In addition to the QMUL-wide policies in support of equality, flexible working, a generous parental leave package and access to an on-site nursery with discounted rates, the School of Physical and Chemical Sciences have implemented a number of school-specific policies to enhance the working environment and support excellence from all members of the school.
The School supports Flexible Working for all staff and facilitates this by requiring meetings to be held within core hours (10:00 am - 4:00 pm). Professional Services Staff are able to adjust their daily hours by arrangement with their line managers and academic staff organise their own time as appropriate around teaching or administrative commitments.
We are also proud to offer our Parental Leave Plus initiative: supporting all academics taking parental/adoption leave for the first time in their role with up to 15 months of funding for a Research Associate. As well as continuing the day-to-day research, the Research Associate will help with postgraduate supervision, maintain contact with collaborators, keep abreast of developments in the field and assist the academic in returning to work after her leave. All staff returning to work after a prolonged period of absence, and new academics, will be given lighter teaching and administrative loads and other factors are also considered (eg. priorities requests for PhD studentships).
We take a strong interest in the professional development of all staff members. In addition to participation in the QMUL-wide appraisal scheme, all academics are offered one-to-one meetings with the Head of School and the assignment of a mentor in addition to their line manager. Staff are encouraged to continue their professional development throughout their career and the School will provide funding for all reasonable requests for training courses etc. New academics are also required to pass the Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice (PGCAP) and are supported by a lighter teaching load and dedicated probation mentor as they work towards this award offered by the Academic Development team.
The School operates a Workload Allocation Model, which is regularly reviewed to ensure all staff are fairly credited for their teaching and administrative efforts.
Please note that you may need to identify through IDcheck to access some of these policy documents, but there is some information on specific Physics and Astronomy schemes below under 'Diversity good practice'.
In the Code of Practice for Research Students:35. All students should agree their holiday periods with their primary supervisor. For full-time students, the annual holiday entitlement is 30 working days plus the eight UK public holidays and the four Queen Mary closure days. Holiday entitlement is pro-rata for part-time students and for parts of a year. Students working in collaboration with non-academic partners are expected to bear in mind their obligations to those partners in planning leave. Excessive absences must be reported to the Head of School/Institute and the Director of Graduate Studies via normal progress report procedures.
In the Academic Regulations for Research Degree Programmes:2.82. A student may interrupt their registration on the grounds of primary carer leave for up to one year per child. This may cover pregnancy and related illnesses, and/or caring responsibilities. Periods of interruption for primary carer leave shall not count towards the maximum of two years permitted for interruption, but in all other respects, the standard interruption procedures shall apply. Secondary carers wishing to take an extended period of leave shall do so under the standard interruption procedures.