Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Computer Science
Department of Computer Science
Grade 7: - £34,304 - £40,927 per annum
Fixed Term - Full Time
Contract Duration: 33 Months
Contracted Hours per Week: 35
Closing Date: 16-Jun-2022, 6:59:00 AM
Durham University
Durham University is one of the world's top universities with strengths across the Arts and Humanities, Sciences and Social Sciences. We are home to some of the most talented scholars and researchers from around the world who are tackling global issues and making a difference to people's lives.
The University sits in a beautiful historic city where it shares ownership of a UNESCO World Heritage Site with Durham Cathedral, the greatest Romanesque building in Western Europe. A collegiate University, Durham recruits outstanding students from across the world and offers an unmatched wider student experience.
Less than 3 hours north of London, and an hour and a half south of Edinburgh, County Durham is a region steeped in history and natural beauty. The Durham Dales, including the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, are home to breathtaking scenery and attractions. Durham offers an excellent choice of city, suburban and rural residential locations. The University provides a range of benefits including pension and childcare benefits and the University’s Relocation Manager can assist with potential schooling requirements.
Durham University seeks to promote and maintain an inclusive and supportive environment for work and study that assists all members of our University community to reach their full potential. Diversity brings strength and we welcome applications from across the international, national and regional communities that we work with and serve.
The Department
The Department of Computer Science is rapidly expanding – it tripled in size over the last 4 years and now has around 50 academic faculty. A new building, joint with Mathematical Sciences, to house the expanded Department has recently been inaugurated, and it hosts all our academics, our students, and experimental kit. The current Department has research strengths in algorithms and complexity, in artificial intelligence and human systems, networks, scientific computing, and computer vision, visualisation, and imaging. The Department of Physics is the home department of the Institute of Computational Cosmology which is one of the international flagship research places for computational astrophysics and plays a pivotal role to obtain new scientific insight through (super-)computing. Hosted in an award-winning building, its researchers have access to the Tier-2 supercomputer COSMA as well as multiple experimental hardware cluster.
For more information, please visit our Department pages at https://www.durham.ac.uk/departments/academic/computer-science/
Durham University and Newcastle University seek to appoint a total of 9 postdoctoral researchers for the EPSRC funded project ‘AGENCY: Assuring Citizen Agency in a World with Complex Online Harms’. We invite applications of candidates from a variety of disciplines to become part of an exciting, multidisciplinary research project incorporating scholars from Computing (including AI, HCI, and Cyber Security), Sociology, Ethics, Business, and Law. The team’s research aims to protect citizens and society from online harms such as hate speech, misinformation, issues around self-image, and domestic violence during a pandemic. Specifically, AGENCY researches how to provide end-users with control (‘agency’) over their online experiences. The team will design new citizen-centred technologies, influence policy and contribute to new ethical frameworks.
See http://agencyresearch.net for more information on all available posts.
The Role
Applications are invited for a Postdoctoral Research Associate. The ideal candidate for this role is a capable and independent researcher who has expert working knowledge in the field of Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Machine Learning (ML), with experience using collaborative (co-)design research methods and working with research stakeholders and intended end-users of technology design. You will also hold computer-related expertise, and have demonstrable skill in implementing, deploying, and evaluating ML models for NLP tasks. You will have a clear interest in conducting research to support the fight against harmful online content, including misinformation and cyberbullying. A completed (or nearly completed) PhD in NLP, ML, or a related subject is considered essential, and must be demonstrated in the application.
You will be based in the Artificial Intelligence and Human Systems Group (AIHS – pronounced “ace”, https://aihs.webspace.durham.ac.uk/) of the Department of Computer Science at Durham University, resident at the brand-new state-of-the-art Mathematical Sciences and Computer Sciences building, under the supervision of Dr Stamos Katsigiannis.
As member of the AGENCY project team, you will work in an inclusive, interdisciplinary team. You will be provided with individual career support and be part of a national network of related research projects (see http://agencyresearch.net). The research will be guided by case studies, including personal health devices, digital identity management, smart homes, and online disinformation. You will help shape the specific research associated with the case studies in collaboration with a variety of external partners.
Core responsibilities
The post is fixed term for 33 months, as part of the EPSRC funded project AGENCY, which is time limited and will end on 31 March 2025.
The post-holder is employed to work on research/a research project which will be led by another colleague. Whilst this means that the post-holder will not be carrying out independent research in his/her own right, the expectation is that they will contribute to the advancement of the project, through the development of their own research ideas/adaptation and development of research protocols
Successful applicants will, ideally, be in post by 1 July 2022.
Recruiting to this post
In order to be considered for interview, candidates must evidence each of the essential criteria required for the role in the person specification above (including those listed in the section ‘Realising Your Potential Approach’).In some cases, the recruiting panel may also consider the desirable criteria, so we recommend you evidence all criteria in your application. Please note that some criteria will only be considered at interview stage.
How to apply
We prefer to receive applications online.
Please note that in submitting your application Durham University will be processing your data. We would ask you to consider the relevant University Privacy Statement https://www.dur.ac.uk/ig/dp/privacy/pnjobapplicants/ which provides information on the collation, storing and use of data.
What you are required to submit
Please ensure that you submit all documentation listed above or your application cannot proceed to the next stage.
Contact details
For further information please contact Dr Stamos Katsigiannis at stamos.katsigiannis@durham.ac.uk
At Durham University, our aim is to create an open and inclusive environment where everyone can reach their full potential and believe our staff should reflect the diversity of the global community in which we work.We welcome and encourage applications from members of groups who are under-represented in our work force including people with disabilities, women and black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.
We will notify you on the status of your application at various points throughout the selection process, via automated emails from our e-recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to ensure you receive all emails.
The Requirements
Essential:
Desirable:
DBS Requirement: Not Applicable.
