If you have some technical skills, are comfortable speaking in front of large crowds and can travel for a total of approximately 3 months out of a 12 month period, then you might want to take a look at Stephen Hawking’s job posting for an assistant. (I first came across the posting on the BBC News website.) The finalized job description hasn’t yet been posted but there is a preliminary one. From the Stephen Hawking website,
The above post is expected to become available shortly, with a starting date around 20th-27th February 2012. The salary is expected to be in the region of £25k; the exact value will be confirmed in the near future.
Disclaimer: This is not an official job applications page, however similar it may look! The official applications process will be started when the post has been properly advertised, probably in mid-January. We will not be able to offer the post to anyone on the strength of this unofficial submission alone; we can only direct people to apply through the official channel. However, if you fit our requirements, we would like to hear from you.
The post is more accurately described by the title “Technical Assistant to Stephen Hawking.” It is not a PhD or Post-Doc position for academics looking to study physics, but a purely technical post to allow Prof. Hawking to function within the physics community and as a public speaker.
The original purpose of this position was “to aid Professor Hawking in those areas which he has difficulty due to his disability.” The job has since expanded and now includes:
- Managing national and international travel for Prof. Hawking and his care team. Expect to spend around 3 months per year abroad!
- Development and maintenance of Professor Hawking’s communication and speech systems
- Procurement and maintenance of his wheelchairs and accessible van
- Preparation of lecture graphics and public speaking
- Dealing with the media and press
- Answering inquiries from the public and maintaining the website
The post requires a wide range of skills, most importantly:
- Ability to work under pressure
- Maintenance of “black box” systems with no instruction manual or technical support
- Computer literacy
- Electronics knowledge
- Ability to speak to a large audience
- Ability to show others how to use complex systems
The role of ‘Graduate Assistant to Professor Hawking’ is funded as a research post at the University of Cambridge. Normally it has been under a 12 month contract, although recent graduate assistants have stayed on for several years.
If you find the possibility intriguing, there is a page where you can make an unofficial submision,
Disclaimer: This is not an official job applications page, however similar it may look! The official applications process will be started when the post has been properly advertised, probably in mid-January. We will not be able to offer the post to anyone on the strength of this unofficial submission alone; we can only direct people to apply through the official channel. However, in the event that the official channels are overwhelmed with thousands of irrelevant applications, we hope this tool will bring the names of some more suitable candidates to our attention.
Good luck!