Within the Infrastructure and Transport Theme we are looking for people with existing or emerging international research profiles to join an existing multi-disciplinary research community spanning activities in our School’s of Built Environment, Engineering and Physical Sciences and Management and Languages. The successful applicants will be responsible for the development of new research activities within their areas of exploitation of multi-disciplinary opportunities with other theme appointments and existing staff. It is anticipated that teaching duties for a Professor appointment will be predominately at masters level, whereas, a Lecturer appointment will be expected to contribute at undergraduate level.
The successful candidates will have:
- A research record commensurate with the level of appointment, evidenced by quality research publications and by a track record in securing research grant/contract awards.
- Research interests that complement the existing research portfolio within the theme; and
- Be committed to the training and development of research students.
The pace of urbanisation is set to accelerate in the 21st century with the proportion of the population living in cities already exceeding 50%, a figure expected to increase to 60% by 2030.
More and bigger population concentrations create complex, cultural and technological systems with unprecedented demands for the basic human needs of food, shelter, sanitation, drinking water and a healthy environment. Heriot-Watt is determined to contribute to addressing these global challenges and has significant capacity to do so. To address the complexity and scale of these issues, we will develop the integrated multi-disciplinary approaches characteristic of our University. Working on design, technology, management and policy relevant to critical aspects of the built environment, infrastructure and transport, we will grow our capacity and extend our reach to address the increasingly global dimensions of the challenge.
Our strategy will bring together colleagues in our Schools of the Built Environment, Management and Languages, and Engineering and Physical Sciences to work together on the interdisciplinary problems intrinsic to the theme. Together, these provide a critical mass of internationally recognised expertise in infrastructure design, provision and management from the micro to the macro scales.
Major initiatives include:
- Leading UK research effort in flood modelling and co-ordination of flood risk management through a multi-disciplinary consortium of universities and relevant public agencies.
- Investigating and addressing crucial issues of freight distribution in the Logistics Research Centre in our School of Management and Languages.
- Centre for Chinese and Urban Studies aims to provide and foster academic, professional and governmental exchanges between Scotland and China, leading to a long-term mutual benefit to the people of both countries.
- Research into optical fibre sensors providing the prospect of long-term structural monitoring systems, capable of detecting minute changes in strain over decades in large arrays of sensors embedded in civil engineering structures.