Career tracks and grades

At UCL, Research appointments (i.e., Research Assistant, Research Fellow, Senior Fellow etc) are externally funded positions with a primary  focus on research activities, although these roles also include expectations of some contribution to teaching, enterprise, knowledge transfer, and institutional citizenship responsibilities. Research appointments are typically dependent on funding from non-university sources and continued employment is contingent on ongoing research grant or fellowship funding.

Research staff are appointed to one of the following job titles:

• Research Assistant – Grade 6
• Research Fellow – Grade 7
• Senior Research Fellow – Grade 8
• Principal Research Fellow – Grade 9
• Professorial Research Fellow – Grade 10

At UCL, Teaching appointments are typically core-funded, open-ended positions with a primary focus on teaching and student support activities, to assist the delivery of UCL's educational mission and leadership. These can also be offered on a fixed-term basis, to cover periods of academic staff leave.

Teaching staff are appointed to one of the following job titles:

• Associated Lecturer (Teaching) – Grade 7
• Lecturer (Teaching) – Grade 8
• Associated Professor (Teaching) – Grade 9
• Professor (Teaching) – Grade 10 

At UCL, Academic appointments are core-funded, permanent positions with an expectation of contributing equally to teaching, research, enterprise, knowledge transfer, and institutional citizenship activities. Academic appointments can only be terminated under extraordinary circumstances, such as financial exigency or program discontinuation. 

Academic staff are appointed to one of the following job titles:

• Lecturer - Grade 8
• Associated Professor - Grade 9
• Professor - Grade 10

Career advancement towards professorship positions is strongly influenced by one's publication record, teaching experience as well as administrative responsibilities.

The possible routes of entry into Academic track in UCL are:

1. applying for an advertised academic job vacancy;
2. holding a proleptic appointment and transitioning onto the academic track.

Professional services are placed in a grade on the basis of the duties and responsibilities that are required to be undertaken by UCL. All professional services jobs at UCL are graded in accordance with the Higher Education Role Analysis (HERA) scheme. 

If you want to learn more about PSS roles grading we recommend you visit this website: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/human-resources/policies/2021/mar/grading-professional-services-jobs-ucl

You can learn more about diiferent career pathways for Professional Services and Technical Roles here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/career-frameworks/

You can find examples of different role profiles at UCL for PSS. 

You can read career case studies for PSS roles at UCL. 

A Career Framework for staff in technical roles is long overdue. 

To recognise the contribution made by this group of staff, the university has joined a sector wide campaign led by a steering group of sector bodies, with support from the Science Council and the Gatsby Charitable Foundation’s Technicians Make It Happen campaign, called the Technician Commitment, which aims to ensure visibility, training and career development for technicians working in all disciplines. This national group has identified a need for greater coordination and collective action across the sector to improve the status and profile of technicians and to ensure sustainability of the technical workforce in academia and research.

Read more about what is currently being discussed and future teps in this website: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/human-resources/learning-development/opportunities-technical-staff