Chair in Musculoskeletal Pain and Rehabilitation

Job Purpose

The Chair of Musculoskeletal Pain and Rehabilitation will complement existing senior and scientific leadership across the School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, and contribute to building critical mass in the new Centre of Precision Rehabilitation for Spinal Pain (CPR Spine). This individual will work with existing leadership to coordinate efforts across the School, the College of Life and Environmental Sciences, and NHS England Midlands and East Trusts to promote precision rehabilitation, particularly in the area of spinal pain. This post represents further strengthening of the Rehabilitation and Motor Control theme within the School, and builds on recent University investment and developments in the CPR Spine.

The Chair will be an outstanding, internationally recognised academic with the vision and capacity to help shape and build the future of precision rehabilitation for spinal pain. The appointee will be in a position to capitalise on recent developments and opportunities in rehabilitation across both the Colleges of Life and Environmental Sciences and Medical and Dental Sciences, and to lead large-scale grant initiatives in the area of chronic pain to fund agencies such as UK Research Councils (e.g., Medical Research Council, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council), the National Institute for Health Research, defence-related funding (e.g., Ministry of Defence/DNRC, US Department of Defense), Wellcome Trust, charitable funders, and industry. The appointee must possess a strong international presence in the area/s of musculoskeletal pain, musculoskeletal injury, spinal pain and rehabilitation, with a demonstrated track record of excellence via major competitive research grants and a substantial publication record in high impact journals. An extensive background of collaborative research in musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitation will enable the appointee to interact with leading rehabilitation and physiotherapy experts and with equipment provision in the newly founded CPR Spine. This Centre, which brings together current multidisciplinary expertise at the University of Birmingham, is the first centre dedicated to spinal pain research in the UK and is recruiting additional top scientists in pain science and rehabilitation.

Person Specification

The Chair will have attained recognition as an eminent authority in the discipline and
achieved distinction at national and international levels as demonstrated through
attainment of the specific criteria below:

• A distinguished career in research in the area/s of musculoskeletal pain, musculoskeletal injury, spinal pain and rehabilitation
• A higher degree such as a PhD in a relevant field complemented by a significant record of substantial competitive research grants and successfully delivered projects, and a strong record of academic publications or critically assessed projects and professional recognition.
• A demonstrated capacity to engender and lead collaboration between the research and clinical communities, interact with leading rehabilitation and physiotherapy experts, and provide high quality advice to translate research into clinical practice.
• Extensive experience of fostering academic collaboration across disciplinary boundaries.
• Experience of working within and leading internal and external networks.
• Engagement with external bodies to enhance national or international standing of the discipline.
• Experience of mentoring research and a demonstrated capacity to contribute successfully to higher degree supervision.
• Demonstrated excellence in teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
• A record of providing high-level leadership in a dynamic academic environment, ensuring a capacity to make a major contribution to the intellectual and organisational life of the university with the capacity to work collaboratively with colleagues both within and outside the university.
• A demonstrated capacity to influence professional practice, and contribute to scientific and public discourse.
• A proven capacity to lead change, with a high level of interpersonal skills and the ability to motivate, persuade and negotiate.