Lecturer in US Politics

The UCL Institute of the Americas is seeking to fill a position in Politics at the Lecturer level (equivalent to a tenure-track Assistant Professor position). The anticipated start date for this post is 1 August.

We particularly welcome applicants with a strong research background in elections, electoral behaviour, or Latino politics (especially relating to the electoral behaviour of Latino voters or public policies impacting Latino communities).

The successful applicant will contribute to and expand our teaching provision in politics, political science, and methodological skills training. They will develop both undergraduate and postgraduate level optional modules and make contributions to our core modules and skills development modules at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

They will contribute to the academic management of the department by taking on responsibilities in relevant areas and contributing to UCL-wide working groups and committees. They will also supervise PhD students working on issues related to political science in general and politics in particular.

About you

The successful candidate will have a PhD in Political Science, awarded before 1 July.

They will have a research background and track record of internationally excellent publications in elections, electoral behaviour, and/or Latino politics, as well as a clearly articulated and promising research agenda. They will also have proven experience of teaching and assessment at university level in politics, elections, and/or Latino politics.

The postholder will have the ability, as evidenced by existing publications, or potential to publish in top journals and/or with leading book publishers. They will be able to develop, plan and implement high quality and innovative curricula at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, as well as supervise academic work by undergraduate, postgraduate taught, and doctoral students from diverse disciplinary and cultural backgrounds. Alongside this, they will also have the ability to provide effective pastoral support for students at all levels.

The successful applicant will contribute to the delivery of modules in politics and political science and methodological skills development modules. They will be able to collaborate with colleagues from different disciplines and have excellent interpersonal and communication skills, including the ability to communicate with non-academic audiences.

The postholder will demonstrate commitment to UCL’s policy of equal opportunity, making inclusivity, diversity and (inter)cultural awareness core to actions and decision-making for self and team. They will have a willingness to share in the organisation and management of the department's teaching programme and other student-focused activities and programmes, as well as a willingness to contribute to departmental, faculty, or UCL-wide activities, working groups or committees.

The ideal candidate will demonstrate expertise in quantitative or mixed (quantitative and qualitative) research methods and skills sufficient to conduct advanced research, supervise PhD and MA students, and teach introductory quantitative research methods. They will also demonstrate experience of winning grant funding and a record of research impact through engaging with stakeholders beyond academia.

What we offer

UCL is a dynamic, global university based in one of the most exciting capital cities in the world. Not only does working at UCL offer the opportunity to work with game changers in your field, but also provides competitive terms, conditions and benefits.

A range of financial benefits are available to UCL staff, including retail discounts and an electric vehicle salary sacrifice lease scheme. At UCL, we offer 27 days of annual leave plus six closure days (at Christmas and Easter) as well as statutory holidays. We also offer a range of health and wellbeing benefits for all employees, covering fitness and lifestyle as well as mental and physical health. UCL also offers enhanced parental leave packages. Further details of these and other staff benefits can be found here:

Staff at the UCL Institute of the Americas collaborate with colleagues across UCL, as well as in the University of London and across the UK to create a centre of excellence in research, teaching, research facilitation, and public policy formulation on the Americas.

As part of its mission to promote specialist regional and comparative knowledge of the Americas, the Institute complements its teaching and research programmes by creating, supporting, and coordinating national and international scholarly networks. It actively participates in knowledge exchange/public engagement and organises its own programme of public lectures, seminars, and specialist symposia serving the scholarly, diplomatic, and public policy communities.

Staff from the Institute are involved in managing and editing the Palgrave Macmillan Series Studies of the Americas, the UCL Press series Modern Americas, the UCL Press London Journal of Canadian Studies, and the CUP Journal of Latin American Studies.

Within UCL, there are opportunities for collaboration with, among others, the Departments of History, Political Science, Geography, Anthropology, Spanish, Portuguese, Latin American Studies, and the Development Planning Unit.