Academic Consultant | Medical & Biological Sciences; Project Based

Oxbridge Summer Scholars (OSS) runs two-week residential summer and winter programmes in Oxford and Cambridge colleges for students aged 14 to 18. Students explore their chosen stream, build university-study skills and experience Oxbridge life through rigorous lectures, seminars and tutorials. Each student writes an essay and receives detailed individual feedback from a subject specialist; the strongest essays earn Excellence Awards.

We are seeking a Medical & Biological Sciences Academic Consultant to join our team. This is a subject-matter specialist who provides expert academic input into the OSS Science, Innovation & Technology Stream. This stream focuses specifically on Biology, Chemistry, Medicine and Psychology.

Working alongside the Academic Curriculum Manager and Head of Programme, the Consultant supports the development, review and continuous improvement of Stream content. The Consultant does not own curriculum development; their role is to provide specialist expertise, quality assurance and assessment support to ensure that the programme reflects appropriate academic standards, current developments in the field and expectations relevant to pre-university study.

A key responsibility is to assess student essays and provide detailed, individualised academic feedback, contributing to both the educational value of the programme and the quality of the student experience.

Location:

Fully remote. No travel to Oxford or Cambridge is required.

• Outside programme dates:
  Up to 10 hours per week, on an on-demand basis, depending on programme development requirements.
• During programme dates and the following week:
  Up to 30 hours in total, primarily dedicated to student essay assessment and feedback. Essay submission deadlines and expected workload will be communicated in advance.

OSS Programme Dates for 2026/27

• December 6-19, 2026
• July 4-17, 2027
• July 18-31, 2027
• August 1-14, 2027

• Provide expert advice to the Academic Curriculum Manager and Head of Programme on the academic content of the Medical & Biological Sciences Stream.
• Advise on appropriate topics, concepts, research, case studies and current developments across areas such as medicine, biology, chemistry, psychology and related disciplines.
• Recommend subject-specific approaches and academic skills that would be valuable for students preparing for university-level study.
• Review proposed content and suggest improvements where specialist expertise would strengthen the programme.

• Review selected lectures, seminars, tutorials, learning materials and other academic content from a subject-specialist perspective.
• Check content for academic accuracy, relevance, appropriate depth and level.
• Identify gaps, inaccuracies or areas requiring clarification or further development.
• Support the Academic Curriculum Manager and Head of Programme in maintaining a high and consistent academic standard across the Stream.

• Provide subject-specific input into the development of essay questions and prompts.
• Advise on the academic skills and competencies students should demonstrate, including scientific reasoning, critical analysis, interpretation of evidence and application of subject knowledge.
• Contribute to Stream-specific assessment criteria and feedback guidelines.
• Help establish a clear standard for strong pre-university academic work within the Stream.

• Assess student essays according to the agreed Stream-specific criteria.
• Within 24 hours of the essay submission deadline (2pm on Wednesday of the second week for each programme), review all essays and nominate those that…