| BRE Research Chair in Fire Safety Engineering
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| Vacancy Ref: : | 009143 |
Closing Date : | 20-Feb-2013 |
| Contact Person : | Professor Luke Bisby |
Contact Number : | 0131 650 5710 |
| Contact Email : | luke.bisby@ed.ac.uk |
The establishment of the BRE Centre of Excellence in Fire Safety
Engineering has been extremely successful, both in terms of research and
educational outcomes. It brings together the UK’s two most prestigious
fire research and educational institutions, both of which have
acclaimed international status in this field. The formation of this
Centre has represented an innovation for the UK which has since been
emulated with the creation of four additional BRE Centres of Excellence
in research areas associated with the built environment in other UK
universities. BRE Global Ltd and BRE Ltd are owned by the BRE Trust.
To
continue its policy of investment in excellent people, the School of
Engineering seeks to appoint the BRE Research Chair in Fire Safety
Engineering. You will have an internationally evident research track
record in fire safety engineering with an emphasis on combustion and/or
fire dynamics relevant to fire safety in the built environment. You
will contribute to teaching in the School of Engineering, particularly
in areas relevant to Fire Safety Engineering. |
BACKGROUND
The BRE Trust (http://www.bre.co.uk/bretrust/) which
supports the BRE Chair in Fire Safety Engineering, is a research and
education charity for the public benefit, registered by the Charity
Commission (registered charity number 1092193). It was created to ensure
that BRE remains independent of specific commercial interests, and
retains its reputation for objectivity and impartiality in research and
consultancy. All of the companies owned by the BRE Trust contribute
their profits to supporting the Trust’s mission to promote and support
excellence and innovation in the built environment for the benefit of
all.
The BRE Trust achieves this by funding and managing a
strategic research programme in the built environment sector. Fire
protection research, consultancy, testing and certification activities
are undertaken by BRE Global Ltd which incorporates the Fire Research
Station (FRS) and the Loss Prevention Certification Board (LPCB) and has
been a world leader in fire safety research since its establishment in
1947 and recognised as the UK’s national fire research and fire safety
centre. It continues to be involved with major fire incident
investigations which have included Flixborough, Ronan Point, Summerland,
Piper Alpha, Kings Cross, the Channel Tunnel fires and more recently
the Rose Park Care Home and Atherstone on Stour.
Research
The
University of Edinburgh has a long tradition in Fire Safety Engineering
research and education and is recognised internationally for its work
over the last forty years. This has been characterised by innovative
research and the education of several of the current leaders in the
field. The programme was considerably increased in both size and breadth
during the past decade by the development of new state-of-the-art
experimental facilities (Fire Labs I & II); the refurbishment of
space for Fire & Structures research; and the addition of four new
academic staff members in support of the Structures and Fire degree
courses. The Fire Safety Engineering Group at the School of Engineering
in the University of Edinburgh (http://www.see.ed.ac.uk/fire/) is
involved in a wide range of research subjects and is also deeply
involved in setting the direction for the practice of Fire Safety
Engineering globally. Their objective is to develop a co-ordinated
approach to performance-based Fire Safety Engineering Design. This work
may be subdivided in several focus areas, including:
• Fire dynamics (ignition and fire growth)
• Fire behaviour of materials
• Fire modelling and integrated numerical simulation
• Fire Safety Engineering methodology
• Structural Fire Engineering
Teaching
At present the School of Engineering offers a number of courses directly related to Fire Safety Engineering. These include:
• The BEng/MEng in Structural Engineering with Fire Safety;
• The MSc in Structural and Fire Engineering (SAFE); and
• The Erasmus Mundus joint International MSc in Fire Safety Engineering (joint with Lund and Ghent).
The
BRE Centre currently organises two Continuing Professional Development
(CPD) short courses through The University’s Office for Lifelong
Learning (http://www.lifelong.ed.ac.uk/); one on ‘Fire Science and Fire
Investigation’, and another on ‘Fire Dynamics and Fire Safety
Engineering Design’. The successful candidate would be expected to
participate and take the initiative in new CPD ventures.
JOB DESCRIPTION
You
will be expected to contribute to research in the Institute for
Infrastructure and the Environment and teaching and administration in
the School of Engineering. You will be expected to:
• identify and propagate visions for new research
• generate substantial external research funding and deliver significant output
• lead and expand a group of academics, research staff and PhD students
• publish in quality peer-reviewed research journals
•
contribute to teaching to masters level, in the School of Engineering,
particularly in areas relevant to Fire Safety Engineering.
• undertake appropriate administrative duties
• contribute to the intellectual wealth and collegiate environment of the School.
Responsibilities: Research and Leadership
You
will initiate, perform and deliver fundamental and applied research
that complements and integrates with other appropriate research areas in
the School.
You will be expected to:
1. Initiate, plan,
lead, perform and deliver research into fire safety engineering. The
University of Edinburgh aims to retain and expand its international
position in this research domain.
2. Demonstrate and deliver internationally-evident quality research, leadership and publishing activity.
3. Generate UK, European and international funding to support this research and establish it in the world arena.
4.
Lead and expand a vibrant and interactive group of academics, research
staff and PhD students within the Institute for Infrastructure and
Environment.
5. Develop graduating fire safety engineering
professionals and early career researchers, by means of BEng, MEng, MSc
teaching and doctoral training.
6. Create, lead and participate in collaborative research projects.
7. Include in the above collaborative research projects relevant industrial partners.
8. Participate in Knowledge Exchange using standard University policies and procedures.
Responsibilities: Teaching
The
School’s degrees in Civil Engineering are accredited by the Joint Board
of Moderators (The Institution of Civil Engineers, the Institution of
Structural Engineers, the Chartered Institution of Highways and
Transportation, and the Institute of Highway Engineers). In addition to
the degrees associated with fire safety engineering, the School also
offers the following:
• Civil Engineering (H804/H800)
• Structural and Fire Safety Engineering (H225/H224)
• Structural Engineering with Architecture (H225/H224)
You
will be expected to provide vision and leadership in the ongoing
development and delivery of courses on degrees with particular emphasis
on Fire Safety Engineering.
You would be expected to participate
and take the initiative in new CPD ventures such as those currently
organised by the BRE Centre through The University’s Office for Lifelong
Learning (http://www.lifelong.ed.ac.uk/): ‘Fire Science and Fire
Investigation’; ‘Fire Dynamics and Fire Safety Engineering Design’.
Further
details are available on the undergraduate degree programmes are
available from the School website and the University websites. The
School runs a growing range of successful MSc programmes on which the
candidate will be expected to contribute teaching and project
supervision.
Responsibilities: Administration
You will
become the Director of the BRE Centre for Fire Safety Engineering and
will also be expected to undertake and deliver senior administrative
duties within the Institute and School or in the wider University
environment, where appropriate.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
You will be expected to meet the following essential requirements:
• The vision to generate and deliver an internationally recognised research agenda in Fire Safety Engineering.
•
An internationally-evident reputation for performing quality research
in areas relevant to fire safety Engineering and its implementation,
including a record of obtaining funding for research (particular
attention will be paid to applicants with expertise in fire dynamics,
and/or combustion).
• A significant number of high quality peer-reviewed journal publications.
•
Demonstrable success in winning research funding, team building and
delivery of research outcomes, including collaborative research with
industry.
• Demonstrated excellent academic and research leadership.
• Excellence and commitment as a motivated and proficient educator in Higher Education.
• The ability to teach required subjects with highest proficiency across the range of teaching provision.
• Excellent communication, presentation and organisational skills and high proficiency in written and oral English language.
Desirable Requirements
•
Significant experience of working with industry on both research and
consultancy projects and managing/maintaining growing industrial
partnerships.
THE INSTITUTE FOR INFRASTRUCTURE and ENVIRONMENT
Fire
Safety Engineering research is conducted within the Institute for
Infrastructure and Environment: http://www.eng.ed.ac.uk/research/IIE/
The
Institute is shaping the development of better technologies to improve
the built and natural environments. In addition to the BRE Centre for
Fire Safety Engineering, the Institute conducts similarly excellent
activities in the following areas:
• Fire Safety Engineering
(including fire initiation and propagation, fire growth, compartment
fire dynamics, fire chemistry and material flammability and the
structural response of materials and buildings to fire conditions);
•
Structural Engineering (including theoretical, computational and
experimental research covering shell structures; granular solids
mechanics and handling, structural mechanics in medicine, and FRPs in
structural engineering);
• Non-Destructive Testing (including NDT
of concrete and masonry bridges, NDT of railway trackbed, forward
numerical modelling of NDT);
• Construction Management (including construction process simulation and management); and
•
Environmental Engineering (including membrane technologies, water and
wastewater treatment, and water treatment for developing countries).
The
Institute is located in the Alexander Graham Bell building (opened in
2004) and the William Rankine building (opened in 2006) and currently
has eighteen FTE academic staff, including six Professors, two Readers,
six Senior Lecturers and four Lecturers.
Laboratory Facilities
There
are nine main teaching and research laboratories in Civil and
Environmental Engineering. Those directly relevant to the current post
include:
• Fire Lab I – The Rushbrook Fire Safety Laboratory
(including cone calorimeter, 0.5MW furniture hood, and Flame Propagation
Apparatus);
• Fire Lab II – The Fire and Materials Laboratory
(including high temperature mechanical and thermal characterisation
equipment);
• The Structures Large Test Hall (recently underwent a
£500K refurbishment and now allows for medium-scale structural fire
tests using radiant panel arrays); and
• The Light Structures and Materials "Clean" Laboratory.
Access
to other equipment for e.g. mass spectroscopy, thermogravimetric
analysis, dynamic mechanical thermal analysis, etc, are available within
the School of Engineering.
Edinburgh Research Partnership in Engineering and Mathematics
The
School of Engineering is a founder member of the Edinburgh Research
Partnership in engineering and mathematics (ERPem), a consortium
involving the University of Edinburgh, Heriot-Watt University and
Edinburgh Napier University, set up in 2006 with SFC/OST investment.
The ERPem is organised into six Joint Research Institutes (JRIs)
dedicated to world-class research, innovation and education in
engineering and mathematical science. The long-term vision of ERPem is
to be the prime vehicle for world-leading research in Engineering and
Mathematical Sciences carried out at the participating institutions, and
one which is recognised worldwide as a centre of excellence in these
disciplines.
The Joint Research Institutes are in the areas of:
• Civil and Environmental Engineering
• Signal and Image Processing
• Mathematical Sciences
• Subsurface Science and Engineering
• Energy
• Integrated Systems (Precision Optical, Electronic and Miniature Systems)
Each
of the six JRIs combines the relevant academic staff, postdoctoral
research fellows and their graduate students from the partner
Universities into a single joint research institute, significantly
enhancing research capacity and scale.
APPOINTMENT DETAILS
This
role is grade UE10 Professorial (range £54,826 to 91,978). Salary is
paid monthly by direct transfer to Bank or Building Society account,
normally on the 28th of the month.
The positions are open to
candidates of all nationalities. Those who would enhance the diversity
of the School in terms of nationality and/or gender are particularly
encouraged to apply.
If relocation within the UK is required,
the University will reimburse the successful candidate for vouched
expenditure, within an overall upper limit of £3,000. If relocation from
overseas is required, a contribution will be made towards vouched
expenditure.
The University recognises that it may be
advantageous that the successful candidate should be able to accept,
within reasonable limits, consultancies or other paid employment outwith
their University appointment. Permission to undertake such activities
will not be withheld unnecessarily but it is a condition of the
appointment that such employment may be undertaken only with the express
approval of the Head of School.
The taking up of references
(which will occur without notice unless otherwise requested) is
selective and does not imply a decision that the application will be
placed on the final short-list for interviews.
Applicants will be
informed as to whether they have been shortlisted or not, but we may
not be in a position to give detailed feedback to those not shortlisted.
UKBA CERTIFICATE OF SPONSORSHIP
Eligibility to work
In
accordance with the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 the
University of Edinburgh, as an employer, has a legal responsibility to
prevent illegal working and therefore must check that all employees are
entitled to work in the United Kingdom (UK).
To do so, the
University of Edinburgh requires to see original documents evidencing
right to work in the UK before commencement of employment and this is
normally carried out at interview. Details will be provided in any
letter of invitation to interview.
For further information on
eligibility to work visit
http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/human-resources/recruitment/eligibility-immigration
This
post meets UK Border Agency criteria for sponsorship by the University
of Edinburgh. Even if you are not currently eligible to work in the UK,
it may be possible for the University of Edinburgh to sponsor you to
obtain a Tier 2 (General) visa to enable you to take up the appointment
should you be successful at interview.
For applicants interested
in sponsorship information is located at
http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/human-resources/recruitment/eligibility-immigration/employees-guidance/working-in-uk
However,
if you have previously been sponsored by an employer within the UK but
your leave has expired or lapsed and you are no longer in the UK,
according to UK Border Agency rules you can cannot apply for sponsorship
under any category of Tier 2 for a period of 12 months after the date
your leave has expired or lapsed.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
Applicants
may be made online at http://www.jobs.ed.ac.uk/. The application
process is quick and easy to follow, and you will receive email
confirmation of safe receipt of your application. The online system
allows you to submit a c.v. In your application please include a
covering letter which highlights, with evidence, how you meet all of the
essential criteria and any of the desirable criteria you meet.
Candidates will be short-listed and interviewed based on how they meet
these criteria.
INFORMAL ENQUIRIES
Informal enquiries are
welcome: please contact Professor Asif Usmani (+44 (0)131 6505789 or
asif.usmani@ed.ac.uk) or Prof. Luke Bisby (+44 (0)131 6505710 or
luke.bisby@ed.ac.uk).
The University reserves the right to vary
the candidate information or make no appointment at all. Neither in
part, nor in whole does this information form part of any contract
between the University and any individual.
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| The School of Engineering
|
The integrated School of Engineering was formed in 2002 from the various
individual departments to address diverse and complex challenges across
the entire field of engineering, at the micro- and macroscopic/global
scales. At the microscopic scale, its research supports the design and
deployment of novel nanotechnology and devices for biological monitoring
and medical diagnosis; at the macro/global scale, it optimises the
security and sustainability of the built environment and develops
engineering solutions to issues raised by climate change. The Vision of
the School is the achievement of excellence across each of its five
research areas, from the science and mathematics that underpin
engineering research, to its industrial and commercial applications and
four teaching disciplines, all accredited by the professional
Engineering Institutes. Not only was the School ranked third (Research
Fortnight Power Analysis) in General Engineering in the UK Research
Assessment Exercise (2008), but it also has a strong track record in
producing more than 50 technology spin-outs and developing industry
links that enable our graduates to build relationships that last a whole
career. In 2011/2012 the School was successful in achieving £28m
research awards/income.
The School is one of the largest in the
University, comprising over 150 staff and over 350 postgraduate, 140 MSc
and 1,400 undergraduate students. The School occupies approximately
10,000 m2 in over ten buildings on the University’s King's Buildings
site in South Edinburgh.
http://www.eng.ed.ac.uk/drupal/
Each member of academic staff teaches in one of four engineering disciplines and is a member of a Research Institute:
Research Institutes
• Digital Communications
• Energy Systems
• Infrastructure and Environment
• Integrated Micro and Nano Systems
• Materials and Processes
Teaching disciplines
• Chemical Engineering
• Civil & Environmental Engineering
• Electrical Engineering & Electronics
• Mechanical Engineering
The
School currently offers 43 degree programme titles including combined
degrees with Computer Science, Management and Architecture. The School
offers the four year BEng and five year MEng degree programmes, all
accredited by the professional institutions, and 10 taught MSc degrees.
Facilities and Centres
UK
Carbon Capture and Storage Research Centre is a virtual hub that brings
together UK carbon capture and storage (CCS) researchers and acts as a
two-way interface between the academic community and key stakeholders
(e.g. government, industry and potential international collaborators).
The
Industrial Doctorate Centre in Offshore Renewable Energy will train 50
engineering doctorate students over nine years in all aspects of
Offshore Renewable Energy.
The UK All-Waters Combined Current and
Wave Test Facility for wave and tidal devices will be operational by
2013 and will enhance the University’s leadership in low-carbon energy
research.
The BRE Centre for Fire Safety Engineering hosts bespoke
equipment to support research and consultancy with precisely controlled
high temperatures and the latest image analysis techniques.
The
recently refurbished Structures Test Hall is our high-headroom lab for
testing large and unusual assemblies. There are state-of-the-art lab
facilities for developing and testing NDE and material handling
technologies, a smart infrastructure lab and a good range of
environmental engineering testing resources for the water and waste
management sectors.
The School of Engineering is a partner in
SynthSys, the Centre for Synthetic and Systems Biology which is an
interdisciplinary research environment with members across many Research
Institutes, Colleges and Schools, including The University of
Edinburgh, Heriot-Watt University and BioSS. It aims to pioneer genetic
and chemical tools to manipulate the cell, technologies to quantify
responses at the single-cell level, and mathematical models to predict
and control cellular behaviour.
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| College of Science and Engineering (http://www.ed.ac.uk/science-engineering)
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The College of Science and Engineering (CSE) is one of the largest and
highest-ranked science and engineering groupings in the UK. Headed by
Professor Lesley Yellowlees, CSE comprises seven Schools (Biological
Sciences, Chemistry, Engineering, GeoSciences, Informatics, Mathematics,
and Physics and Astronomy). Informatics is located in the University’s
Central Area near George Square, with the other six 2 miles further
south at the King’s Buildings. The College has over 2,700 academic and
support staff, and educates some 6,000 undergraduates, 800 taught
postgraduates and 1,500 research students. It is in the front rank of
UK university science and engineering groupings for research quality and
income (£130M in 2001/12), and is a key player in many European and
international research collaborations.
Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) 2008
In
the 2008 RAE over 600 research active staff were returned. 96% of the
College submission was of international quality in its originality,
significance and rigour with 66% of the submission being rated
internationally excellent. |
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| The University of Edinburgh
|
For more than four centuries, our people and their achievements have
rewritten history time and again. They’ve explored space, revolutionised
surgery, published era-defining books, paved the way for life-saving
medical breakthroughs and introduced to the world many inventions,
discoveries and ideas from penicillin to Dolly the sheep. We have
believed that anything is possible.
We still do. The latest
Research Assessment Exercise highlighted our place at the forefront of
international research. This adds to our international reputation for
the quality of our teaching and our student experience excellence.
As
a member of staff you will be part of one of the world's leading
universities, with 22 Schools spread over 3 Colleges that offer more
than 500 undergraduate and 160 postgraduate courses to over 30,000
students each year. Professional services are critical to this success
as well as our world-class teaching, research and student facilities. In
fact, we are one of the top employers in Edinburgh, with over 11,700
people spread across a wide range of academic and supporting roles.
As
a world-changing, world-leading university we are an exciting,
positive, creative, challenging and rewarding place to work. We give you
support, nurture your talent, develop and reward success and integrate
academic, professional and personal career goals, as well as give your
career the benefit of a great and distinguished reputation. |
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