Chair in Spatial Planning
University of Birmingham -College of Life and Environmental Sciences

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Competitive package for an outstanding candidate

The University of Birmingham seeks to appoint a Chair in Spatial Planning as part of a significant staffing initiative which the new appointee could help shape. Applications are encouraged from planners and urban geographers who are interested in providing leadership to the well-established Centre for Urban and Regional Studies (CURS). CURS contributes significantly to the research and teaching portfolio of the School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences (GEES).

The Centre has an established track-record in a number of key areas including urban regeneration and renewal, community planning and neighbourhood change, housing renewal, European spatial planning, creative cities and communities and superdiversity and migration. CURS is also embedded within current social science research in GEES including groundbreaking projects in urban resilience, energy justice and landscapes, political and socio-technical transitions, international migration, connected communities and diverse creative economies. CURS benefits from an exciting interdisciplinary environment favouring cross-disciplinary initiatives augmented by the newly launched Institute for Advanced Studies. In addition to undergraduate teaching in Planning/Geography, Planning/Social Policy, Planning/Economics and Planning/Business Management, CURS runs a suite of Masters courses including the flagship Urban and Regional Planning which is accredited by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI).

The new Chair will lead on the continuing development of CURS as a School of Planning at the University of Birmingham by working closely with existing staff, contributing to the development of research and related teaching in planning (especially at the interface with human geography) and the supervision of postgraduate students within our thriving doctoral research community.

The successful candidate will have an outstanding international reputation and a track record of internationally leading research (evidenced for example by a track record of high impact journal publications and invitations to give keynote talks at leading conferences and attracting external research funding). S/he will also possess a clear research vision, with a strong interdisciplinary component, excellent leadership and management skills and the ability to attract and inspire researchers of the highest calibre. The appointee will be an inspiring teacher, able to communicate with researchers, undergraduates and the general public. In order to further develop CURS as a School of Planning, applicants should have membership of the RTPI or be eligible for membership.

For an informal discussion please contact Professor Ian Fairchild (Head of School) at [log in to unmask] or +44(0)121 414 4181/4173, or in CURS: Peter Lee/Simon Pemberton (Research) on 0121 4143645/ 4142680 or Austin Barber/Mike Beazley (Teaching) on 0121 4142984/ 4143278

Candidates interested in a Readership appointment in this area should contact Ian Fairchild in the first instance.

Female and BME staff are under-represented in the School and so we would particular value applications from such candidates. Professor Eva Valsami-Jones is available to discuss the School’s equal opportunities policies ([log in to unmask], 01214145537).

Reference Number: 38178

Closing date: 5 May 2013

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