Job Description:
We have an excellent opportunity for an Associate Lecturer to teach Earth as a Planet this Autumn term 2026. Birkbeck, University of London, is looking to recruit an Associate Lecturer on a part-time, fixed term basis. Joining the School of Natural Sciences, you would teach on the following module: Earth as a Planet (Level 4). Teaching 66 hours in total. Monday & Tuesday 6-9pm, 5 October to 15 December 2026. You will have knowledge of Geology and Planetary Geology and be qualified to the corresponding level of the award as required to teach (or demonstrate equivalent professional/industry level experience). You will teach first year students from BSc Geology, BSc Planetary Science with Astronomy, BSc Natural Sciences, and BSc Environmental Geoscience, and also our Certificate of Higher Education in Geology. The students will be a combination of UCAS students and part-time mature students from the UK and overseas. The teaching is both face-to-face in our classrooms in central London, and online via live video conferencing that is simultaneous with face-to-face teaching. The videos are archived and can be accessed by students at a later date. The module covers the whole breadth of the topics of geology and planetary geology. You will teach the following topics: Dynamic Earth, including how plate tectonics govern the locations and interactions between igneous, metamorphic, sedimentary, structural, geophysical and environmental processes, and how this contrasts with the situations on our Moon, Mars and Venus. The internal structure of the Earth, Moon, Mars and Venus as revealed by geophysics. Geological time, absolute dating and relative dating, including an introduction to palaeontology. Rock-forming minerals and how to recognise these in hand-specimen and with particular emphasis on using a petrological microscope. Igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary processes, classification, and recognition of related rock-types, minerals, rock textures, bedforms and fossils. Structural geology and plate tectonics. Geological map skills and cross-section construction using published geological maps and using Google Earth. The module contains significant practical work, involving geological mapping on paper and in Google Earth, plus examination of rock, mineral and fossil hand specimens and thin-sections. These specimens are presented in the form of videos and photos, backed up with actual specimens in our classroom for those who can attend. The module is examined through a single two-hour examination at the beginning of Spring term, with essay-style answers and practical tests on paper. You will benefit from teaching across the whole breadth of geology, including how we can use observations made from terrestrial examples to help us interpret features on other rocky planets and moons. If you have knowledge in this area, and want to contribute to an impactful educational experience - apply with us at Birkbeck today.
