Associate Professor in Pharmaceutical Science (Teaching Focused)

The new MPharm program, at the University of Leicester, is located in a School of Healthcare, alongside Schools of Medicine, Biology and Psychology. With extensive local expertise in placement delivery, blended learning, inter professional education and clinical assessment, the new pharmacy degree is designed to have patient care and the application of relevant science in clinical practice at its heart.

The vision is to create excellent clinical pharmacists whose practice is person centered and who are able to effectively use their scientific and clinical knowledge to solve real life and current problems as part of the routine provision of pharmaceutical care.  Our graduates will be able to complete their prescribing sign-off in the Foundation Year successfully and work effectively as members of the multi-disciplinary team when they register.

Teaching will be predominantly interactive and patient focused. The individual will need to ensure that students understand why the science is important in clinical practice and are able to apply it to understanding and solving patient related issues. Integrated placements will form a major part of the degree program and consequently all appointments will be expected to work effectively with employers and external stakeholders.

To deliver this, the school provides a welcoming and caring environment. All staff are given the opportunity to identify a suitable mentor, undertake yearly personal development planning with their line manager and encouraged to actively seek learning opportunities to enhance effectiveness in role.  Funding to attend external events and to support CPD activities is available for all staff.

In this role, you will support the set up and delivery of the new MPharm Degree within the School of Healthcare at the University of Leicester.  This role will be largely responsible for the development of the pharmaceutical science elements of the degree, (predominantly pharmacology and  formulation science). Core science will be integrated with clinical teaching throughout the degree and therefore an ability to work effectively in teams is essential. You will be responsible for identifying ‘optional’ science modules for delivery from our Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Biology and Psychology courses for student selection and therefore will need to liaise directly with external program leads within the University.  

You will work with the Head of School (Professor David Wright) and Program Lead (Associate Professor Sue Ambler), to develop and deliver MPharm accreditation documentation and associated teaching materials.

As the ideal candidate, you will be qualified to PhD level in pharmaceutical science, with experience in the practice of pharmacy and how pharmacists synthesise and use scientific knowledge and evidence to take safe and effective clinical decisions with their patients and the wider healthcare team.

You will also be a creative educator, with extensive experience of providing high quality teaching as part of an MPharm programme, and an established track record of developing and delivering teaching, learning and assessments in which the pharmaceutical science is integrated with the wider clinical and professional curriculum. You should demonstrate a strong commitment to student welfare, both on and off campus, and proactively looks for opportunities to innovate and enhance the student experience.

You will be joining a small, high-performing team, working to tight deadlines to develop and deliver a new degree programme. Therefore, you will need to demonstrate a strong track record of team working and of being willing and able to turn your hand most aspects of course delivery, whilst being able to work independently to meet tight deadlines. 

Informal enquiries are welcome and should be made to Dr Sue Ambler on [email protected] or Professor David Wright on [email protected] 

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 because the appointee will have substantial access to young people and/or vulnerable adults. Therefore, an appointment to this post will be subject to checking and appropriate clearance through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). The successful applicant for this post will, therefore, be required to give consent for the University to check with the DBS for the existence and content of any criminal record in the form of a Standard Disclosure. Information received from the DBS and the police will be kept in strict confidence and will be destroyed once the University is satisfied in this regard.