We are currently recruiting two undergraduate students for the role of ICUR Student Director to support the organisation and delivery of the award winning* International Conference of Undergraduate Research (ICUR) which will take place on 25 & 26 September 2018 here at Warwick.

ICUR is an exclusively undergraduate forum designed to showcase the very best in undergraduate research. It allows participants to present their work to an international and interdisciplinary audience and the 2018 event will join together students from as many as ten institutions and campuses, across five continents through the use of cutting-edge video conferencing technology.

In this varied role, you will be required to work on a range of activities to assist in the planning and delivery of the event and related activities throughout the year. You will work as part of an international team and gain a wide range of transferable skills from event organization and communication, to abstract shortlisting and public speaking/presenting.

Further information can be found in the job description below.

Applicants must be available to attend the 2018 Conference and work additional hours as required between January and October 2018. This is a paid role of £11.06 per hour and we anticipate that this role will involve up to 80 hours work in total.

Job Purpose

Successful candidates will work as part of an international team of staff and students to help develop aspects of the conference.

There are five key areas of work in this role, as follows:

1) To work as part of an international team of Student Directors based at the University of Warwick and Monash University (Australia) to design and create bi-monthly issues of ‘Impact’ ICURs student-led newsletter.
2) To work as part of an international team of Student Directors based at the University of Warwick, Monash University (Australia) to work collaboratively to develop ways of publicising and marketing student opportunities and update social media accounts as required.
3) To work alongside the staff organising team at the University of Warwick to review ICUR 2018 abstract submissions, facilitate training sessions and support students working on internationally linked projects as part of the Compass Programme (see details below).
4) To work alongside the staff organizing team at the University of Warwick to recruit, communicate and manage a large group of ICUR Volunteers leading up to and during the event.
5) Student Directors may host and chair internationally linked sessions at ICUR 2018 from Warwick. Successful candidates will have the opportunity to introduce and manage sessions throughout the two day event; providing the event introduction, introducing staff and student speakers and leading the prize giving session and closing remarks.

Duties and Responsibilities

Duties for these roles are varied and can, to some extent, be developed to suit the skills and expertise of successful candidates. Duties anticipated include but are not limited to the following:

1) Organise and attend regular meetings (held via skype or video conferencing) with other Student Directors based at Monash University (Australia);
2) Work as part of an international student team to publicise and promote the work of ICUR. This will include regularly updating and creating content for ICUR’s Social Media accounts;
3) Work as part of an international student team to design and create ICURs bi-monthly student newsletter ‘Impact’;
4) Work closely with event organisers at the University of Warwick to review abstract submissions for ICUR 2018;
5) Help to support ICUR’s international Compass programmes (see details below);
6) Attend, support and help to promote student and volunteer training activities in the run up to ICUR 2018;
7) Host and chair internationally linked sessions throughout ICUR 2018;
8) Attend campus events to help promote the work of ICUR, Reinvention and IATL (see details below);

Person Specification

REQUIREMENTS The post holders must be able to demonstrate:	ESSENTIAL (E) or DESIRABLE (D) REQUIREMENTS	MEASURED BY: a) Application b)Test/Exercise c) Interview d) Presentation
Academic results to date at a minimum 2:1 level (if applicable)	D	a
Interest in undergraduate research	E	a, c
Effective communication (oral and written) skills	E	a, c
Ability to work independently and as part of a team	E	a, c
Ability to speak confidently to an audience	E	c
Ability to work well under pressure	E	a, c
A proactive and organised approach to work	E	a, c
Marketing and social media skills	D	a, c

Further Particulars

International Conference of Undergraduate Research (ICUR)

Led and sponsored by the University of Warwick and Monash University, the International Conference of Undergraduate Research (ICUR) is an annual, two-day academic conference. Using video-conferencing technology, ICUR provides undergraduate researchers with a unique opportunity to present and discuss their own research to an interdisciplinary and international audience, without having to leave their home university.
ICUR challenges undergraduate students to rethink their work in an international context. As a forum, it requires presenters to consider the perspective of students from different backgrounds, and to anticipate what may be shared across cultures and local contexts. This challenge translates to research questions as well, encouraging students to examine global and regional trends in their research field, and how these might conflict with local concerns and specificities.

The conference was recently recognised by the Institute of International Education (IIE) as being an example of best practice in international education and was awarded an Honourable Mention, in the International Partnerships category of the Andrew Heiskell Awards. Further information can be found here: http://www.iie.org/Who-We-Are/News-and-Events/Press-Center/Press-Releases/2017/2017-01-23-IIE-Announces-Winners-of-2017-Heiskell-Awards

Further information about ICUR can be found at www.icurportal.com

Compass Programme

Compass introduces a new form of learning, with international peer-to-peer support providing the opportunity for students to develop intercultural competence through practice rather than theory. Students involved will work together in interdisciplinary groups to help develop their research and presentation skills, forming international research support groups.

Further information can be found at www.icurportal.com

Reinvention: An International Journal of Undergraduate Research

Reinvention is an international, interdisciplinary, undergraduate research journal, which was first published in 2007. The publication has an archive of over one hundred academic papers and ten years’ experience of publishing student research.

Further information can be found at www.warwick.ac.uk/reinventionjournal

The Institution for Advanced Teaching & Learning (IATL)

IATL was established in 2010 to support the University’s clear commitment to teaching and the development of innovative programmes and modes of delivery which have a real impact on student experience. IATL offers funding for students wishing to undertake research, collaborative or performative projects and is home to Reinvention: An International Journal of Undergraduate Research and the International Conference of Undergraduate Research (ICUR) at the University of Warwick.

For further information about IATL, please see our website at www.warwick.ac.uk/iatl

Application and other Information

The deadline for applications is 12noon on Monday 20 November 2017.

Interviews will be held on Thursday 30 November 2017 and cannot be rearranged.