Named in honour of Alan Turing, the Institute is a place for inspiring, exciting work and we need passionate, sharp, and innovative people who want to use their skills to contribute to our mission to make great leaps in data science and AI research to change the world for the better.

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Data Study Groups (DSG) are the Turing’s version of a hackathon, yet much more collaborative in nature. DSG events are held a number of times over a year. They provide an engagement tool for postgraduate students and above (participants), as well as industry, government and third sector (Challenge Owners, CO) to engage with the Turing Institute. For participants it is a training activity, primarily peer to peer learning, where they get to work on real-life data science problems. For COs, it is an entry level engagement tool to working with the Turing, with our objective to develop the outputs of the DSG into further and bigger research projects.

DSGs require both logistical planning and data science expertise to help prepare challenges for the events, which is provided by a multidisciplined team coordinated by the Institute.

ROLE PURPOSE

The DSG Principal Investigator (DSG PI) will be required to take academic ownership of a singular DSG challenge. This is an opportunity for early career researchers to gain valuable real-world experience working collaboratively with industry, government or third sector. Support and training will be offered in and around ethics, communicating with industry and project design.

DSG Challenge:

We looking to recruit for the next DSG event to be held in September 2024 for the following DSG Challenge from Transport for London:

We have an exciting dataset of 2D images extracted from a point cloud of over ~750km of railway tracks. Can we identify objects in the images? Key skills needed will be image detection, and large-scale image analysis, with a desirable knowledge in handling point cloud data.

DUTIES AND AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

Scoping: The DSG PI leads on the academic design of a challenge, working closely with the Challenge Owner (CO). The DSG PI is the academic lead, whilst the CO is the problem and context giver. The DSG PI will scope the problem, taking it from an industrial/commercial problem and turning it into a multi-directional academic challenge that can be presented to participants for the DSG and tackled in four days (nine days if event is online). This includes ensuring the problem is novel, the data is enough to support a solution, and that potential solutions are not too complex to implement.

Supporting: During the event itself, the DSG PI should provide academic input and suggestions to the group about the challenge. They should not direct but support the group in what they are investigating. The DSG PI will be supported by a facilitator (taken from the group cohort) who will manage the day-to-day group coordination during the DSG event. The DSG PI will also need to review the contents of the report, ensuring that the narrative is coherent and well-organised, relevant to the DSG question, and scientifically rigorous (e.g., with assumptions and shortcomings clearly stated, and achievements not over-stated).

Reporting: The project will conclude with a published report (on the Turing website); co-authored by the DSG group and finalised by the DSG PI. As part of this, the DSG PI will further evaluate the results and expand on potential follow-on engagement opportunities to continue the work started during the DSG.

DSG PIs will also need to keep a work diary of what they are doing and for how long and log in the HR Portal. This will be for monitoring and payment.

For more detailed overview of the role, the prospective candidate should review the DSG PI supplementary doc

• A PhD (or equivalent experience and/or qualifications) in a relevant area, including Statistics, Mathematics, Engineering, Computer Science, or related discipline.
• Demonstrated familiarity in a wide range of data science and AI techniques.
• Fluency in one or more modern programming languages used in research in data science and AI (e.g. Python).
• Experience coordinating and editing a multi-author academic paper or report.
• Proven experience in data science techniques and real-world datasets particularly relevant to the challenge at hand
• Experience with messy real-world data
• Excellent communication, negotiation and influencing skills at all levels.

Please see our portal for a full breakdown of the Job Description.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

If you are interested in this opportunity, please click the apply button below. You will need to register on the applicant portal and complete the application form including your CV and covering letter.

The cover letter (up to 2 pages) should specify which challenge(s) you’re applying for, demonstrate your ability to suggest multiple potential methodological approaches to the challenge(s), as well as demonstrate:

· Experience in applied data science.

· Willingness to take part in multi-disciplinary collaborative work.

· Enthusiasm for working with industry, government and third sector to take their business problems and convert into data science research projects.

If you are applying for more than one role at the Turing, please note that only one Cover Letter can be visible on your profile at one time. If you wish to apply for multiple roles and do not want to overwrite your existing Cover Letter, please apply for the role using the button below and forward your additional cover letter directly to [email protected] quoting the job title.

If you are an internal applicant and wish to apply, please send your CV and Cover Letter directly to [email protected] and your application will be considered.

If you have questions about the role or would like to apply using a different format, please contact us on 020 3862 3536 or email [email protected].

CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS: Wednesday 12 June 2024 at 23:59 (London, UK BST)

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early or to interview suitable candidates before the closing date if enough applications are received.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

This post is offered on a casual hours contract basis until 15 January 2025 at an hourly rate of £29.48. The time commitment is an average of 135 hours (however, this could increase or decrease dependant on the challenge), typically spread over 25 days in a 4 – 6 months period, but not evenly distributed. This post requires a start in June if possible. Please consult the DSG PI supplementary doc for a detailed breakdown.

This contract is subject to there being no restriction by the Home Office or by the UK Border Entry to your entry and/or continued stay in the UK.

The Data Study Group will run from 2 - 13 September 2024, and successful candidates would be expected to be available for the entirety of this period.

The time commitment can be roughly broken down as follows:

· Pre-event stage: c.70 hours spread over 10/11 working days to prepare for the event.

· Event stage: 3-4 hours per day, total of 20 hours for the week – to take place outside of normal working hours – e.g., 5-9pm Monday-Friday.

· Post-event stage: c.10 hours spread over 8 weeks to complete and finalise the report.

The Alan Turing Institute is based at the British Library, in the heart of London’s Knowledge Quarter.

EQUALITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

The Alan Turing Institute is committed to creating an environment where diversity is valued and everyone is treated fairly. In accordance with the Equality Act, we welcome applications from anyone who meets the specific criteria of the post regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy and maternity, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.

We are committed to making sure our recruitment process is accessible and inclusive. This includes making reasonable adjustments for candidates who have a disability or long-term condition. Please contact us at [email protected] to find out how we can assist you.

Please note all offers of employment are subject to obtaining and retaining the right to work in the UK and satisfactory pre-employment security screening which includes a DBS Check.

Full details on the pre-employment screening process can be requested from [email protected]