Job description and selection criteria
Job title
Restatements Research Assistant
Division
MPLS
Department
Zoology & Oxford Martin School
Location
South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PS
Grade and salary
Grade 6: £27,057 - £32,277
Hours
Full time (37.5 hours per week)
Contract type
Fixed term for up to 18 months
Reporting to
Professor Charles Godfray, Professor Angela McLean & Dr Ella
Adlen
Vacancy reference
117417
Introduction
The University
The University of Oxford is a complex and stimulating organisation, which enjoys an international
reputation as a world-class centre of excellence in research and teaching. It employs over 10,000
staff and has a student population of over 21,000.
Most staff are directly appointed and managed by one of the University’s 130 departments or other
units within a highly devolved operational structure - this includes 5,900 ‘academic-related’ staff
(postgraduate research, computing, senior library, and administrative staff) and 2,820 ‘support’
staff (including clerical, library, technical, and manual staff). There are also over 1,600 academic
staff (professors, readers, lecturers), whose appointments are in the main overseen by a
combination of broader divisional and local faculty board/departmental structures. Academics are
generally all also employed by one of the 38 constituent colleges of the University as well as by the
central University itself.
Our annual income in 2009/10 was £879.8m. Oxford is one of Europe's most innovative and
entrepreneurial universities: income from external research contracts exceeds £367m p.a., and
more than 60 spin-off companies have been created.
For more information please visit www.ox.ac.uk
About the Mathematical, Physical, and Life Sciences Division
The Mathematical, Physical, and Life Sciences Division (MPLS) is one of the four academic
divisions within the University, (that is, Humanities Division, Social Sciences Division,
Mathematical, Physical, and Life Sciences Division, Medical Sciences Division). It comprises ten
academic departments: Chemistry, Computing Laboratory, Earth Sciences, Engineering Sciences,
Materials, the Mathematical Institute, Physics, Plant Sciences, Statistics, Zoology. The MPLS
Division also encompasses the Begbroke Science Park, the Life Sciences Interface Doctoral
Training Centre, and the Oxford e-Research Centre. The constituent units of the Division enjoy an
international reputation for excellence in the mathematical, physical, and life sciences, as well as in
interdisciplinary areas, particularly at the interface with the medical and environmental sciences.
Each division has its own academic Head of Division and a divisional secretariat, led by the
Divisional Secretary. Each division is responsible for academic oversight of the teaching and
research of its various departments and faculties, for strategic and operational planning, and for
personnel and resource management. Much of this is undertaken by the divisional board and its
principal committees.
Oxford is widely recognised as one of the world's leading science universities and was ranked 2nd
in the world (and 1st in Europe) in the 2012 Times Higher Education University rankings. In the
2008 UK Research Assessment Exercise over 70% of research activity in MPLS was judged to be
world-leading (4*) or internationally excellent (3*).
The Head of the Mathematical, Physical, and Life Sciences Division is Professor Alex Halliday, and
the Divisional Secretary is Dr Saira Shaikh. The Divisional Office for Mathematical, Physical, and
Life Sciences is based at 9 Parks Road, in the heart of the science area.
For more information please visit www.mpls.ox.ac.uk
The Department
The Department of Zoology (www.zoo.ox.ac.uk/) is recognised internationally for its research on
ecological and evolutionary biology. This research spans all levels from molecules to ecosystems,
and tackles fundamental problems in disease biology, evolutionary mechanisms, conservation
biology, biodiversity, evolutionary developmental biology and animal behaviour. The Department of
Zoology recently celebrated its 150th anniversary, and although it maintains its historic name its
research programmes no longer focus solely on animals, but have expanded to cover animals,
plants, bacteria, viruses and ecosystems. This diversity is echoed in teaching: the Department of
Zoology and Department of Plant Sciences jointly deliver a broad-ranging and highly regarded
undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences. Within its broad research portfolio, the Department
incorporates several research institutes: the Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology (EGI), the
Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU), the Biodiversity Institute (BIO) and the Institute for
Emerging Infections.
The Department of Zoology currently has approximately 70 academic staff and senior research
fellows. It also houses a very large and interactive group of post docs (~100) and graduate
students (~100). The main Department is located in the Tinbergen Building in the University’s
Science Area. The Department also runs the John Krebs Field Station in Wytham Woods and the
Recanati-Kaplan Centre in Tubney which houses WildCRU. Linked to the Tinbergen Building is the
multi-disciplinary Peter Medawar Building for Pathogen Research with high-grade containment
facilities. The Department is unusual in having about the same number of independently funded
Research Fellows as the number of Faculty. External research income to the Department is
derived from over 50 different funding agencies, with the principal funders being the European
Research Council, the Royal Society, the Wellcome Trust, NERC and BBSRC. Recent success
with the prestigious European Research Council (ERC) is particularly notable; the Department
currently holds ten ERC grants: six Advanced Investigator awards and four Starter Investigator
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awards. In 2010 the Department was given an Athena Swan Silver award in recognition of its
success at promoting the careers of women (http://www.zoo.ox.ac.uk/athena_swan).
For more information about the department, please visit the web site http://www.zoo.ox.ac.uk
Oxford Martin School
The Oxford Martin School is a unique interdisciplinary community within the University of Oxford.
The School fosters innovative thinking, deep scholarship and collaborative activity to address the
most pressing risks and realise new opportunities of the 21st century. It was founded in 2005
through the vision and generosity of James Martin. It works across the University’s four academic
divisions and currently comprises over 35 interdisciplinary research programmes on global future
challenges, clustered under four broad themes of: Energy & Environment; Health & Medicine;
Technology & Society; and Ethics & Governance.
Job description
Overview of the role
This role will involve applied research in the production of science “restatements”, an initiative of
the Oxford Martin School. Scientific restatements are summaries of relevant natural science
evidence that summarise the information required by policy makers to make decisions in areas
where the evidence base is contested and contentious. They aim to bring together the academic
community to assess the nature and quality of the evidence in as policy neutral manner as
possible. The outcome is a succinct set of paragraphs summarising the evidence and its reliability
(the restatement) plus a detailed annotated bibliography.
Restatements are generated
independently though with careful attention and discussion with policy customers (in the projects
so far UK government departments).
Previous restatements have included the role of badgers in bovine tuberculosis
(http://www.futureoffood.ox.ac.uk/bTBevidence), and the relationship between neonicotinoid
pesticides and insect pollinators (http://www.futureoffood.ox.ac.uk/neonics). A third restatement is
currently in draft and covers the health impact to humans from low-level ionising radiation. Future
topics for restatements may include endocrine disruptors, flood management systems and the
transmission dynamics of campylobacter.
Restatements are led by academics from Oxford University supported by a research assistant, the
position we are advertising for.
It is hoped the successful candidate will start work as soon as possible.
Responsibilities/duties
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Provide background research, data analysis and summary documents as required in the
production of restatements
Assemble and manage large bibliographic databases
Produce academic writing for publication in high profile scientific journals
Co-ordinate author and stakeholder interaction, including organising workshops
Assist in the preparation of briefs for circulation to high-level internal and external
stakeholders (thought leaders, government departments, think tanks, etc.)
Manage own research portfolio, including competing deadlines from various projects.
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Selection criteria
ESSENTIAL:
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A Masters degree, or demonstrable equivalent experience in a research role.
Ability to manage your own academic research and administrative activities, including small
scale project management.
Ability to rapidly assimilate new fields of scientific research and summarise complex areas of
scientific debate for educated non-specialist readers.
An interest in applied science, in evidence-based policy and in the use of science in
policymaking.
Ability to adapt existing and to develop new research methodologies and materials.
Energy, enthusiasm, versatility and commitment to his/her work.
Excellent interpersonal skills, to be able to deal with contacts at all levels and able to
communicate effectively with a wide range of professionals and internal and external
stakeholders
Superior analytical and report-writing skills
Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively as part of a team
Highly developed IT skills including experience of working with Microsoft Word, PowerPoint
and Excel and bibliography software
DESIRABLE:
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A PhD degree
Experience of working with Matlab and or other data visualisation tools
Working at the University of Oxford
For further information about working at Oxford, please see:
http://www.ox.ac.uk/about_the_university/jobs/research/
How to apply
If you consider that you meet the selection criteria, click on the Apply Now button on the ‘Job
Details’ page and follow the on-screen instructions to register as a user. You will then be required
to complete a number of screens with your application details, relating to your skills and
experience. When prompted, please provide details of two referees and indicate whether we can
contact them at this stage. You will also be required to upload a CV and supporting statement. The
supporting statement should describe what you have been doing over at least the last 10 years.
This may have been employment, education, or you may have taken time away from these
activities in order to raise a family, care for a dependant, or travel for example. Your application
will be judged solely on the basis of how you demonstrate that that you meet the selection criteria
outlined above and we are happy to consider evidence of transferable skills or experience which
you may have gained outside the context of paid employment or education.
Please save all uploaded documents to show your name and the document type.
All applications must be received by midday on the closing date stated in the online
advertisement.
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Information for Priority Candidates
A priority candidate is a University employee who is seeking redeployment owing to the fact that he
or she has been advised that they are at risk of redundancy, or on grounds of ill-health/disability.
Priority candidates are issued with a redeployment letter by their employing departments and this
letter must be attached to any application they submit.
Full details of the priority application process are available at:
http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/personnel/end/red/redproc/prioritycandidate
Should you experience any difficulties using the online application system, please email
recruitment.support@admin.ox.ac.uk
To return to the online application at any stage, please click on the following link
www.recruit.ox.ac.uk
Please note that you will be notified of the progress of your application by automatic e-mails from
our e-recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk mail regularly to ensure that you receive
all e-mails.
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