Vacancies

School of Mathematical and Computer Sciences

Department of Actuarial Mathematics and Statistics

Permanent appointments at the level of

Reader, Senior Lecturer, or Lecturer

As a result of sustained expansion over a number of years, the Department of Actuarial Mathematics and Statistics has 3 new permanent academic positions open from September 2004. Research and teaching in the Department covers Actuarial Mathematics, Financial Mathematics, Probability Theory and Statistics. Applications are welcome from anyone with research interests in one or more of these areas. The Department has an outstanding international research reputation and was awarded Grade 5 in RAE2001. It is also one of the world's leading centres of actuarial education. This is an exciting opportunity to join a vibrant and successful academic group. Ideally, you:

have a strong track record in research in one of the above fields,
have the technical skills necessary to make a significant contribution to the research and the reputation of the Department, and,
possess the communication skills to teach at a range of levels.

It is anticipated that the person appointed should start on 1 September, 2004 or by negotiation.

Return to list of vacancies.

The Actuarial Mathematics and Statistics group

The Actuarial Mathematics and Statistics group forms part of the School of Mathematical and Computer Sciences at Heriot-Watt University. The group is internationally renowned both for its research in all of Actuarial and Financial Mathematics, Probability Theory and Statistics. Current teaching includes undergraduate and postgraduate courses in actuarial mathematics and statistics and occasional courses for continuing professional development. Both our MSc and BSc courses are highly successful and attract large numbers of students from around the world as well as from the UK. These long-established courses have been complemented more recently by the highly-successful MSc (the first of its type in the UK) and BSc courses in financial mathematics.

Staff are encouraged to develop or maintain contacts leading researchers around the world and with professional, industrial, commercial and research organisations.

Research

The outstanding international reputation of the department was acknowledged in December 2001 with the award of a grade 5 (within the subject area of Statistics and OR) in the UK Research Assessment Exercise (RAE).
This award identified the group as the leading centre of research in actuarial mathematics in the UK.

Current research interests include:

Actuarial Mathematics Group and Financial Mathematics Group:
- incomplete markets;
- optimal utility and dynamic hedging;
- derivative pricing;
- models for the term structure of interest rates;
- exotic options;
- Levy processes in financial mathematics;
- the application of control theory in insurance;
- stochastic investment models;
- the impact of genetic testing on insurance;
- risk theory;
- permanent health insurance;
- mortality studies;
- stochastic models in life insurance and pensions.
Probability and Statistics:
- Epidemic modelling;
- stochastic population modelling;
- stochastic networks, with applications to communications networks;
- probability and algorithms;
- stochastic partial differential equations;
- applied statistics, with applications to engineering and biology;
- environmental statistics;
- design of experiments.

The Department is able to provide generous support for participation in international conferences and workshops.

Further details can also be found in the Department's Annual Report for 2001-02.

Teaching

Current teaching in the Department includes:

undergraduate courses for the Honours degrees in Actuarial Mathematics & Statistics, Financial Mathematics, and Statistics;
postgraduate courses for the MSc in Actuarial Science;
postgraduate courses for the MSc in Financial Mathematics;
part-time courses for actuarial trainees from local companies.

Job Qualifications

Applicants should

have an established research record in one or more of the Department's areas of research;
have the technical skills necessary to make a significant contribution to the research and the international reputation of the Department, and,
possess the communication skills to teach at a range of levels.

The persons appointed will be expected to contribute to the Department's teaching activities on the BSc and MSc degrees, including project supervision, and to carry out high-quality research (or develop their research) in a field which reinforces or complements our research activities.

Persons wishing to discuss these opportunities informally and in confidence may contact either
Angus Macdonald, (+44 (0)131 451 3209) (e-mail A.S. Macdonald@ma.hw.ac.uk),
Andrew Cairns, (+44 (0)131 451 3245) (e-mail A. Cairns@ma.hw.ac.uk),
Serguei Foss (+44 (0)131 451 3238) (e-mail S. Foss@ma.hw.ac.uk),
or
Gavin Gibson (+44 (0)131 451 3205) (e-mail G.J. Gibson@ma.hw.ac.uk).

Application forms and further information may be obtained from: The Personnel Office, Heriot-Watt University, Riccarton, Edinburgh, EH14 4AS, UK, or phone +44 (0)131 451 3475 (24 hours). Please quote job reference 34/04/WWW.

The closing date for applications is 7 May, 2004.

Interviews will be probably held in June.

Return to the Department's home page
Department's Annual Report for 2001-02.
Staff
Department of Mathematics
International Centre for the Mathematical Sciences (ICMS)
Heriot-Watt University home page
The department's guide for undergraduate students 2003/2004.
MSc in Actuarial Science course brochure.
MSc in Financial Mathematics course brochure.

Page maintained by:

Andrew Cairns / Department of Actuarial Mathematics and Statistics/ Heriot-Watt University / Edinburgh, EH14 4AS