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 Defence & Security (D&S) programme at the Turing is looking to expand its Applied Research Group (ARG), working on real-world cyber security and machine learning problems for defence and national security stakeholders.

As a team, ARG aims to apply innovative research to real-world problems. We use research papers and code repositories to implement the latest developments in machine learning to pressing real-world problem sets, outputting feasibility studies, code repositories and supporting documentation. Projects vary in scale, from literature reviews to early-stage research engineering and longer-term proofs-of-concepts. Day-to-day, ARG collaborate closely with partners’ technical and subject matter experts as well as academics from across the Turing’s research community.

We are looking to hire a Research Associate to develop a unique applied research portfolio and manage partner engagement alongside ARG’s Theme Lead. ARG is a cross-disciplinary team – therefore able to respond to a wide variety of problem sets – and encourage applications from both generalists and specialists including those who self-identify as statisticians, software engineers, machine learning practitioners, data scientists or data engineers.

The team practices an agile, experiment-driven approach and values a positive, supportive, and collaborative environment in which ‘radical candour’ and ‘lifelong learning’ are encouraged. We embrace failure as a learning opportunity and necessary precursor to success. We are empowered to take ownership of our work and operate with a high level of autonomy in our roles to deliver measurable impact to our partners.

DUTIES AND AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

Successful candidates will:

• Develop, implement, and adapt state-of-the-art and novel data science and machine learning techniques to problems faced by the Institute’s partners.
• Work at pace on short-term (6-8 week) projects that aim to test the feasibility of turning academic literature into real-world capability.
• Lead independently on iterative project development and delivery cycles with ARG’s defence and national security partners.
• Lead frequent partner engagements (in-person at partner sites and virtually) to present on technical findings and give pilot-scale demonstrations.
• Contribute to a culture of technical excellence within the Institute, for example by leading sessions for internal reading groups and seminars.
• Where appropriate, present your research findings within the broader Defence and Security grand challenge at the Institute to aid knowledge sharing between groups.
• Ensure compliance with secure handling of data and health and safety in all aspects of work.
• Support the development and scale of a unique applied research group within the Institute
  

• PhD or an equivalent qualification/experience in cyber security, machine learning computer science, data science, mathematics, statistics, electrical and electronic engineering, or a related discipline.
• General cybersecurity or machine learning knowledge.
• Demonstrated ability to initiate, develop and deliver high quality applied research of maximum value to core partners.
• Experience of participating in or leading research within teams.
• Experience in technically collaborating with experts across teams and domains.
• Experience in organising working time, taking initiative, and carrying out research independently.

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 (maximum 2 pages, no photo) and covering letter (maximum 1 page) telling us:

• An example of a technical research project, preferably in the data science/machine learning space, that you have worked on recently.
• Why would you like to work for The Alan Turing Institute?

As this role brings a requirement of attaining SC – with the likelihood of then progressing to Developed Vetting (DV), you are required to include the following information as part of your cover letter:

• Your current nationality,
• Your nationality at birth,
• Other nationality (include dual nationality if applicable), and
• Confirmation that you have been residing in the UK for the past 5 years (if you have not, please provide details of when and where you resided and the reason).

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

Please note, if these details are not provided, we will be unable to progress with your application.

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: SUNDAY 28 APRIL 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 full-time post is offered on a fixed term basis till 30 April 2025. The annual salary is £42,893 - £48,510 plus excellent benefits, including flexible working and family friendly policies, https://www.turing.ac.uk/work-turing/why-work-turing/employee-benefits.

Candidates who have not yet been officially awarded their PhD will be appointed as Research Assistant at a salary of £40,148 per annum.

Successful candidates will need to hold SC or be willing to undertake the process once in-post, with the possibility of upgrading to DV in the near future. Eligibility criteria and further information on the process can be found on the UK Government security vetting website.

The Alan Turing Institute is based at the British Library, in the heart of London’s Knowledge Quarter. We expect staff to come to our office at least 4 days per month. Some roles may require more days in the office; the hiring manager will be able to confirm this during the interview.

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.

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.

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.