue their own research programme – are important to us, and we have an exceptional record in facilitating holders of these fellowships to move into permanent academic posts in the department.

In addition to a young, dynamic research environment based on our four groups (Condensed Matter Theory, Nanophysics, Nuclear Physics, and Plasma Physics & Fusion), we offer mentoring and professional development, a strongly collegial tradition, and an attractive campus environment 2 km from the centre of one of the most beautiful cities in Britain.

We invite outstanding researchers from across the spectrum of physics who hold (or are considering holding) independent fellowships to a full-day event on Monday 18 July 2011.

Those attending will tour our facilities, meet our academic and research staff and learn what support we can offer for scientific and career plans. Selected applicants will be invited to give presentations on their work.

We encourage interdisciplinary collaboration within the university, and there are existing research links with York’s Biology, Chemistry, Electronics and Mathematics departments.

Fellowships

The first fellowship below has a known 2011 deadline, as listed.  The others are expected to have opportunities for applications during Autumn 2011 or early 2012.

• Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowships (deadline 11 August 2011)
  
• Royal Society University Research Fellowships
• EPSRC Career Acceleration Fellowships
• EPSRC Postdoctoral Fellowships in theoretical physics and cross-disciplinary interfaces
• STFC Ernest Rutherford Fellowships
• Newton International Fellowships
• Commonwealth Fellowships
• 1851 Research Fellowships
• Daphne Jackson Fellowships

The department maintains links to the web sites of these various fellowship opportunities on its Job Vacancies page.

How to Proceed

To request a place at our recruitment event, please e-mail the chair of the Research Committee, Prof. Rex Godby (rex.godby@york.ac.uk), enclosing

• CV and list of publications
• Summary of your major research achievements so far
• A brief research plan for the duration of your fellowship, including (where possible) an outline of your longer-term research direction
• Contact details for three referees (the University will assume that it is free to approach referees at any stage unless you indicate otherwise)

Places should be booked by 6 July.

Rex Godby is also happy to answer any questions by phone (+44 (0)1904 322231) or e-mail (rex.godby@york.ac.uk) before the event.

The University of York is committed to diversity and has policies and developmental programmes in place to promote equality of opportunity.

The Department particularly welcomes applications from women and ethnic minority candidates. Applications made on a part-time basis are welcome.

Background Information

The University

The University is situated in an attractive parkland campus at Heslington, 2 km from the centre of York. The beautuful, historic city is conveniently located with main-line rail and road links to London and Scotland, and to the rest of the UK. Manchester and Leeds-Bradford Airports are within easy reach. The University is collegiate with all the major facilities on site, including library, sports fields, bars, film and concert halls, and residential accommodation. The University has enjoyed considerable success in recent years, coming near the top of the various UK league tables for research and teaching. The strong growth in student applications and research funding has resulted in expansion of existing departments and the development of new departments and centres, together with a major investment in a large extension to the campus. The University has its own facilities for large-scale computing, some shared with Leeds and Sheffield in the White Rose Grid.  The University of York has won a national accolade, the Athena SWAN Bronze Award from the Royal Society, for its commitment to women in science.

The Department

The four research groups are Condensed Matter Theory, Nanophysics, Nuclear Physics, and Plasma Physics & Fusion.

The Physics department at York has 32 academic staff members, 19 postdoctoral Research Fellows and 22 support staff. The student population comprises 380 undergraduates and 60 postgraduates, and both have increased by over 80% in the last 6 years.

In the 2009 National Student Survey, we were ranked third out of all Physics Departments for overall performance across all 7 categories. We also received the 7th highest score for Overall Satisfaction, were in the top 10 for: Teaching, Personal Development, Academic Support and Learning Resources and top in the country for Organisation and Management.  The department received the maximum score in the national Teaching Quality Assessment exercise.

The Department has well-equipped mechanical and electronic workshops.  Computing facilities include Unix/Linux workstations, a recently-purchased 256-processor Beowulf cluster and high-speed Internet access.

The department is presently in a vigorous period of growth, with an investment package of 18 new academic posts during the last six years, plus major investments in laboratories and facilities (£4M) including the new York-JEOL Nanocentre.  A recent further £3M investment by the University and EPSRC has created the York Plasma Institute, integrating magnetic confinement fusion, laser-plasma interaction physics and technological plasmas, including three new academic appointments.

The UK's 2008 Research Assessment Exercise has recognised the department's strength across its research groups, with 55% of its submission judged by an independent panel to be of internationally excellent or internationally leading quality, and 90% as achieving international recognition. The department's success contributed to the University of York’s continuing strong performance in the RAE, in which it was ranked eighth out of 159 higher education institutions.

The Department holds the Institute of Physics' Juno Practitioner award for its commitment to gender equality.

Further details of the department can be found on the Departmental homepage. (Click on Research, and then on the name of a research group, for the members of academic staff within that group and their interests.)

Location: Department of Physics, University of York.

Email: rex.godby@york.ac.uk

Telephone: +44 (0)1904 322231