Postgraduate Research Supervisor

VHT - Postgraduate Research Supervisor – Investigations of Death

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• A PhD or Professional Doctorate in a relevant field related to death investigation (e.g., Law, Forensic Medicine, Forensic Science, Public Health, Criminology, Medical Law, Bioethics, Human Rights, or closely allied discipline).
• A good honours degree (2:1 or above) in a relevant subject area.
• Demonstrable engagement in research activity within the broad field of death investigation, forensic governance, or related domains.

Desirable

• Professional registration or fellowship with a relevant body (e.g., HEA Fellowship, Royal College membership, Chartered status, Forensic Science Regulator recognition, etc.).
• A recognised teaching qualification or HEA Fellowship (or willingness to obtain).

Subject Expertise

Applicants must demonstrate specialist expertise in at least one (ideally more) of the following overarching, or closely related subject areas:

Essential (at least one domain required)

• Coronial Law & Death Investigation Governance (Inquest procedure, PFD frameworks, death certification, coronial systems, regulatory reform).
• Forensic Medicine & Cause-of-Death Determination (Forensic pathology, sudden unexpected death, negative autopsy, toxicology, post-mortem imaging).
• Forensic Science & Emerging Technologies (DNA analysis, molecular autopsy, AI/biometrics in identification, evidential reliability).
• Public Health & Mortality Systems (Mortality data quality, ICD coding, prevention frameworks, health systems governance).
• Human Rights, Ethics & Equality in Death Investigation (ECHR, religious rights, data protection, genetic privacy, procedural fairness).
• Vulnerable Death Contexts & Psychosocial Dimensions (Infanticide, maternal mental health, forensic psychiatry, bereavement impact).

Desirable

• Cross-disciplinary capability bridging law, science, and public health.
• Experience contributing to policy reform, national guidance, or regulatory development.

Research Supervision & Academic Experience

Essential

• Experience supervising research projects at postgraduate (Masters or Doctoral) level.
• Demonstrable understanding of research design, methodology selection (qualitative and/or quantitative), and data analysis.
• Understanding of academic integrity, research ethics approval processes, and governance requirements.
• Evidence of peer-reviewed publication or equivalent research outputs.
• Ability to support students in developing research questions, methodological rigour, and critical analysis.

Desirable

• Experience supervising interdisciplinary or practice-based research.
• Familiarity with relevant research software (e.g., NVivo, SPSS, R, Stata).
• Experience examining postgraduate dissertations or vivas.

Professional & Interpersonal Skills

Essential

• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to provide constructive, developmental feedback.
• Ability to work independently while contributing to a supervisory team.
• Strong organisational skills and ability to monitor student progression.
• Commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.
• Awareness of data protection, confidentiality, and professional standards.

Desirable

• Experience liaising with external stakeholders (e.g., coronial services, NHS, forensic laboratories, legal practitioners).
• Experience in blended or online postgraduate supervision.

Other Requirements

Essential

• Eligible to work in the UK.
• Commitment to continuing professional development.
• Ability to supervise flexibly, including remote supervision where required.
• Commitment to maintaining academic freedom within lawful and professional boundaries.

Desirable

• Established professional networks within medico-legal or forensic sectors.
• Experience contributing to curriculum development or research cluster leadership.