Job Description

Role: Assistant Professor in Sport and Exercise Science

Grade and Salary: Grade 7 - £37,694 - £47,389 per annum

Contract Type: Full Time (1 FTE), Open Ended

Holiday Entitlement: 33 days annual leave, plus 9 buildings closed days for all full-time staff.

The Institute of Earth and Life Sciences at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh is seeking an outstanding practitioner for an open-ended (tenured) Assistant Professorship (Teaching and Scholarly Activity) position in Applied Sport Science.

We are inviting applications from all areas of Sport and Exercise Science, but we are particularly encouraging applications from candidates with expertise in applied practice (e.g. exercise physiology, performance analysis, athlete load monitoring). You will be an enthusiastic and friendly individual with proven communication and interpersonal skills who is committed to enriching the student experience through your professional practice.  

You will contribute to teaching delivery on the BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Science programme, provide pastoral care to students, and supervision of research projects. We are also looking for someone who can expand our partnerships in professional sport and enhance the employability of our graduates by supporting them to obtain industry-recognised professional qualifications.

Key Duties & Responsibilities

Pioneering Education:

• Develop and deliver high quality courses in line with your expertise to enable our students to become excellent practitioners, and assist with embedding of professional qualifications, to ensure our students are ‘Future Made’;
• Undertake continuous professional development both through the University and externally to remain up-to-date with current learning and teaching practice and external influencers in our sector to provide direction and leadership;
• Share best practice in learning and teaching methodologies, working with colleagues to develop scholarly debate and the dissemination of excellence to advance the curriculum to be future focused and challenge-led;
• Supervise undergraduate and postgraduate students’ work and take responsibility for dealing with referred issues regarding students within their own educational programmes.

Scholarship and Research:

• Reflect on practice and the development of own teaching and learning skills.
• Engage in subject, professional and pedagogy research as required to support teaching
• activities.
• Contribute to scholarly projects that contribute to the enhancement of the Sport and Exercise BSc (Hons) programme and wider discipline area.
• Work collaboratively to identify sources of funding and contribute to the process of securing funds for own scholarly activities
• Mentor and coach research students, with particular focus on providing opportunities for developing their careers as interdisciplinary, collaborative, and effective researchers.

Collaboration and Leadership:

• Work collaboratively within the BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Science team to ensure
• excellent levels of student engagement, retention, and outcomes;
• Collaborate with colleagues to ensure a consistent, effective, and high-quality delivery of teaching and scholarly activity, and research, in line with the strategic aims of EGIS, as well as the wider University;
• Represent EGIS with integrity in a professional capacity at national and international conferences, with industrial partners, in professional societies, etc.

Education, Qualifications and Experience

The successful applicant will satisfy the following requirements:

Essential

1. A Masters degree in Sport and Exercise Science or a related discipline
2. Relevant industry experience in applied sport science and ability to draw on this to support student learning
3. Prior experience of teaching in a higher education environment and/or supporting placement students in professional practice

4. Emotional intelligence, with a demonstrable collegiate attitude and proven interpersonal skills

Desirable

1. PhD in Sport and Exercise Science (or close to completion)
2. Accreditation from an appropriate professional body in Sport and Exercise Science (e.g CASES, UKSCA) or willingness to achieve
3. Experience working in high performance sport
4. A track record of research, including peer-reviewed publications in journals
5. Expertise in sport performance analysis
6. Experience of module leadership
7. A higher education teaching qualification and/or fellowship of Advance HE

How to Apply

Applications can be submitted up to midnight  (UK time)  on Wednesday 29th July 2026.

Interviews are anticipated to take place on Thursday 13th August 2026

Applicants must make their submission via the Heriot-Watt on-line recruitment system and include: (1) cover letter describing their interest and suitability for the post; (2) full CV that includes the list of publications (3) research and teaching statements, showing their strengths in one or more of the areas above.

Informal enquiries should be directed to Professor Chris Easton (C.Easton@hw.ac.uk)

About our Team

The School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society

The School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society is one of the UK’s leading institutions for multidisciplinary research and teaching in areas critical to economic development and societal equity.We aim to attain excellence in the teaching of the core disciplines that contribute to a sustainable, resource and energy efficient society and are committed to undertaking high value, high impact research and knowledge transfer in topics of relevance to global challenges.

Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society - Heriot-Watt University (hw.ac.uk)

Institute of Life & Earth Sciences

The Institute of Life and Earth Sciences (ILES) undertakes multidisciplinary research in the areas of Environment and Bioscience, as well as Sport and Exercise Science, based both in Edinburgh (including staff based in the Lyell Centre) and at the International Centre for Island Technology (ICIT) in the Orkney Isles. Our work within ILES focuses on life sciences in its broadest sense from cells to ecosystems, including physical geography and sport and exercise science, teaching and researching on how systems work, how they may be changing and how to manage the planet sustainably. Further information can be obtained at - https://www.hw.ac.uk/schools/energy-geoscience-infrastructure-society/iles.htm

About Heriot Watt University

Heriot-Watt University has established a reputation for world-class teaching and leading-edge, relevant research, which has made it one of the top UK universities for innovation, business and industry.

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 languages. Heriot-Watt is also Scotland's most international university, boasting the largest international student cohort.