Group Leaders (x3) - The Science of Cities and Regions

Alan Turing Institute London United Kingdom Research Programmes
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Company Description

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.

Please find more information about us here

Position

The Cities and Regions Programme seeks to advance its four core missions (mobility, land use, liveability, and digital twins) which are of fundamental importance to the Grand Challenges of the Institute, develop a technology platform that enables the delivery of the missions, and build social infrastructure around the Science of Cities and Regions. These goals are only possible by building further capacity at the Turing; increasing its relevance to stakeholders and university partners; consolidating its connectivity to other Turing programmes and activities; and producing world-leading applied research and innovation.

The Alan Turing Institute will coordinate the work to consolidate and grow a national community of academia, government, and industry partners and stakeholders in the Science of Cities and Regions. Each of our missions will also engage and promote a suitable international agenda, and will contribute actively to the development and deployment of capability in the Turing’s Cities and Regions Technology Platform. The community and research team comprises domain specialists, data scientists, and practitioners who are working together to co-produce globally outstanding research and transformational innovations in the applications of data science and AI to real world problems of cities and regions.

This next phase of development in the Science of Cities and Regions aligns with the Institute’s broader development of its priorities through the strategy for Turing 2.0, including delivering research aligned to national priorities, growing the community and taking national leadership to improve skills and understanding of AI.

ROLE PURPOSE

We are recruiting three Group Leaders -

· Group Leader, Liveability – to help us to continue to refine the vision for the Liveability Mission within the Science of Cities and Region programme.

· Group Leader, Mobility - to help us to continue to refine the vision for the Mobility Mission within the Science of Cities and Region programme.

· Group Leader, Digital Twins - to help us to continue to refine the vision for the Digital Twins Mission within the Science of Cities and Region programme.

The resources available to the successful candidate will include:

· Research capacity – starting with a compact base of two PDRAs in the project’s mission, we are looking for someone with the ability to grow this to a team of 8-10 in the next phase of our development

· Partners – you will work with a network of university partners and research organisations, as well as stakeholders in business, government and the third sector, to articulate and secure funding for new projects which bolster growth in line with the strategic ambitions of the Institute and the Cities and Regions programme

· Technology – you will draw from established resources, including software engineering, and oversee contributions to growth and development of the Cities and Regions Technology Platform including e.g. code, data products, model designs, tools, and algorithms for AI and geographic data science.

· Social infrastructure – you will work closely with a large number of national and globally outstanding research teams with which whom excellent relationships already exist. You will work with other members of the Programme Leadership team to maintain and further enhance these relationships, and work to create and exploit new opportunities with specific relevance to the project’s vision.

· Management capability – you will benefit from the expertise and encouragement of an experienced programme director – to whom you will report – and working alongside other research leaders and a well-resourced support team who will assist in the administration of budgets, dissemination, impact realisation, human resource management, project planning, partnership development and all fundamentals in the creation and smooth operation of an outstanding research group relating to the project’s vision.


DUTIES AND AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

The Group Leader will work closely with other leaders at the Turing and external partners to:

· Develop and oversee the delivery of an ambitious programme of research and innovation. You will take a high level of personal responsibility for articulation of the priorities and strategic direction of this work, in alignment with the broader ambitions and constraints of ATI strategy and with due regard to evolving national trends and to the views of the programme stakeholders

· Identify, initiate and nurture partnerships with relevant institutes, government departments, industry, and researchers across the UK and internationally

· Develop, deliver, and coordinate the strategic ambitions of the mission with the wider Cities and Regions programme and institutional goals, ensuring strategic links between other research groups and partner organisations

· Build capabilities in the relevant areas and contribute to the development of the Turing Cities and Regions programme.

· Leverage resources and secure further funding for collaborative research in the Science of Cities and Regions from appropriate sponsors (e.g., research councils, government, industry, EU, charities, etc.)

Requirements

· A PhD or equivalent research experience in a discipline relevant to the Science of Cities and Regions.

· A proven and substantial record of research income generation.

· An excellent record of high quality internationally significant publications.

· Record of excellence and significant research experience involving mobility, data science, AI, and applications to urban sustainability, prosperity, inequalities and/ or lifestyles and public health in cities and regions

· Experience in managing and leading multi-disciplinary teams.

· Leadership and strategic vision skills, especially as required in a complex, research-intensive collaboration with academic and external stakeholders.

· Ability to build and develop effective working relationships with external partner organisations (academia, commercial, public and third sectors), and working with a diverse set of stakeholders.

· Ability to identify opportunities for research collaborations beyond the applicant’s own academic specialism.

Please see the job description for a full breakdown of each Group Leaders specific duties and requirements.

Other information

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

If you are interested in these opportunities, 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. If you have questions about the role or would like to apply using a different format, please contact us on 020 3970 2148 or 0203 862 3340, or email [email protected].

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.

CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS: 16 April 2023, at 23:59

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if enough applications are received.


TERMS AND CONDITIONS

These part-time (0.8 FTE) posts are offered on a fixed term basis until March 2025. The roles sit within band 7 in the Turing's salary structure (£80,000 - £95,000) plus excellent benefits, including flexible working and family friendly policies, https://www.turing.ac.uk/work-turing/why-work-turing/employee-benefits.

Individuals who are earning a salary higher than band 7 will be compensated through the secondment at their current rate.


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 building a diverse community and would like our leadership team to reflect this. We therefore welcome applications from the broadest spectrum of backgrounds.

Reasonable adjustments to the interview process will be made for any candidates with a disability. 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]