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.

The Institute has cross-disciplinarity at its core; we bring researchers in mathematics and theoretical computer science, statistics and machine learning, algorithms for data analytics and distributed computing, computational social science and data ethics, software engineers and industry partners, to work together in an open and collaborative environment with a shared goal to generate world-class research in data science and artificial intelligence.

The Institute is motivated by driving impact, both through theoretical development and application to real-world problems. We have identified a growing number of priority domains to focus our translational research which include: data-centric engineering; defence and security; urban analytics; computing technology; financial services; and health, with artificial intelligence informing work across the Institute. We have attracted strategic partnerships with a broad range of data science and AI users including Lloyd’s Register Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Accenture, the UK Government Defence and Security, the Office of National Statistics, The National Air Traffic Service and Roche. We have also announced a number of project collaborations with businesses, government departments and charities.

We invite you to join us as we grow our capability, supporting our goal to develop the next generation of data science and artificial intelligence, shape the public conversation, and push the boundaries of this new science for the public good.

DATA-CENTRIC ENGINEERING (DCE) – THE NEXT CHAPTER

The Alan Turing Institute and Lloyd’s Register Foundation formed a long-term strategic partnership in 2015 to establish DCE as a new academic discipline, to build capacity within it and to deliver impact. This first phase has been achieved. The Turing is now positioning itself for ‘DCE 2.0’: the second phase of this ambitious programme builds on the foundational research undertaken to date and moves towards a more mission-led research focus that reflects current global priorities for the future of engineering.

The programme will establish new research pillars which will aim to have transformational outputs, accelerating impact and exploring possibilities in innovation, translation and commercialisation. This sits within the Turing’s developing Science and Innovation (S&I) Strategy, which sees a greater emphasis on the effective combination of both innovation and research. The Turing S&I Strategy will see the creation of Grand Challenges and targeted missions that will galvanise the community to achieve impact towards collective goals. The research undertaken, and partnerships established so far, have laid the path for the programme to move towards engaging with a broader range of partners and sponsors. The Institute will be working to identify new partners with strategically aligned goals to collaborate on foundational research, research translation, impact, capability building and innovation.

The programme will also be working with learned societies and professional institutions to mainstream data-centric approaches within engineering practice and education and to ensure that engineers are equipped with the right skills, tools, training and support to achieve this. There will also be an increased focus on standards and regulation, particularly to ensure that data science and AI approaches can be deployed to improve engineering safety across domains.

Cultivating the international relationships established to date, the programme will continue to push forward the global adoption of DCE. As well as expanding and consolidating existing international collaborations, new strategic partnerships and projects will be sought and established globally. The programme is particularly interested in expanding its work with lower-income countries. This will widen the reach and impact of DCE and ensure it is central to driving safer and smarter solutions for global challenges.

To find out more about the DCE programme click here.

Reporting to the Institute’s Chief Scientist, the Programme Director (DCE) will be responsible for driving the delivery of impact (scientific, operational, economic and societal) from the vibrant Turing DCE research portfolio.

DUTIES AND AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

The main duties of the role are to:

• Lead the delivery of the next phase of the Institute’s DCE Programme, across major priorities including: 1) Translation and pull-through to adoption; 2) Standards & regulation; 3) Skills, training, knowledge exchange and; 4) community building.
• Drive the development of new and exciting DCE-inspired research missions, aligned with Turing Grand Challenges, as these get developed, in collaboration with the Turing’s Chief Scientist and other senior Turing scientific staff and researchers including, for example, with the leadership team of the recently announced Turing Research and Innovation Centre for Digital Twins.
• Head up a small team of DCE Theme Leads, to be recruited via open advert, and collaborate with existing DCE group and/or project leaders, so as to maximise impact delivery across domains such as, but not limited to oceans engineering, nuclear engineering and manufacturing engineering, with safety underpinning all three themes.
• Disseminate and champion partnership and programme findings, impacts, outputs and outcomes at industry, research and practitioner conferences, meetings and events.
• Convene with Institute Partners, including Lloyds Register Foundation, to maximise opportunities for translation and exploitation of the algorithms, software, methods, theories and tools developed through the programme.
• Work effectively with the Programme Management directorate to oversee the management of the Programme.
• Grow relationships with current and prospective funders and partners, in a sustainable way, working closely with the Turing Partnerships directorate. The Programme Director is expected to attract significant new funding and partnerships, working with colleagues internally and partners externally.
• Act as a key public face of the Institute, promoting its research and innovation, nationally and internationally, and ensuring that its reputation as the UK’s national centre for data science and AI is enhanced.
• Encourage the Institute’s and the UK’s wider researcher community to work together to make a global impact and engage with wider academic and industrial research sectors.

• Record of excellence in an academic, government and/or industrial setting
• Proven experience of providing programme and/or project leadership in a senior capacity, ideally in a research environment, be that an academic or commercial arena
• Solid knowledge of the national AI and engineering landscape
• Demonstrable ability to build and develop effective working relationships with partner organisations (academia, commercial, public and third sectors), and working with a diverse set of stakeholders
• Ability to make long term effective strategic decisions relevant to the Programme
• Track record of securing innovation funding
• Ability to communicate, translate and champion partnership and programme findings, for optimal results to relevant stakeholders

Please see the job description for a full breakdown of the duties, responsibilities and person specification

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. If you have questions about the role or would like to apply using a different format, please contact us via email [email protected] or call 020 3970 2148.

External secondments are welcome.

If you are currently employed by a University and require secondment to the Alan Turing Institute for the duration of this role as opposed to direct employment, please provide a statement of support from the applicable Head of Department to allow secondment (see Terms and Conditions below) via email to [email protected]. Statement can be submitted up to a week after closing date. This is an administrative requirement only and will not be part of assessment criteria.

CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS: Monday 29 August at 23:59

INTERVIEW PROCESS

This role will have 2 stage interview process. We are aiming to interview candidates week commencing 12 September 2022.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

This permanent post is offered either on a full-time basis, or a part-time basis (we require a minimum commitment of 0.8 FTE). The salary on offer is competitive plus excellent benefits, including flexible working and family friendly policies, https://www.turing.ac.uk/work-turing/why-work-turing/employee-benefits

If you are seconded from your employer, a secondment agreement will compensate your salary and on-costs, plus VAT if applicable. Payments will be made on a quarterly basis to your employing University.

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

From 01 March 2022 we will trial a Hybrid Working Model for an initial six-month trial period. During this period, staff will be expected to work at our British Library office for a number of days per month, dependent on the requirements of the role. As a guide, we anticipate this will be between 2-4 days per month, but the hiring manager will be able to confirm this during the interview.

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 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].