Director of Rivers and Lochs Institute
35 hours per week (1 FTE)
Permanent contract
£59,832 per annum
We are one of the largest partners of the University of the Highlands and Islands, a partnership of 13 colleges and research institutions comprising Scotland’s newest university.
As the UK’s leading tertiary education provider, we deliver both further education and higher education courses and that makes us different from traditional institutions. Through an innovative approach to learning and some of the best online learning technologies, we offer our students the complete learner journey, where they have choice and flexibility to study from access level right through to PhD.
Inverness College UHI is at the heart of the community. Working closely with businesses and stakeholders, our curriculum and research capacity is designed to meet the ever-evolving needs of industry and support the strengths and ambitions of the region. Through a personalised approach, we help our students discover their right path, providing them with a combination of qualification and job-ready skills to succeed in the workplace. Inverness College UHI has locations at Inverness Campus and also the Scottish School of Forestry (Balloch), a growing hub for research, innovation and enterprise set within a 215 acre site.
An exceptional opportunity exists for an innovative and creative leader with clear vision to direct and grow excellence in teaching, research and knowledge exchange within the University of the Highlands and Islands’ Rivers and Lochs Institute.
We are looking for an individual who will provide strategic and inspirational leadership for the Rivers and Lochs Institute, which specialises in applied freshwater ecology, conservation and management. This individual will work to extend the Rivers and Lochs Institute’s international research and reputation in applied freshwater research established by Professor Eric Verspoor. The successful candidate will build on an existing capacity and expertise in applied molecular genomics, focused on the fisheries sector, and work to develop a wider focus on all the elements of lacustrine, fluvial environments and wetland ecosystems, towards supporting their conservation, management and sustainable exploitation.
The Rivers and Lochs Institute is based at Inverness College UHI, one of 13 partners and research institutions which make up the University of the Highlands and Islands. The post holder will be based at Inverness College UHI, 1 Inverness Campus, a growing hub for research, innovation and enterprise, set within a 215-acre site to the east of the city
As a location, Inverness enjoys the best of both worlds – city living on the doorstep of one of Britain’s greatest outdoor spaces, with the Moray Firth, Loch Ness, the Great Glen and Cairngorms in close proximity. The Highlands offer a spectacular backdrop making Inverness a stunning location to work, study and live. It’s an area renowned for its clean environment, extensive freshwater rivers and lochs, and provides a high standard of living and sense of community.
At Inverness College UHI our mission is simple: we exist to generate knowledge, give students the ability to apply their skills and provide high quality learning. We support the communities of the Highlands and Islands and beyond and our regional context is integral to our development, with our research capacity, postgraduate and undergraduate offer designed to have a transformational, positive, regional, economic, social and cultural impact. This impact has value worldwide where issues of rurality feature, from the internet of things and remote healthcare to application of genomics in conservation biodiversity and forest management.
Our programmes meet the needs of students at all levels, from access level and further education programmes through to higher education including undergraduate and postgraduate degrees and PhDs. Our research informs this tertiary curriculum, and the Rivers and Lochs Institute aims to deliver trans-disciplinary research, knowledge exchange and innovation at the heart of this tertiary education environment.
We are looking to appoint a forward-thinking and innovative leader in research and teaching, with an established academic reputation and track record in a field that will be at the core of the future growth of the RLI. We anticipate the postholder to have, or achieve, professorial title within three years of appointment.
Informal enquiries may be directed to Dr Melanie Smith, Director of Research and Innovation: [email protected]
Application closing date: 8th March 2020
To apply for this post, please complete the online application form and send a copy of your CV to [email protected].
Our HR Department can be contacted on 01463 273210.
