Graduate Teaching Assistant-Economics, Edinburgh, Midlothian, United Kingdom

About the University

Heriot-Watt University 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 the social sciences.

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 its needs – so employers get work-ready industry-fit graduates.

About the School of Social Sciences

Edinburgh Business School (EBS) is part of the School of Social Sciences, which also includes the Department of Languages & Intercultural Studies, and the Department of Psychology.  EBS consists of the subject areas of Accounting, Economics, Finance, HRM & Law, Marketing, Operations & Logistics, and Strategy & Enterprise, and delivers a range of undergraduate and postgraduate taught and research degrees across all of the University’s global campuses, as well as through a range of high-quality distance learning programmes.

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.

For full details on our University please view our Careers at Heriot-Watt http://www.hw.ac.uk/about/careers-at-heriot-watt.htm

About our team

Economics at Heriot-Watt’s Edinburgh Business School is a vibrant community of about 20 academics and associates, 10 doctoral students, and 400 taught undergraduate and postgraduate students. The group focuses on research, training, policy and services across all major areas of the discipline, including econometrics, microeconomics and macroeconomics. Our teaching helps understand and improve decision-making for individuals, organisations, governments and societies, and throws light on issues as diverse as energy, environment, unemployment, inflation, poverty, globalisation, trade and welfare. Our students run a popular Economics Society which hosts regular social events, debates and guest lectures with leading industry speakers and organisations.

Our research is equally diverse, covering all major sub-fields of the discipline, but also inter-disciplinary linkages with other areas of social sciences, mathematics and computer science, natural sciences, engineering and the humanities. Key areas of research focus include: (a) energy and environmental economics, (b) spatial economics and econometrics, economics of networks, (c) monetary economics, macroeconomics and macro-finance, (d) migration and labour economics, and (e) development and welfare economics. Most economists are associated with the new research centre, The Centre for Social and Economic Data Analytics (CSEDA), but also with connections to: The Centre for Networks and Enterprise Excellence, The Centre for Logistics and Sustainability, and The Intercultural Research Centre.

Panmure House – the only surviving home of Adam Smith, the father of modern-day Economics – was re-opened by Edinburgh Business School in 2018 following significant restoration. Celebrating Adam Smith’s legacy, Panmure House has become an important hub of economic, social and political debate in the heart of Edinburgh’s Old Town. Much of the research activities in Economics are centred around Panmure House, including a regular and vibrant seminar series and guest lectures from leading economists, policymakers and practitioners.

Detailed description

Under the leadership of the Head of Subject for Economics, Prof. Arnab Bhattacharjee, this role is intended to provide teaching support in econometrics, plus either microeconomics or macroeconomics, including large and small group teaching, online delivery, tutorials and assessment activities.  In addition, the role-holder will be expected to undertake a PhD programme on a part-time basis for the first two years of the appointment, switching to full-time status for the final two years of the appointment.

We invite applications from candidates who can address one of the following topic area in their PhD:

Deprivation in Scotland.  Deprivation is a key component of social inequality. It is widely acknowledged that deprivation increases the risk of early death and is associated with higher rates of illness from certain diseases.  According to the Scottish Public Health Observatory, in 2013-2014, healthy life expectancy for those living in the 10% most deprived areas was approximately 20 years lower compared to those living in the 10% least deprived areas. The aims of this proposal are twofold: first, to study deprivation in Scotland, document and model how deprivation has evolved in the past few decades and as a consequence of the recent and ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, and second, to make recommendations of effective policies to address deprivation in the country. Using frontier econometric techniques and spatio-temporal modelling, the second objective is to evaluate how improvements (or worsening) in economic conditions in one local area could have spillover effects on other (geographically and/or spatially) adjacent areas.

The supervisory team for this project area will consist of Dr Cristina Tealdi, Dr Erkal Ersoy, and from the University of Oxford, Dr Catia Nicodemo.  The project will be located in the Centre for Social & Economic Data Analytics.  Candidates interested in this project area are encouraged to contact Dr Tealdi (c.tealdi@hw.ac.uk) for an informal discussion about their research proposal prior to submitting their application.

Impacts of decarbonisation of the UK Economy: An econometric approach.  The UK Climate Change Committee has recently tightened the targets for emission reductions and aims to achieve a nearly complete decarbonised economy by 2050. Pivotal to hitting this target will be making reductions in the highest-emitting sectors in the country: residential, commercial, transport, and energy generation. This project aims to study UK policy instruments and energy use at residential and/or commercial levels using advanced econometrics and big data analysis. The project may include the use of high resolution data on energy consumption collected by smart-meter readings, energy data collected as part of the Heriot-Watt/BP project or administrative datasets to study effectiveness of the UK decarbonisation strategies. Specific research topics include, but are not limited to; the role of economic policy instruments, renewable energy generation, energy efficiency improvements in residential and commercial buildings, electric vehicles, labour market effects of net-zero transition and COVID-19 pandemic impacts.

The supervisory team for this project area will consist of Dr Claudia Aravena and Dr Rachel Forshaw.  The project will be located in the Centre for Logistics & Sustainability, with the potential for an additional affiliation to the Centre for Social & Economic Data Analytics.  Candidates interested in this project area are encouraged to contact Dr Aravena (c.aravena@hw.ac.uk) for an informal discussion about their research proposal prior to submitting their application.

Key duties and responsibilities

Reporting to the Head of Subject for Economics, the post-holder will:

  • Develop and deliver teaching in econometrics, plus either microeconomics or macroeconomics, including delivery to a range of group sizes and in online environments.
  • Provide flexible, appropriate, and timely support to students using a variety of media.
  • Prepare and mark assessments as required, and in line with School policies and standards.
  • Undertake a PhD in Economics on one of the topics above, maintaining an appropriate rate of progress and engaging in relevant training and other events as required.
  • Contribute to the administrative work of the Economics team as required.
  • Undertake other duties as required by the Head of Economics.

Relevant training will be provided alongside the role.  In particular, during the first two years of the contract, the post-holder will be expected to undertake training in teaching and learning as required by the University, as well as specialist training through our membership of the Scottish Graduate Programme in Economics.

Education, qualifications and experience

The successful candidate will have:

  • An undergraduate degree in a relevant field with a minimum of a 2:1 classification (or equivalent).
  • A postgraduate MSc in Economics (or closely related field).
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills.  Candidates for whom English is a second language should meet the University’s minimum English-language requirements for entry onto the PhD programme.  If you have not already studied a degree programme that was taught and examined in the medium of English, the minimum overall IELTS score is 6.5 with no score lower than 6.0 in Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening.
  • A viable research proposal for PhD study on one of the topics above.
  • Good general IT skills.
  • Ability to manage own time in order to balance the requirements of teaching and PhD study.
  • Ability to work as part of a teaching team to deliver a high quality student experience.

How to apply

Applications can be submitted up to midnight (UK time) on Monday 21st February 2022.  

When applying for this role, please submit a single pdf that includes a cover letter that identifies how your skills and experience are a good match for this position, a copy of your PhD research proposal (max. 1500 words), a copy of your CV, and the names and contact details for two referees.

Heriot-Watt University is committed to securing equality of opportunity in employment and to the creation of an environment in which individuals are selected, trained, promoted, appraised and otherwise treated on the sole basis of their relevant merits and abilities.  Equality and diversity are all about maximising potential and creating a culture of inclusion for all.

Heriot-Watt University values diversity across our University community and welcomes applications from all sectors of society, particularly from underrepresented groups. For more information, please see our website https://www.hw.ac.uk/uk/services/equality-diversity.htm and also our award-winning work in Disability Inclusive Science Careers https://disc.hw.ac.uk/.

TO WEBSITE

Job opening | 8 December 2021