Job Description and Selection Criteria Post Savilian Professor of Geometry Department/Faculty Mathematical Institute Division Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences College New College Overview of the post Applications are invited for the Savilian Professorship of Geometry to be held in the Mathematical Institute with effect from 1 September 2016 or as soon as possible thereafter. A non-stipendiary Fellowship at New College is attached to this Professorship. The Savilian Professorship of Geometry is at the heart of Oxford’s continuing tradition of excellence in mathematics. The successful candidate will be a research mathematician of the highest international calibre. The post holder will join Oxford’s world leading department of mathematics (known as the Mathematical Institute), which was ranked first in the UK in the 2014 REF (Research Excellence Framework) exercise, and which is housed in the stunning Andrew Wiles Building in the heart of the University’s new Radcliffe Observatory Quarter. She or he will lead our research group in Geometry, which has an outstanding record and attracts extremely strong graduate students and postdocs. She or he will contribute to teaching in Geometry and other areas of pure mathematics. The post holder will, in addition to the departmental appointment, be elected to a fellowship at New College where she or he will sit on the College’s Governing Body. Queries about the post should be addressed to Professor Sam Howison, Head of the Mathematical Institute, at [email protected]. All enquiries will be treated in strict confidence; they will not form part of the selection decision. Duties of the post The Savilian Professor of Geometry will be a member of both the University and the College community. She or he will be part of a lively and intellectually stimulating research community which performs to the highest international levels in research and publications and will have access to the excellent research facilities which Oxford offers. She or he will have a role to play in the running of the College as a member of the Governing Body and trustee of the College. The main duties of the post are as follows: 1 Research • to engage in original research of the highest calibre in the field of geometry, broadly interpreted; • to disseminate research through publication in scholarly journals, participation in international conferences and seminars, and in other ways as appropriate; Academic Leadership and Funding • to provide research leadership in the field of geometry; • to play an active role in formulating research strategy across pure mathematics; • to secure research funding and engage in the management of research projects; Teaching • to carry out teaching at undergraduate and graduate level (including lectures, classes, and project supervision). The requirement will normally be to give not fewer than thirty six lectures in each academic year; • to supervise Doctoral and Masters students, and postdoctoral research assistants; Examining • to take part in University examining both for undergraduate and graduate students as and when requested to do so. Administration • to participate in the administration of the department as and when requested by the Head of the Mathematical Institute; • to act as Head of the Mathematical Institute if requested to do so by the divisional board. Selection criteria Applications will be judged only against the criteria which are set out below. Applicants should make sure that their application shows very clearly how they believe that their skills and experience meet these criteria. Oxford is committed to fairness, consistency and transparency in selection decisions. Chairs of selection committees (known as electoral boards) will be aware of the principles of equality of opportunity and fair selection and there will be both male and female board members wherever possible. The successful candidate will demonstrate the ability to: 1. carry out original research of the highest quality in geometry (broadly interpreted), as evidenced by, for example, publications in internationally refereed journals; 2. provide research leadership and direction in the field of geometry (broadly interpreted); 3. attract research funding; 4. contribute to research strategy, leadership and direction outside the area of her/his speciality; 5. communicate and disseminate research, as evidenced by, for example, invitation to and participation in conferences, seminars and research workshops; 6. supervise graduate students and direct postdoctoral researchers; 7. teach effectively, in particular in undergraduate and graduate lectures, not exclusively in the area of her or his research expertise; 8. undertake willingly the full range of administrative duties within the department. 2 How to apply There is no application form. Applications must include: your full contact details including email and full postal addresses, and a telephone number a covering letter or statement explaining how you meet the criteria set out above a full CV and publications list an indication of where you first heard about this post the name, institution and contact details (e-mail address and telephone number) of precisely three referees. You should contact all three of your referees before applying, to ensure they are aware of your application and of the requirements for the post, and to ensure that they would be content to write a reference for you for this post, if they were asked to do so. Please also ensure that your referees have a copy of your current curriculum vitae as it is not our normal policy to attach this document with our reference requests. Please note that we may take up references before shortlisting, sometimes at short notice, and so the University will assume that it is free to approach your referees at any stage unless your application specifies otherwise. Therefore if you would prefer a referee or referees to be approached only with your specific permission or if you would prefer them to be approached only if you are being called for interview on the final short list, then you must state this in your application, alongside the details of the relevant referee(s). You should provide the names and full contact details of three referees even if you do not wish them to be contacted yet. If you are shortlisted but only Oxford references are available for you, you will be asked at a later stage to provide the name of an additional referee outside Oxford. Applications should be sent by email to Mrs Anna Malkin, Personnel Officer, Senior Appointments at [email protected]. The deadline for applications is Monday 12 October 2015. Should you have any queries about how to apply, please contact Mrs Elaine Eastgate at [email protected] or telephone: +44 (0)1865 280189. The full membership of the board of electors will be published in the University Gazette (www.ox.ac.uk/gazette/) when it is finalised. All applications will be acknowledged after receipt and will be considered by the board of electors as soon as possible after the closing date. The board is free to search for other candidates at this or any subsequent stage in its proceedings. All shortlisted candidates will be interviewed and will be asked to give a short presentation to the electors as part of the interview. The board’s decision will be communicated as soon as possible after the interview but in some cases there may be a delay while deliberations are ongoing. 3 Essential Information for Applicants for Savilian Professorship of Geometry The Savilian Professorship of Geometry is at the heart of Oxford’s continuing tradition of excellence in mathematics. The successful candidate will be a research mathematician of the highest international calibre. The Savilian Chair was established in 1619 and previous holders include Edmond Halley, James Sylvester, G H Hardy and Michael Atiyah. The four most recent holders are Michael Atiyah, Ioan James, Richard Taylor and Nigel Hitchin. The Mathematical Institute’s outstanding tradition in Geometry has deep roots, with the Savilian Chair of Geometry at its heart. Sir Michael Atiyah, Sir Simon Donaldson, Dame Frances Kirwan, Sir Roger Penrose, Daniel Quillen, Nigel Hitchin, and Graeme Segal have all spent major parts of their careers as professors at Oxford and have had a profound influence on the development of the faculty in its current form. The current interests of the geometry group, which also includes Andrew Dancer, Dominic Joyce, Alex Ritter and Balazs Sendroi, range across differential, symplectic and algebraic geometry. In addition, algebraic and geometric topology are both strongly represented at Oxford (Ulrike Tillmann, Constantin Teleman, Marc Lackenby, Christopher Douglas, Andras Juhasz), as are geometric group theory (Martin Bridson, Cornelia Drutu, Panos Papazoglou) and geometric representation theory (Kobi Kremnitzer, Kevin McGerty, Dan Ciubotaru). The ties between geometry and mathematical physics have always been strong and continue to thrive (Philip Candelas, Fernando Alday, Lionel Mason, Xenia de la Ossa, James Sparks), as do links with the research group in partial differential equations. Geometry pervades Oxford’s wider strength across fundamental and applied mathematics. Number theorists Sir Andrew Wiles, Ben Green and Roger Heath-Brown all hold chairs in the department, as do Martin Bridson, Philip Candelas, Terry Lyons, Boris Zilber and Sir John Ball. There are five further chairs in applied mathematics. For more information please visit www.maths.ox.ac.uk/groups/geometry The Department of Mathematics The Mathematical Institute, as Oxford’s Department of Mathematics is known, is one of the leading mathematics departments in the world, with a significant research profile in central areas of contemporary mathematical research. Mathematical Science was ranked first in the UK in the 2014 Research Excellence Framework exercise, a government review of research in all UK universities. The department is the main focus of research in Oxford for both pure and applied mathematics. The inclusive nature and overall size of the department are key factors in the provision of an outstanding research environment for its members.