Department of History and Philosophy of Science

Lectureship in the History and Philosophy of Science

Salary: £37,012–£46,846 pa

Applications are invited for the post of University Lecturer in the History and Philosophy of Science, beginning 1 September 2013. Responsibilities will include contributing to all aspects of undergraduate teaching and examining, supervising graduate students, leading research in this area, and various administrative duties. Applicants must hold a PhD (or equivalent) and have an outstanding record of excellence in teaching, research and publication in history and philosophy of science. The Department offers an exceptionally stimulating and supportive research environment and the opportunity to develop novel courses of undergraduate lectures and new graduate and research seminars in the post-holder's areas of expertise, in the context of a lively programme of teaching in the history and philosophy of science.

  • Vacancy reference: JN24042
  • Closing date: 18 January 2013
  • Longlisting: 11 February 2013
  • Shortlisting: 25 February 2013
  • Job talks: 21 March 2013
  • Interviews: 22 March 2013 (videoconferencing will be available where required)

Further particulars

This permanent lectureship results from a generous benefaction made to the University in 2001 by Lisbet Rausing in honour of her father Sir Hans Rausing. Through appointment to this Lectureship the Department seeks to recruit new expertise in the field of history and philosophy of science so as to enhance its teaching programme and its research work. The field is unrestricted as to the area of history and philosophy of science (save that history of medicine is excluded). The appointment will allow for application for funds, for supervision of doctoral work, for leadership of seminars and research work and for teaching at Part IB, Part II, Part III and MPhil levels.

About the Department

The Department is the largest of its kind in the UK, with an outstanding international reputation. It is a vigorous and expanding centre of teaching and research, as recognised by its outstanding performance in the RAE 2008, building on the award of 5* in both the previous exercises. The Department is built around the Whipple Museum, a world class collection of scientific instruments, the gift of R.S. Whipple to the University in 1944. The large collections of the Whipple Library, also founded on Whipple's gift of his rare scientific books, now functioning as the Departmental Library, provide the basis for the research and teaching at both undergraduate and graduate level.

The Department is an independent institution under the direct supervision of the General Board, located in one building in the centre of Cambridge, with 12 established University Teaching Officers, including five Professors, one of whom is also the Director and Curator of the Whipple Museum, and one Reader. It has extensive links with other Departments and Faculties in the University, with a range of subjects extending from the physical and biological sciences, via the social sciences (Psychology, Sociology, Social Anthropology and Archaeology), to the humanities (History, Classics, Philosophy). The undergraduate teaching is offered as part of the Natural Sciences Tripos in the second, third and fourth years; the third year course is a full-time specialist course, with students (including considerable numbers of medical students) coming from a number of other Faculties from outside the Natural Sciences; the fourth year course leads to the degree of MSci. Total undergraduate numbers are in the range 90–130. The Department also offers an MPhil in History, Philosophy and Sociology of Science, Technology and Medicine with numbers approximating 20 per year. PhD students at any one time total approximately 50. There are also a considerable number of Research Fellows and Visiting Scholars attached to the Department, so that the total number of persons engaged in postgraduate and postdoctoral research in the Department is around 100. The Research Seminars, running on a weekly or fortnightly basis throughout the year, are an important part of these research activities. In recent years Reading Groups, often initiated by research students and research fellows, together with more specialist Workshops, have been added to the research activities, ensuring that the Department is a hotbed of intellectual activity throughout the academic year, with 18 autonomous Research Seminars, Workshops and Reading Groups active on a weekly or fortnightly basis in Term.

The Department's Research Specialisms, as recognized for the REF 2013, include: Early mathematics and natural philosophy; History and philosophy of physical sciences; Explanation, inference and realism; History of philosophy; Philosophy of mind, psychology and human sciences; Philosophy of biology; Ethics and political philosophy; Museology of the sciences and history of instrumentation; History of the life and environmental sciences; History of the human sciences; History of non-Western Science. The longstanding tradition of work in the Department on the history of evolutionary sciences has been reinforced by the appointment of Professor J.A. Secord as director of the Darwin Correspondence Project, based at the University Library, with which the Department has close links. The Department currently has 27 active research grants with income amounting to over £7M. Amongst the large scale 5-year programme grants at present active are:

  • The History of the Board of Longitude, 1714–1828 (AHRC Project)
  • Diagrams, Figures and the Transformation of Astronomy, 1450–1650 (AHRC Project)
  • A Science of Human Nature? Philosophical Disputes at the Interface of Natural and Social Science (ERC Starting Investigator Award)
  • Economics in the Public Sphere: USA, UK, France, Poland and Brazil since 1945 (ERC Starting Investigator Award)
  • The Casebooks Project: Simon Forman and Richard Napier's Medical Records, 1596–1634 (Wellcome Trust Project)
  • Generation to Reproduction (Wellcome Trust Strategic Award)

The University Lecturer will play an essential role in undergraduate teaching. Teaching in the Part II course also demands that students prepare essays on primary sources in a choice of papers and that students compose a substantial dissertation on a topic discussed with teaching officers. The post holder would be expected to play a full part in teaching the Part III and MPhil courses and in taking on PhD students in their areas of expertise within the history and philosophy of science.

More information about the Department

How to apply

Applications should be presented in the following order and consist of:

  1. parts I and III of the application cover sheet (CHRIS/6) (quote reference JN24042)
  2. cover letter
  3. curriculum vitae
  4. full list of publications
  5. details of teaching experience and research interests
  6. three samples of recent work

Applications should be submitted by email to hpsjobs@hermes.cam.ac.uk. You are asked to combine your documents into a single word or PDF file and include your surname in the file name.

Schedule

  • Closing date: 18 January 2013
  • Longlisting: 11 February 2013
  • Shortlisting: 25 February 2013
  • Job talks: 21 March 2013
  • Interviews: 22 March 2013 (videoconferencing will be available where required)

References

Please provide the names and contact details of three referees in the coversheet for employment. We will contact the referees of longlisted candidates and ask them to send references to us by 25 February 2013 (unless you advise that you do not wish us to do so). Referees will be asked to comment specifically on the candidate's ability to undertake this role in the Department. We ask referees to submit their references by email to hpsjobs@hermes.cam.ac.uk.

Further questions

If you have further questions about the position, the application process, or eligibility, please contact the Administrator, Tamara Hug (tel: 01223 334540, fax: 01223 334554, email: hpsjobs@hermes.cam.ac.uk).

Terms and conditions

The successful candidate will normally be expected to give 40 hours per year of teaching (which may be in the form of lectures, seminars and classes) and will also be expected to act as an examiner, as directed by the Departmental Board. S/he will also be expected to undertake research with a view to publication in the best international journals and to undertake administrative tasks as directed by the Head of Department. Lectureships are tenured positions, with appointment to the retiring age, subject to completion of a probationary period of up to five years. After the first year University Lecturers can apply for promotion to Senior Lectureships, Readerships and Professorships.

The current pensionable stipends are: £37,012 to £46,846 (Lecturer, University Grade 9). The person appointed will be eligible for membership of the Universities' Superannuation Scheme.

Equal opportunities

The University of Cambridge is committed in its pursuit of academic excellence to equality of opportunity and to a pro-active and inclusive approach to equality, which supports and encourages all under-represented groups, promotes an inclusive culture, and values diversity.

Equal opportunities policy

Information if you have a disability

The University welcomes applications from individuals with disabilities. Our recruitment and selection procedures follow best practice and comply with disability legislation. The University is committed to ensuring that applicants with disabilities receive fair treatment throughout the recruitment process. Adjustments will be made, wherever reasonable to do so, to enable applicants to compete to the best of their ability and, if successful, to assist them during their employment. We encourage applicants to declare their disabilities in order that any special arrangements, particularly for the selection process, can be accommodated. Applicants or employees can declare a disability at any time. Applicants wishing to discuss with or inform the University of any special arrangements connected with their disability can, at any point in the recruitment process, contact the administrator by email on hpsjobs@hermes.cam.ac.uk.

Proof of right to work

The University has a legal responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK. Therefore, if you are offered the post, before you commence work, the University must confirm your eligibility to live and work in the UK. To confirm eligibility you will be asked to bring certain original documents to your interview and a copy will be taken. All offers of employment are made subject to verification of eligibility to work in the UK.

The University as an employer

The University offers a range of benefits including attractive pensions schemes, family friendly policies, health and welfare provision and staff discounts.