Assistant Professor (Research) in North East

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Job Description

Assistant Professor (Research) (26001388)

Job Number

26001388

Department

Department of Sociology

Fixed Term - Full Time

Contract Duration : 36

Closing Date

12-Nov-2026, 11:59:00 PM

Disclosure and Barring Service Requirement : Not Applicable.

Working at Durham University

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As one of the UK’s leading universities, Durham is an incredible place to define your career. The University is located within a beautiful historic city, home to a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and surrounded by stunning countryside. Our talented scholars and researchers from around the world are tackling global issues and making a difference to people's lives.

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The Department

The Institute for Medical Humanities and Department of Sociology at Durham University seeks to appoint a talented researcher and scholar to the role of Assistant Professor (Research) to work with The Practice, one of the sites of the Discovery Research Platform for Medical Humanities.We welcome applications from those with research interests in the field of medical sociology and anthropology and we are particularly eager to hear from applicants with expertise in ethnographic research on healthcare in marginalised communities.

This post is part of an exciting expansion of medical humanities at Durham funded by the Wellcome Trust. The Discovery Research Platform for Medical Humanities (DRP-MH) at Durham University aims to empower health and wellbeing researchers from different sectors and disciplines to co-develop new and experimental approaches to tackling health challenges, including those arising at the intersections of mental health and health inequalities. The Platform will create space for experimentation and intellectual risk-taking, support networks globally, and revolutionize the research capacity of the field of Medical Humanities. It will enable large-scale collaborations with community, creative, health and voluntary sector organisations, including through international partnerships with leading Universities in the USA, Sweden, the Netherlands, South Africa and China. Platform researchers come from a wide range of disciplines including Literary Studies, Psychology, Philosophy, History, Sport and Exercise Science, Education and Sociology. The DRP-MH supports the Institute’s vision to improve human health through research on hidden experience.

Applications are invited for an Assistant Professor (Research) in Sociology with a particular emphasis on experiences of health and illness in marginalised and/or socioeconomically deprived communities.The post holder will be responsible for designing and conducting research as part of The Practice, one of three collaborative Sites hosted by the Platform.The Practice is a partnership with a GP practice based in the Northeast of England. The Practice is concerned with developing new insights into intractable questions around health inequalities, mental health, and the treatment of complex multi-morbidities. The postholder will work closely with Site leads Dr. Jesse Proudfoot and Dr. Jonathan Coates (a GP at St. Anthony’s Health Centre and Associate Professor in Practice at the IMH) to design and conduct new research at The Practice, facilitate new projects from other Platform team members for the site, and support collaborations with other researchers and stakeholders.

Practice site activities may include but are not limited to regular participation in Site meetings, workshops and other events; collaboration in methodological innovation with interdisciplinary and cross-sector partners through a range of modalities; the design and delivery of pilot and proof-of-concept studies; and taking shared responsibility for sustaining a flourishing research culture in the Site and Platform more broadly. The post holder will also be expected and supported to collaborate with other Sites and Researchers across the Platform. Regular participation (in-person as well as virtual) at Site, Lab and Platform activities, as agreed with the Line Manager is essential.

The role offers an exciting opportunity to make an important contribution to the development of research and methodological innovation within the Discovery Research Platform for Medical Humanities and Department of Sociology, while allowing you excellent opportunities to develop your career in an exciting and progressive institution.

The Department of Sociology at Durham was established in 1964, initially as the Department of Social Theory and Institutions. We currently offer successful undergraduate degree programmes in Sociology and Criminology. Durham ranks 3rd for Sociology and 5th for Criminology in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2026. Sociology is ranked 4th in the Complete University Guide 2027, and Durham is ranked 5th for Sociology and Social Policy in the Guardian University Guide 2026. We also hold an Athena SWAN silver award and the Department is committed to promoting equality for all within the workplace and creating a diverse, inclusive and supportive working environment. The Department’s research strategy is built around five themes: Communities and Social Justice, Health and Social Theory, Higher Education and Social Inequality, Violence and Abuse, and Criminal Justice, Social Harms and Inequalities. We were ranked 4th in the UK for research impact in REF 2021.

The successful candidate will have dedicated time for professional development and can access a wealth of existing and bespoke training opportunities through the IMH in consultation with Site leads.

For more information, please visit our Institute and Platform pages at: https://www.durham.ac.uk/research/institutes-and-centres/medical-humanities/ and https://medhumsplatform.org/sites/the-practice/ and Department pages at: https://www.durham.ac.uk/departments/academic/sociology/

Assistant Professors (Research) at Durham

Assistant Professors (Research) are encouraged to focus on research but are also expected to engage in wider citizenship to enhance their own development, support their department and discipline, and contribute to the wider student experience.

Academic colleagues are supported to publish excellent research in their area of interest with a focus on high quality outputs (including monographs and journal articles ) , rather than quantity. We aim to support your research needs , including practical help such as resources to attend conferences and to fund research activities, as well as a generous research leave policy and a designated mentor.

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