Assistant Professor in Chemical Engineering and Sustainability

Dubai Campus

Contract: Full Time, 35 hours per week

Grade 7

About Heriot-Watt University

Heriot-Watt University (HWU) has five campuses: three in the UK (Edinburgh, Scottish Borders and Orkney), one in Dubai and one in Malaysia. The University offers a highly distinctive range of degree programmes in the specialist areas of science, engineering, design, business, and languages.

With a history dating back to 1821, Heriot-Watt University has established a reputation for world-class teaching and practical, leading-edge research, which has made it one of the top UK universities for business and industry. We connect with industry at every level and develop programmes to match their needs – so employers get work-ready industry-fit graduates.

Heriot-Watt is also Scotland's most international university, boasting the largest international student cohort.

We have an established set of values that help us to nurture innovation and leadership and show our commitment to continuous improvement and development in all our activities.

About School of Engineering and Physical Sciences

The School of Engineering & Physical Sciences (EPS) is a community of over 340 staff and around 3,000 students across three campuses in Scotland, Dubai and Malaysia. The School is recognised as an international leader in education, research and the application of knowledge to benefit society globally. We are striving to establish ourselves as partners of choice for world leading institutions, consistently delivering an environmentally and financially sustainable growth by aligning to the opportunities and requirements of our modern times to address local and global needs.

Heriot Watt holds an Institutional Athena Swan Bronze Award, as does the School of Engineering and Physical Sciences, recognising excellence in championing employment of women in the field of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. We offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements, staff engagement forums, campus facilities and services to support staff from different backgrounds.

About our Team

Heriot-Watt University established a campus in Dubai International Academic City (DIAC) in 2005 and moved in 2020 to a state of the art, digitally enabled campus within Dubai Knowledge Park. The Dubai campus now has nearly 4000 students. The School of Engineering and Physical Sciences (EPS) in Heriot-Watt University Dubai offers a range of undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes in Automotive, Chemical, Mechanical, Energy, Renewable Energy, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Robotics, Autonomous and Interactive Systems, and Global Sustainability Engineering. Staff based in EPS Dubai also contribute to the development and delivery of courses to students based in Edinburgh and Malaysia.

Detailed Description

Heriot-Watt University Dubai is seeking to recruit an enthusiastic academic with experience of teaching and research in Chemical and Process Engineering who is expected to deliver and assess a range of undergraduate and postgraduate engineering courses, that include but are not limited to: Chemical reaction engineering, process engineering modelling and simulation, energy and sustainability.

Successful candidates are expected to have a broad knowledge of a range of topics within chemical Engineering and Sustainability and an interest in research activities. They will also be expected to develop strong links with colleagues based in Edinburgh and Malaysia campuses to deliver high-quality learning and teaching and contribute to the continued development of the programmes offered to students. Whereas the appointments are primarily for teaching, we expect academic staff to have an existing research interest in a relevant area and to contribute to developing research on the Dubai Campus.

An Assistant Professor must hold a PhD degree in Chemical Engineering or similar field and tertiary teaching experience is highly desirable.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

1. Undertake teaching and assessment duties on engineering academic programmes at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Support colleagues at Heriot-Watt University Dubai in the delivery of courses and other activities to support the delivery of HWU's Strategy.
2. Develop relevant materials in appropriate formats for engineering programmes. Contribute to the content, design and delivery of the curriculum, and the quality of teaching and learning, in consultation with colleagues and within the international structures and mechanisms established by the University. Review teaching design and delivery by obtaining and analysing feedback from students and peers. 
3. Mentor and supervise undergraduate and postgraduate students, providing effective, well documented and timely feedback, both formative and summative. Provide pastoral support, recognising when to refer a student for further support. Play a key role in the delivery and support of an excellent student learning experience at HWU.
4. Develop and maintain strong links with business and industry, external organisations and the education sector.
5. Work collaboratively with colleagues in Dubai, other campuses, and with external networks both for the exchange of information, to share learning, and to form relationships for future collaboration.
6. Undertake a proactive role in promoting and marketing the University, ensuring the effective recruitment of students and the achievement of recruitment targets. Play a full role in Open Days and other student recruitment events.
7. Undertake leadership and administrative tasks associated with programme planning, preparation for examination boards and progression boards, etc. Participate in relevant committees. 
8. Undertake continuous professional development (CPD) and participate in staff development activities.
9. All staff endeavours will embody our shared values  – inspire, collaborate, belong and celebrate - into everything we do.

Please note that this job description is not exhaustive, and the role holder may be required to undertake other relevant duties commensurate with the grading of the post and its general responsibilities. Activities may be subject to amendment over time as the role develops and/or priorities and requirements evolve.

Education, Qualifications & Experience

Applicants must meet the following essential criteria:

• PhD in relevant subject area
• MSc or Bachelor’s degree in relevant subject area at 2.1 or above (or equivalent) 
• Capable of delivering relevant courses 
• Capable of supervising UG and PG project students 
• Excellent communication skills 
• Commitment to HWU values
•  2-3 Years Teaching experience at undergraduate and/or postgraduate level 

The following criteria are desirable: 

• Experience of UG (BEng Hons) and PG Project Supervision
• A track record of Journal and Conference Publications 
• Experience of supervising a PhD student to completion 

Heriot-Watt University Values

With a history dating back to 1821, Heriot-Watt University has established a reputation for world-class teaching and professionally relevant, leading-edge research, which has made it one of the top UK universities for business and industry.

We are a vibrant, forward-looking university, well known for the quality of our degrees with employers actively seeking out our graduates.  Heriot-Watt is also Scotland’s international university with an unsurpassed international in-country presence. We deliver degree programmes to circa 30,000 students in 143 countries around the world, have a further overseas campus in Dubai and boast the largest international student cohort in Scotland.

At Heriot-Watt we’ve created an environment that nurtures innovation and leadership - where our researchers, staff and students can realise their potential and develop their ambitions.

We are proud of our collegiate atmosphere and integrated teaching and research approach which has helped to build a community of committed academics and highly motivated students.  Our focus on careers delivers results and we’ve an excellent reputation for graduate employability.

In addition to the Edinburgh campus, we currently have campuses in  the Scottish Borders, Orkney, Dubai and Malaysia.  For all of our campuses we aim to provide stimulating, supportive environments conducive to effective learning and research, where staff and students can excel. At Heriot-Watt, we have an established set of values that help us to nurture innovation and leadership, and show our commitment to continuous improvement and development in all our activities.

Our values describe our deeply held beliefs and our community spirit. They characterise not only how we are as a higher education institution but also frame how we want to be.

Our values are:

• Belong
• Collaborate
• Inspire
• Celebrate

As learning, living and working institution, we use our values as the building blocks of how we go about doing our work and how we each conduct ourselves as members of Heriot-Watt University. They represent what binds us together as a University community and help us to become the best at what we do.

For full details on our University, please view our website https://www.hw.ac.uk/about.htm

‘How to Apply’

Interested applicants must submit via the Heriot-Watt on-line recruitment system a Cover letter describing their interest and suitability for the post and an updated CV. 

At Heriot Watt we are passionate about our values and look to them to connect our people globally and to help us collaborate and celebrate our success through working together. Our research programmes can deliver real world impact which is achieved through the diversity of our international community and the recognition of creative talent that connects our global team. 

Our flourishing community will give you the freedom to challenge and to bring your enterprising mind and to help our partners with solutions that can be applied now and in the future. Join us and Heriot Watt will provide you with a platform to thrive and work in a way that also helps you live your life in balance with well-being and inclusiveness at the heart of our global community.

Learn more about our benefits here: Our Dubai Campus - Heriot-Watt University (hw.ac.uk)

Heriot-Watt University Dubai is (Commission for Academic Accreditation) CAA Licensed; therefore, successful candidates will need to either provide terminal degrees attested from a UAE institution accredited by the CAA or if the degree is not from a UAE Institution, the candidate will need to have MoE (Ministry of Education) Equivalency. More info on attestation can be found here on the MoE website. The candidate is responsible for getting their degree attestations done and these should be completed within six months of joining.

The appointment is conditional upon successful completion of all Labour and Immigration formalities.