Announcing the Society for the Study of Addiction’s Academic Fellowship scheme

The SSA is pleased to welcome applications under its new Academic Fellowship scheme, to be received by 31 March each year. Interviews will be held on Wednesday 22 May, 2013, at a venue to be decided.

The application form is available here for download.

Support for academic career development

Guidance notes

Overview

Launched for the first time in 2012, the SSA academic fellowship scheme is available to current Society members and has been established to support academic career development (for both clinical and non-clinical academics) in areas of addictions study which further the declared aims of the Society.

This document comprises: (A) the overall purpose of the SSA academic fellowship scheme and, (B) processes and procedures.

(A) Overall purpose of the SSA academic fellowship scheme

The SSA academic fellowship scheme has been established to provide opportunities for high-calibre post-doctoral addictions academics (either clinical or non-clinical ) to pursue post-doctoral career development in addiction science in a UK university or UK university affiliated NHS clinical setting and which will, in the opinion of the trustees, further the aims of the Society.

At this stage, the Society plans the appointment of one academic fellowship position per year, with the duration of support being three years.  The appointment will be either an SSA academic fellow (considered as an applicant who will, during the course of the fellowship, become suitable for appointment to lecturer level) or an SSA academic senior fellow (considered as an applicant who will, during the course of the fellowship, become suitable for appointment to senior lecturer level).

Applications will be considered once per year, with the panel making one appointment per year.  Hence, once the scheme is in place, there will a maximum of three academic fellows supported at any time.

All appointed academic fellows will be expected to attend SSA events regularly (e.g. annual meetings) and be available to present poster or oral presentations on progress with their body of study. 

No restrictions are placed on the precise area of addictions study forming the basis for academic fellowship, except that it must address areas which support the aims of the Society.

(B) Processes and procedures

Eligibility of applicants:

• applicants must be current members of the Society.
• applicants must be resident in the UK.
• applicants must work in a UK university, or a  UK university-affiliated NHS clinical setting.
• an applicant wishing to be considered on the clinical academic fellowship track will be expected to secure partial funding support for continued clinical activity and further clinical training, with the level of SSA support reduced to a part-time component, equivalent in value to the non-clinical academic track.
• employees of the alcohol, tobacco and gambling industries are not eligible for the scheme.
• applicants for an academic fellowship must describe in advance the area of academic development and the anticipated academic product and how it will support the aims of the Society as well as meeting university criteria for academic excellence.
• applicants will be expected already to hold a higher degree (e.g. PhD) in an area of study of direct relevance to the addictions field.
• academic fellows are required to report to the executive council on the progress and the outcome of their higher addictions academic work.
• in the event that an academic fellow’s focus of study changes, so that it no longer has a clear addictions basis, funding by the Society will cease.
• the successful candidate must declare the Society’s support clearly, and will be expected to describe themselves as an SSA academic fellow or academic senior fellow.

Procedure for applications:

Applications must be submitted simultaneously by e-mail and hard copy. Applicants must submit a completed application form as well as providing a portfolio of proposed work, which will form the basis of the proposed academic fellowship studies.

Successful applicants are expected to describe their appointments as being SSA academic fellowships, and may refer to themselves as SSA academic fellows.

Process for considering applications:

Applications must be received by 31 March each year, and a panel will be convened from the SSA executive council (who may, at their discretion, invite involvement of other independent appropriate senior addictions academics to assist in part or all of the short-listing, interview and appointment process). Members of the panel who have a pre-existing and current professional relationship with one of the applicants, or whose institution would gain in any way from the acceptance of the candidate’s application will stand down from the assessment and appointment process.

The process will involve the gathering of references and independent academic opinions, and the direct interview of short-listed applicants. The Society aims to provide a decision on applications within four months of the submission deadline.

Applications should be submitted to the SSA executive office. The short-listing and assessment process will be managed by the Society with support where appropriate from independent university personnel, if the Society wishes. If, on preliminary screening, an applicant’s proposal is considered potentially appropriate, it will be sent for independent refereeing and references will be gathered. The final recommendation will rest with the executive council, guided by the advice of the responsible executive council members, the referees’ reports, and the findings at interview.

Limits of duration of funding:

Funding support will be provided for a maximum of three years for full-time higher academic post-doctoral study (or proportionately longer in the case of part-time study, up to a maximum of five years).

Funding provided:

The funding will provide a basic academic salary, in accordance with the criteria and scales of the host university – estimated at approx £30-40,000 plus £10,000 mandatory expenditure of national insurance and superannuation etc at the fellowship level, and £40-50,000 plus £12,000 mandatory expenditure of national insurance and superannuation etc at the senior academic fellowship level (see below for more detailed salary level calculations). 

Funding will be provided directly to the host institution.

Process for handling of applications:

1. A submission deadline will be announced by the Society each year.
2. At the immediately preceding executive council meeting, any changes to the selection criteria or procedures will be considered for approval by the executive council.
3. All applications must be submitted by email by the published date, with a hard copy following within a week by post.
4. A date will be agreed by the sub-group of the executive council for short-listing, interview and decision, and for notification of success/failure to the applicant(s).
5. Applications will be sent to the Society’s executive office where they will be checked to ensure that the necessary required information has been supplied.  Applications will then be sent for short-listing by the identified executive council members who comprise the academic fellowship panel.
6. The executive office will secure references from appropriate independent external referees for each short-listed applicant, and will also secure independent review of the application (preferably with the same reviewer considering each application, if appropriate and possible). 
7. The academic fellowship panel will be appointed by the executive council.  Short-listed applicants will be interviewed, and their recommendation will be based on assessment of (i) the individual applicant, (ii) the qualities of the declared host institution and supervisor, and (iii) the proposed body of addictions academic study, alongside consideration of comments from reviewers and referees.
8. The academic fellowship panel will make its recommendation to the executive council which will have the power to approve or reject the panel’s recommendation. Summary data will be sent of the recommended candidate with full information on what further university appointment process should be followed.  In exceptional circumstances the executive council could seek additional information from the recommended applicant, before accepting the recommendation.

Assessment criteria:

These criteria are based on three areas: the candidate; the proposed host institution; and the proposed body of addictions academic study. The panel will score each application in each of these areas.

Proposed person:
The academic fellowship selection panel and the executive council will consider the potential and the trajectory of the applicant as an SSA academic fellow as a maturing clinical or non-clinical academic researcher and teacher and their future leadership potential.

Proposed institution:
The academic fellowship selection panel and the executive council will consider the overall academic standing of the proposed host institution within the addictions field, and more generally also.

Proposed body of addictions academic study:
The academic fellowship selection panel and the executive council will consider:the quality of the proposed body of addictions academic study;

• the potential of the described body of addictions academic study to meet SSA objectives;
• the potential contribution to wider addictions training;
• the quality and experience of proposed immediate colleagues;
• the applicant’s established addictions expertise.

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