Appointment of a Research Officer in Image Analysis of River Dynamics

The school The University is committed to transforming the lives and experiences of people and their environments through research that drives positive change and economic and social benefits. Based in the College of Life, Health and Physical Sciences, The School of Environment and Technology is focussed on producing applied, multi-disciplinary research that informs policy, practice and benefits the student experience.

Based in the Cockcroft Building on the Moulsecoomb site, there are 49.25 academic, 6.1 research, 7.9 technical and 12.2 administrative staff within the school covering a wide range of activities within the two divisions of Geography & Geology and the Built Environment & Civil Engineering.

Members of staff are active in their professional fields, acting as external examiners, validation panel members and HEFCE assessors.

Research

The School specialises in multi/interdisciplinary applied research which is grouped around 5 broad themes:-

 Applied geosciences  Ecology,landscape and pollution management  Society, space and environment  Ground, water and structural engineering  Sustainable construction and environmental planning

Staff within each of these themes also contribute to the Aquatic Research Centre which is an interdisciplinary centre focusing on resolving key issues associated with marine and freshwater systems in both the natural and built environment.

In the 2014 REF 40% of the staff from the School were submitted via 4 Units of Assessment (B7 – Earth Systems & Environmental Sciences -12.25 fte, C22 – Social Work and Social Policy – 2.0 fte; C26 – Sport & Exercise Sciences, Leisure and Tourism – 2.0 fte, D34 – Art & Design: History, practice and theory – 3.0 fte) and the following quality profile was generated:-

4* = 11.2% 3* = 50.9% 2* = 34.0% 1* = 3.6% U/C = 0.3%

The School attracts around £1 million of external funding each year from UK Research Councils (EPSRC, NERC, AHRC), the European Union, local and national government (DEFRA, Environment Agency, SDNPA) and industry. In many cases staff within the School are leading large multi-partner European projects and they play a key role in the peer review process (e.g.RCUK Review College) and in academic societies hosting national and international conferences. The school provides an excellent environment to support the development of early career researchers with pump priming funds being made available to develop research activities. The School also supports in excess of 60 postgraduate research students.

Courses

The school offers a wide range of research led courses to over 1200 students at Masters and Undergraduate Degree level which cover the subject areas of architectural technology, building surveying, construction management, civil engineering, environmental sciences, geography, geology and environmental management.

The undergraduate programmes are modular in structure and split into two semesters of 15 weeks’ duration. All of the courses make use of fieldwork and industrial placements and these are integrated into the teaching programme. Many of the courses are accredited by professional bodies (ICE, RICS, IEMA, Geol Soc) and have key transferable skills integrated into the programme. As a consequence the graduating students have an excellent record in securing appropriate employment.

Staff within the school also have close links with industry, the local community and the relevant professions, with highly qualified staff offering consultancy, short courses and CPD opportunities to the South East region.

Consultancy Opportunities

Staff may also work on consultancy activities, which may be undertaken in consultation with their Head of School.

Facilities

The school is strongly supported by the university and as a consequen ce has seen significant investment (£8.3 million) in new laboratories a nd capital equipment over the last five years. Key facilities include:  Geochemical suite (XRD, XRF, XPS, AAS, ICP-OES, ICP-MS)  Geology Laboratory  Environmental Sciences Laboratory  Public Health Laboratory  Research Laboratory  Hydraulics laboratory with 6 flumes  Experimental River basin  Heavy Structures Laboratory  Geotechnicial laboratory including a centrifuge  Concrete laboratory  Drawing Studio  Computer Laboratories including Autocad and GIS  Surveying Equipment (Total Stations, dGPS)  Field based monitoring equipment including a 4 wheel drive ve hicle and coring equipment  Instrumented monitoring sites for hydrogeology, wetlands and estuarine environments. The refurbishment of the Cockcroft Building (£29 million) has provided new offices, laboratories and social learning spaces as well as providin g a building with a low carbon footprint.

Support Staff

The academic activities are supported by a range of administrative and technical staff. The laboratories and computer systems are supported by highly qualified technical instructors who support teaching and research activities. Similarly the teaching and research administrative activities are supported by the School Office together with two Student Support Tutors. In addition the school can call upon support from the Centre for Collaboration and Partnership which focuses on working with industry (KTPs) and student placements.

The Division of Geography and Geology

Staff in the Division of Geography and Geology integrate research and teaching across the full spectrum of geography, earth and environmental sciences. There is also growing expertise in archaeology.

Research

The 32.3 staff within the Division are all research active and 60% were submitted in the 2014 REF. The research is applied in nature and it has been judged to have outstanding impact with considerable societal reach. Our staffing policy was viewed positively in terms of its commitment to equality and diversity and the specialist support it provides for early career staff. There are currently 35 MPhil/PhD students directly supervised by staff within the Division.

More details on research themes and successes are provided on the School website http://www.brighton.ac.uk/set/research/ and within the University of Brighton publication Making Research Matter https://www.brighton.ac.uk/research/research-films-and- publications/making-research-matter/index.aspx

Courses

The Division operates nine highly successful integrated undergraduate degree programmes which collectively recruit around 170 students in each academic year. These include honours degrees in BA Geography, BSc Earth & Ocean Science, BSc Environmental Sciences, BSc Geography, BSc Geography with Archaeology, BSc Geography with Geoinformatics, BSc Geology and BSc Physical Geography and Geology. Each degree is managed by a Course Leader, with academic staff contributing to the modules which comprise the individual degree programmes.

The Division also runs four Masters programmes which attract a total of 30-45 full-time students per year: MSc Environmental Assessment & Management, MSc Environmental Geology, MSc GIS & Environmental Management and MSc Water & Environmental Management. Full details of all of these courses are available at http://www.brighton.ac.uk/set/courses/.

Academic staff

The successful candidate will be joining a dynamic team of 32 academic staff supported by 3 postdoctoral research fellows and 3 research assistants. The research foci of the current full time academic staff within the Division are summarised below, with further details available via the individual staff web pages at http://www.brighton.ac.uk/set/contact/.

Professor Philip Ashworth Research focuses upon river dynamics, hydraulics and depositional style. He currently works on large sand-bed braided rivers in Argentina and Canada with NERC and oil industry support.

Dr Graeme Awcock Research focuses on the analysis and utilisation of satellite remote sensing imagery. He is particularly interested in engaging in collaborative research with industry using mechanisms such as Knowledge Transfer Partnerships.

Dr Gary Bilotta Research focuses upon the interactions between hydrology, geomorphology and ecology. He is particularly interested in the effects of particulate matter on freshwater ecosystems.

Dr Matthew Brolly Research focuses on the use of active remote sensing techniques to infer forest parameters and inform on the dynamics of vegetated surfaces.

Dr Kath Browne (Reader, Assistant Head Publicity and Recruitment) Research focuses upon social and cultural geographies and geographies of difference. She is particularly interested in geographies of genders, sexes and sexualities, sport and leisure.

Dr Niall Burnside Research focuses upon the development of Geographical Information Systems for landscape evaluation and the wider use of GIS in habitat suitability mapping.

Dr Jon Caplin Research focuses upon the microbiological quality of recreational waters and on developing methods to rapidly identify and quantify aquatic pollution incidents.

Dr Chris Carey A geo-archaeologist with research interests in archaeometallurgy, geoprospection and the preservation of archaeological sites in fluvial systems. Dr James Cole An archaeologist with research interests in hominin behaviour through the material culture/fossil record and Palaeolithic archaeology from a landscape perspective.

Professor Andrew Church Research focuses upon tourism and leisure geographies. His research has included projects on leisure and natural resource management and public access to the countryside.

Professor Andy Cundy Research focuses upon the development of new technologies for contaminated land remediation, recent tectonics and coastal change.

Dr Leila Dawney Research focuses on the geographies of landscape, embodiment, practice and performativity, migration, racism and postcolonial cultural forms.

Dr James Ebdon Research focuses upon the development and implementation of novel low-cost tools for identifying sources of bacterial, viral and chemical pollutants in aquatic environments.

Dr Jenny Elliott Research focuses upon sustainable development in the developing world. She is also researching curriculum change in HE with respect to education for sustainable development.

Dr Becky Elmhirst Research focuses upon the social geography of sustainable development. Her main interests concern natural resource management, migration and gender in Southeast Asia.

Professor Callum Firth (Head of School) Research focuses upon coastal evolution, sea level change and coastal tectonics. He also has interests in neotectonics and the deglaciation of Scotland.

Dr Laurence Hopkinson (Reader) Research focuses upon natural analogue-based carbon sequestration technologies, electrokinetic treatment of contaminated land and laboratory synthesis of industrial minerals.

Dr Chris Joyce (Reader) Research focuses upon the environmental management and biogeography of wetlands, particularly wet grasslands, floodplains and saline lagoons, with studies in Europe and the USA.

Dr Jason Lim A social and cultural geographer whose research interests lie in the politics and ethics of difference in everyday life.

Dr Lorna Linch Research focuses on glacial sedimentology and in particular micromorphological analysis of glacial sediments. Dr Hannah Macpherson Research focuses on disability, the body, nature and landscape. Her work draws on post-structural and post-phenomenological theory and contributes to debates on the body and non-representational geography.

Dr Antonios Marsellos A structural geologist with research interests in the active tectonics of the Aegean and the use of GIS and remote sensing in earth sciences.

Dr Norman Moles (Head of Division) Research focuses upon metals in the environment, including the formation of metallic ore deposits in sedimentary environments and the dispersal of metallic materials in soils.

Professor David Nash (Head of Research) Research focuses upon soils and geomorphology in arid and semi-arid regions and the evidence for Holocene to recent environmental change in southern Africa.

Dr Kirsty Smallbone (Assistant Head Quality) Research focuses upon the distribution and dispersion of particulate air pollution and the associated risks to human health.

Dr Martin Smith Research focuses upon the geochemistry of crustal fluids, particularly in relation to the formation and global distribution of ore deposits.

Professor Huw Taylor Research focuses upon the health hazards associated with recreational waters, and the development of methods to distinguish sources of water pollution.

Dr Phillip Teasdale Research focuses on recent sea level change, coastal and estuarine sediment processes, environmental geochemistry, radiometric dating and environmental radioactivity and marine micropalaeontology.

Dr Stewart Ullyott Research focuses upon the development of silicified Cenozoic sediments, with particular interest in the origins of sarsens and puddingstones in southern Britain.

Dr Raymond Ward An environmental scientist with research focus on the evolution of coastal wetlands in response to environmental changes.

Dr Judith Watson Research focuses on Local labour markets, education and training markets, urban education and ethnicity and qualifications development.

Dr Ryan Woodard Research focuses on recycling schemes, waste awareness and education, waste prevention and waste management.

Job Sharing The University of Brighton welcomes job sharers. Job sharing is a way of working where two people share one full-time job, dividing the work, responsibilities, pay, holidays and other benefits between them proportionate to the hours each works, thereby increasing access to a wide range of jobs on a part-time basis.

Potential job sharers do not have to apply with a partner. However, if a post is to be operated as a job share there must be at least two suitable applicants who wish to share the job.

A job share appointment will only be made if it has been demonstrated that both shortlisted applicants can do the job to the required standards and within a working pattern of hours that is agreeable to all parties. If one applicant is unsuitable, neither can be appointed unless an alternative potential job sharer has been shortlisted.

When applying as a job sharer please indicate this on your application form. Please also indicate on the additional information tab whether you are applying with a job share partner and the name of that person. It would also be useful if you could indicate whether you would be interested in the post on a full-time basis if no suitable partner can be found. If you have indicated that you would be willing to take up the position on a full-time basis then the normal recruitment procedure will be followed.

If you are interested in appointment on a job share basis, please contact Human Resources for a copy of the university's policy, procedure and guidelines for job sharing. Alternatively staff in Human Resources will be happy to answer any queries you may have.

The Job The Research Officer (AC1), will be expected to use a range of research methods to support a new Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) project on ‘Modelling How Sediment Suspension Controls the Morphology and Evolution of Sand-bed Rivers’ http://gotw.nerc.ac.uk/list_full.asp?pcode=NE%2FL005662%2F1

At Research Officer level (AC1), staff are expected to be using a range of basic research methods to support research projects across a school or subject area including assisting with dissemination of results.

Research Officers are expected to:  Support the research of others by undertaking basic research for example by contributing to the planning; preparing, setting up, conducting and recording the outcome of experiments and field work; developing questionnaires and conducting surveys; conducting literature and database searches; co-ordinating information, assessing its value and making recommendations; and administration of smaller project budgets including advice on cost-effective expenditure;  Undertake experiments using standard techniques and methods and develop the ability to design experiments and methods appropriate to the research project;  Plan own day-to-day research activity within the framework of the agreed programme, co-ordinating with the work of others;  Liaise with research colleagues, project partners and support staff on routine matters and to gather or exchange information;  Deal with problems which may affect research objectives and contribute to decisions affecting the work of the team;  Analyse and interpret results of own research and generate original ideas based on outcomes;  May assist on collaborative projects by tracking progress in each institution against grant requirements;  Write up results of own research and contribute to the production of research reports and publications;  Assist with dissemination of research output, for example by assisting with the design and development of a website, exhibition or broadcast media programme;  Prepare and present information/papers on research progress and outcomes to bodies supervising research, e.g. steering groups or the funding body;  Attend and contribute to meetings including production of minutes;  Continue to update own subject knowledge and develop research skills;  Assist in the supervision of student projects and provide guidance to support staff and any research students who may be assisting with the research;  May contribute to introductory courses including preparing and delivering lectures and marking with guidance or developing others' expertise in the use of research methods and equipment;  Develop own knowledge of teaching and learning methods;  Make internal and external contacts to develop knowledge and understanding and form relationships for future collaboration.

Knowledge and Qualifications

It is expected that the criteria below regarding knowledge and qualifications will be met by the successful candidate.

 A good (1 or 2:1) degree in an appropriate science subject (preferably BSc (Hons) in Physical Geography, Environmental Sciences, Geology or a closely-related subject such as Computer Science and Image Analysis).  Sufficient, up to date breadth or depth of specialist knowledge in the discipline.  Some research experience/expertise and developing further skills in and knowledge of research methods and techniques, including some research experience within dynamic and large rivers.  Understanding of equality of opportunity, academic content and issues relating to student need.  Competent IT skills, including ARC GIS, Global Mapper, Photoshop.  Ability to learn new remote sensing techniques and analysis including use of UAVs/drones for land surveying. Desirable  Knowledge of Canadian hydrology, land access permissions and flight regulations.

Hours of work This post is full-time. The nature of research posts is such that staff are expected to work such hours as are reasonably necessary in order to fulfil their duties and responsibilities. It would therefore be inappropriate to define the total hours to be worked in any week. A reasonable norm for full-time staff, however, having regard to the contractual position of other senior staff in the institution, would be thirty-seven, although this should not be regarded as a minimum or maximum. Contribution to teaching and learning programmes in the school should not exceed six hours in any week.

The salary Salaries are paid monthly in arrears through the BACS System directly into the bank or building society account of each member of staff.

Salary payments for staff that work less than 52 weeks per year are spread evenly over twelve months of the year so that they continue to receive payment during the times they are not contracted to work. This means that, when they leave the employment of the university, they may have received either an over or underpayment for that year, according to the date of leaving in relation to the anniversary of the start date. In such cases, the adjustment would be made in the final salary payment, as a deduction or lump sum payment, as applicable.

Duration of the job The appointment is fixed term for 30 months because funding is of a short-term duration and longer-term funding is uncertain.

Professional development

The Research Office (RO) organises a wide range of workshops covering all aspects of researcher development including research degree supervision, research methodology, writing successful bids for funding, intellectual property and negotiations and contracts. The RO also offers a co-ordinated central service to advise and assist university research staff applying for grants from UK Research Councils, the European Commission, the NHS and similar external bodies including advice and guidance on application procedures, regulations, staffing, costing and protection of intellectual property. Staff in the Registry, Business Services, Finance, Human Resources, Strategic Planning and Marketing & Communications have joined forces to provide this research support service. The RO's website on the university's intranet offers a wide range of helpful information on all aspects of research. See http://staffcentral.brighton.ac.uk/ro/

Courses are also run within the university for staff new to teaching. Staff new to teaching in higher education, who have not undertaken an equivalent course of study and training, are expected take one of these courses in their first or second year in post. The courses provide opportunities to explore a range of practical approaches to supporting students’ learning, and to reflect upon the process of developing as a teacher. The successful applicant will be provided with further information about these courses at the time of appointment.

In addition to these courses for staff new to the teaching role, the Centre for Learning and Teaching offers a wide range of other teaching-related courses, events and consultancy. Further information is available from the CLT’s website: http://staffcentral.bton.ac.uk/clt.

Holidays The annual leave entitlement is 35 working days pro rata for proportional full-time staff. This is in addition to the statutory holidays applicable in England, local discretionary holidays and days when the university is closed in the interests of efficiency.

Terms & conditions In determining terms and conditions of employment, the university has regard to recommendations made through the appropriate national negotiating framework. These terms and conditions of service can be varied by local agreements reached through the university’s local negotiating framework which comprises a Joint Negotiating Committee supported by two Common Interest Groups. These groups bring together representatives of the university and its recognised trade unions, which are:

• UCU – University and College Union • UNISON

Strategic plan Details of our Strategic Plan can be found at: http://staffcentral.brighton.ac.uk/xpedio/groups/Public/documents/staff central/doc013747.pdf