The University of West London (UWL) is ranked the best modern* university (non-specialist) in London in the Complete University Guide 2025.
We are ranked 30th university in the UK in The Guardian University Guide 2025, Number 1 London university for overall student satisfaction in the National Student Survey 2024 and Best university for Student Experience and Teaching Quality in the UK in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024.
The UWL community is a diverse body of students and staff who work together to create an environment of success and achievement. We celebrate the diversity of our staff and promote our values in practice through our commitment to inclusivity, progression, and success.
*University status awarded in or after 1992
The Geller Institute of Ageing and Memory
We are a flagship Institute within the University of West London (UWL), delivering interdisciplinary applied research and education. Our focus is on delivering the evidence to inform high quality, cutting edge, health and social care to benefit people living with dementia, older people, and their care partners and families.
At the heart of our mission is to ensure the most vulnerable populations of people living with dementia and older people have better experiences of health and social care and are supported in living well and living at home for longer. All our research and education programmes are guided by an inclusive approach.
We are an interdisciplinary team, with expertise in sociology, psychology, social policy, epidemiology, nursing, and philosophy, with our research drawing upon a wide range of methodologies. We have established a reputation for the rapid translation of our research into impact, which is informing public discourse, shaping the policy agenda, and translated into practice improvements.
The institute is now established with 17 ECR, mid-career and senior research staff; 14 of these posts are directly supported by NIHR, ESRC and NIH funding. We have recently established a programme of NIHR ARC NWL Knowledge Transfer Fellows, to translate research into practical improvements within the health and social care system across Northwest London’s diverse communities. We have a track record of obtaining NIHR funding, with 13 active (12 UKRI contracts) research contracts.
Our postgraduate programmes are established and growing, offering interdisciplinary, research focused, evidence-based teaching and supervision. Our postgraduate courses are designed to cultivate leaders in ageing and dementia care and improve practice across health and social care settings.
The Institute is based within The School of Medicine and Biosciences. For further details and to see our team, please visit: https://www.uwl.ac.uk/research/research-centres-and-groups/geller-institute-ageing-and-memory
The School of Medicine and Biosciences
The School of Medicine and Biosciences at UWL, is an interdisciplinary research-driven School, embedded within an area of West London with diverse populations and significant pockets of both deprivation and affluence. We work in partnership with policy makers and practitioners to improve the health of our communities and reduce inequalities, developing and delivering hyperlocal health and social care initiatives, which have the potential to scale up locally and nationally. We deliver research-led undergraduate and postgraduate taught courses in Biosciences and Dementia Care. Our research themes: Ageing and dementia; Healthcare inequalities; Public Health; Gene-targeted cancer therapy; and Translational Medicine.
The Role
The Deputy Director will play a pivotal role in supporting the growth and implementation of GIAM’s research and education strategies, aligning with the University’s vision. This key leadership role involves taking designated responsibility for operational activities, resource management, and quality assurance of academic delivery, ensuring policies and procedures are effectively implemented.
Key responsibilities include delivering an effective research infrastructure within GIAM, planning, organizing, and coordinating resources to achieve strategic goals. The Deputy Head will provide proactive and high-quality management and leadership to support the timely and budget-compliant delivery of research, education, and academic contracts.
Additionally, the role encompasses the management, leadership, and development of institute staff, along with other specific areas of responsibility as agreed with the Director.
The Person
We are seeking a dynamic individual with the vision and capability to apply and further develop their leadership skills in support of the Institute’s continued growth. A key responsibility will be to implement the operational infrastructure necessary to support our strategic objectives. You will play a key role in supporting our Principal Investigators (PIs) by ensuring the highest standards of research rigour, overseeing the timely and cost-effective delivery of research contracts, and contributing to impactful dissemination and engagement activities. The role also involves enabling both PIs and Early Career Researchers (ECRs) to build research capacity and strengthen our pipeline of research income in a competitive funding landscape. Experience of the Research Excellence Framework (REF), including the development of impact case studies, would be highly advantageous.
We need someone who can lead, inspire, and further develop our growing, interdisciplinary team of academics and practitioners. This individual will foster a collaborative culture grounded in our shared values, supporting individual capacity building while ensuring the team has the stability and infrastructure needed to thrive and respond to emerging opportunities. A key aspect of the role will be to sustain and enhance our commitment to involving people with lived experience and communities in shaping our research priorities, governance, and delivery
This person needs to have tenacity, be driven by a commitment to excellence, and have exceptional negotiation and communication skills. They will have a proven track recording in building effective, collaborative relationships across academic disciplines and with professional university services. Externally, they will represent the university with credibility and purpose, cultivating meaningful partnerships with diverse communities, health and social care practitioners and services, and networks across North West London, nationally, and internationally, all in support of the institutes continued growth and impact.
This individual must be mission driven and deeply committed to equality, diversity and inclusion, aligning with our goal of improving care for the most vulnerable communities of older people and those living with dementia. They will work in close partnership with people with lived experience and local communities to co-develop research priorities, delivering rigorous, world leading research that drives evidence-based improvements in health and social care.
This successful candidate will be an active scholar in their own right and will be supported in sustaining their individual research programme. They will engage in interdisciplinary research and education and contribute meaningfully to REF2029.
How to Apply
To apply click on ‘Apply Online’ and Upload CV and Cover Letter. Further information about the application process can be found here: https://jobs.uwl.ac.uk/display.aspx?id=1253&pid=0
Please email hr.recruitment@uwl.ac.uk if you need any assistance with the application process.
Interviews will be held on the 11th and 12th of August 2025. In person interview is preferred, via Teams will be an option.
For informal enquiries about the position please contact Professor Katie Featherstone, Director of the Geller Institute of Ageing and Memory. Katie.featherstone@uwl.ac.uk
Additional Information
Read more about working at the University of West London at https://www.uwl.ac.uk/about-us/how-university-works/why-work-uwl
We welcome applications from individuals who do not have a fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (HEA). Should you be successful and do not hold an HEA fellowship you will be asked to complete one within 2 years of appointment as a condition of your continued employment. Depending on eligibility this may take the form of an advanced Level 7 apprenticeship in teaching which means that you will spend 20% of your work in off-the-job study.
Our school is under-represented in terms of staff from minority ethnic backgrounds, of LGBT+ identities, and with disabilities. UWL is committed to having a diverse and inclusive workforce, supports the gender equality Athena SWAN Charter, and is a Disability Confident Employer. We welcome applications from all sections of the community, particularly those mentioned above to increase diversity in our workforce.
Candidates must be able to demonstrate their eligibility to work in the UK in accordance with the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006.
This position does not meet the University criteria for Skilled Worker sponsorship.
Applicants must hold a PhD in a relevant field with a demonstrable track record of research within the field.
A Standard/Enhanced DBS Certificate is required for this post (to be undertaken upon appointment).
Please be advised that it is expected that appointment within a grade will normally be at the minimum point.
We will intermittently review the applications as part of this open advert, therefore if successful, you will be shortlisted and contacted at any time.
The University of West London reserves the right to close the role prior to this date should a suitable applicant be found.