Month: August 2013

Tutor training course for postdoctoral researchers and academic staff

Postdoctoral researchers and academic staff wishing to expand their teaching experience and improve their group facilitation skills are invited to register with the Graduate School for a tutoring training course.  The two day training course prepares tutors to teach on the highly successful Research Skills Development (RSD) residential course.  The tutor training course will be held over two days and nights, from 15 – 17 October 2013 in Wokingham.

Places are limited and the deadline for application is 1 October 2013.

To find out more and to obtain an application form please contact Dr Paul Seldon by email or on 020 759 45503.

Become an Events Maker

Staff are encouraged to register for the Events Makers volunteer scheme to support some of the College’s most important annual events.

The opportunities are unpaid but any volunteer time which falls outside of normal working hours can be taken as time off in lieu at a later date, in agreement with the staff member’s line manager. The first opportunities for volunteers are Welcome Week, between 28 September and 4 October, and the Commemoration Day ceremonies on 23 October.

Read more about the scheme and register

Imperial College Union Impact Report

Imperial College Union has published its annual Impact Report detailing its achievements in the 2012-13 academic year. The report highlights developments including::

  • The launch of a new website which has made information easier to find and has increased user satisfaction levels
  • The highest student turnout ever for both elections and the National Student Survey
  • The introduction of an annual Student Academic Choice Awards evening
  • £147,684 raised for charitable causes during Charity Week

Read the report

Annual call for applications to the Junior Research Fellowship Scheme – deadline 16 September

Applications are invited for the College’s Junior Research Fellowship Scheme, which offers opportunities for early-career researchers to establish their own scientific path, free from teaching and administration duties.

In 2014 up to 20 fellowships will be awarded. Proposals will be accepted in all core disciplines at Imperial and can be held in any Faculty and the Business School. Interdisciplinary projects are welcomed and from 2014, where appropriate, JRFs may be co-sponsored by staff of the Francis Crick Institute.

Applicants will need to identify an Imperial academic staff member to act as their sponsor and provide laboratory space, facilities and mentorship for the tenure of the fellowship. For more details about the 2014 competition including guidance for applica nts, information for sponsors and application forms visit the JRF webpages.  Informal enquiries to juniorresearchfellowships@imperial.ac.uk.

New Ethics Code

The College has adopted a new Ethics Code in order to set out conduct expected from the College community to promote and support ethical behaviour. The Code will be effective from 1 November 2013.

The Code applies to all staff, students and other members of the College community. It is intended to provide a starting point to help members of the College to identify and tackle ethical issues faced in the course of their activities at Imperial. It provides that any ethical concerns should be raised either:

(a) in accordance with a specific policy or procedure; or

(b) (where the matter does not fall within a specific policy or procedure) with the relevant Head of Department/equivalent, who will either resolve the matter or escalate it to the College Cabinet (via the Head of the Central Secretariat) as appropriate.

In addition a supporting Relationship Review Policy has been adopted and will be effective from 1 November. This highlights the mechanisms through which staff and other members of the College community should consider whether there are any ethical concerns in connection with proposed and continuing relationships with third parties, and explains how the ethical review process dovetails with the existing College review processes in certain areas.

The Gift Acceptance Policy, now titled ‘Guidelines for accepting philanthropic income and other gifts’, has also been revised.

All staff are expected to familiarise themselves with the Code and the related policies that are relevant to their role. Staff responsible for its implementation will be contacted separately with details of training opportunities.

Read the Code and the Relationship Review Policy

Pay Award for 2013-2014

From 1 August Imperial will be applying a pay increase of 2% to all College staff on terms and conditions subject to local pay bargaining, following the Joint Trades Unions’ formal acceptance of the College’s local pay offer. The College’s pay scales and schedules of allowances, which apply to all staff on terms and conditions subject to local pay bargaining, have been updated to incorporate this increase. Payment at the appropriate new rates will be made in August 2013 salaries.

For copies of the revised scales and allowances, please view the HR Salaries web page.

To read further information from this year’s local pay bargaining negotiations, including the JTUs pay claim and the College’s responses and final pay offer, please view the HR Local Pay Award 2013/14 web page.