Senior-level academic jobs in medicine and dentistry allow highly-skilled clinicians, researchers and scientists to contribute to the research and teaching strategy of a university.
Considered the pinnacle of an academic career in medicine and dentistry, these roles propel clinicians into the realm of multi-disciplinary international collaboration at the forefront of medical and scientific discovery.
Job descriptions
Dean/Head/Director
Deans, Heads or Directors are the most senior figures within university medical and dental schools or faculties. They are highly specialised medical experts with a wealth of experience in both clinical practice and research.
The Dean of a university medical and dental school may have risen through the academic ranks from any medicine and dentistry specialism. They will also hold a professorship in their respective departments.
The role of a Dean or Head is managerial, although they will be involved in leading research activities that further the university’s strategic vision.
Duties:
- Providing leadership to academic staff and managing the school’s medical education and training programmes
- Liaising with the university’s senior leadership team
- Hiring new professors and lecturers
- Conducting research within their own medical specialism
What qualifications and experience do you need?
A primary medical qualification, a PhD and significant clinical practice and research experience are essential for those aspiring to Deanships in medicine and dentistry.
What’s the pay?
Most Deanships are full-time, permanent positions and salary is negotiable. However, salaries can rise to over £100,000.
What can it lead to?
A Deanship is already a high-ranking position; however, Deans may choose to return to a professorship for the rest of their careers or move into the university’s senior management team, perhaps in the role of Pro-Vice Chancellor or Vice-Chancellor.
Where can I find Deanship jobs?
Deanships are permanent roles so job availability within medical and dental schools can be low. However, Deanship opportunities are evenly spread across the UK.
Clinical Professor
Clinical professors are senior specialist doctors or dentists who provide instruction within a clinical environment. As well as mentoring and evaluating medical and dentistry students, they also lead and conduct research.
Clinical professors work in joint ventures between university medical and dental schools, hospitals and NHS hospital trusts (in the UK). Due to their senior status, clinical professors are often appointed with ‘honorary consultant’ status within a hospital.
Duties:
- Attracting research funding in a specialist area of medicine and dentistry
- Leading a team of researchers and working in tandem with external organisations
- Publishing in leading peer-reviewed journals
- Fostering national and international collaboration
- Teaching and mentoring undergraduate and postgraduate students
- Clinical practice within a hospital
What qualifications and experience do you need?
A medical degree, PhD in a relevant discipline and full registration and current license to practise are essential for clinical professorships. You will also need many years’ clinical experience.
Considerable experience in managing research projects, academic leadership skills and a broad range of published research outcomes would also be essential.
What’s the pay?
Salaries for clinical professorships vary but can be in the range of £70,080 to £101,432, depending on experience and research output.
What can it lead to?
On establishing an extensive research and international collaboration portfolio and leadership skills, clinical professors can progress to a Deanship of a medicine or dentistry faculty.
Where can I find clinical professor jobs?
As these are high level roles that require a niche skillset, there tends to be a smaller pool of clinical professor roles available. These roles are generally offered to senior clinical lecturers or associate professors with significant research experience.
Professor
Professors are high-ranking lecturers who have been awarded the title ‘professor’ in a particular field of medicine and dentistry.
Non-clinical professorships are primarily research-oriented and encompass a wide range of medicine, dentistry and science-related disciplines.
Professorships also involve teaching and training medicine and dentistry students.
Duties:
- Leading a programme of internationally recognised research
- Publishing research and presenting at high-profile, specialist medicine and dentistry conferences and meetings
- Providing leadership to a team of lecturers, associate professors and tutors
- Developing grant proposals and securing research funding
- Delivery of high-quality undergraduate and postgraduate teaching
What qualifications and experience do you need?
A PhD in a relevant medicine, dentistry or scientific discipline, along with an extensive record of publication in peer-reviewed scientific and clinical journals are essential for professorships.
Experience in the supervision of PhD students or clinical fellows would also be essential.
What’s the pay?
Salaries for professorships in medicine and dentistry vary between specialisms and many are not disclosed in job adverts. However, most salaries range from between £50,000 and £83,306.
What can it lead to?
Becoming a professor in a university is a long road, so many consider this role to be the height of their careers. However, professors can be selected to become head of their departments or move into a Deanship.
Where can I find professor jobs?
Most professorships are offered on a permanent basis and opportunities are selective. The most popular areas of the UK for professorships advertised are the Midlands and the South East of England.
Head of Department (HoD)
Heads of Department (HoDs) work beneath the Dean/Director of a university medical and dental school or faculty.
Each HoD leads a specialist medicine and dentistry department for example, Head of Oncology or Head of Oral Medicine. If the medical or dental faculty is small, there may be one Head for multiple departments with related disciplines.
Heads of Department are equal in academic stature to professors, and many have already undertaken a professorship.
Duties:
- Managing the day-to-day teaching and research programmes of the department
- Leading a team of academics and postdocs
- Course design
- Leading research initiatives and presenting at conferences
What qualifications and experience do you need?
A PhD and research, teaching and clinical expertise are essential for HoDs in medicine and dentistry. You will also be expected to have considerable research experience and output.
What’s the pay?
Heads of Department salaries are usually on negotiation with an employer. However, starting salaries range between £53,851 and £60,608.
What can it lead to?
Head of Department jobs are generally offered on a permanent basis, and many HoDs stay in their positions throughout the rest of their careers.
However, the next level on the ladder would be Dean or Director of a university medical and dental school or faculty, or even a move into the senior leadership team of the institution.
Where can I find Head of Department jobs?
As HoD roles are mostly permanent, these jobs are rarely available, particularly in medicine and dentistry. Therefore, the best route is often to target professorships before considering HoD roles.
Further information:
- Jobs in Medicine
- Jobs in Dentistry
- Research jobs in medicine and dentistry
- Lecturing jobs in medicine and dentistry
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