The Alan Turing Institute is the UK’s national institute for data science and artificial intelligence. The Institute is named in honour of the scientist Alan Turing and its mission is to make great leaps in data science and artificial intelligence research in order to change the world for the better.

The Finance and Economics programme brings together leading experts in data science, machine learning, finance and the social sciences, from both academia and industry to tackle the most challenging questions by producing world-leading research with significant impact.

The Institute has recently partnered with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) with the aim of developing cutting-edge machine learning and data science tools and working on unique national statistics data sets to gain new insights into the broader economy.

Our aim is to build close research links between our two organisations, and to yield research output that will bring tangible benefits in the short-to-medium-term. It is our shared goal that these initial two-year projects will serve as a starting point for a longer-term, multi-faceted relationship. We share the ambitious and exciting goal of advancing economic data science and mapping the economy in real-time for the benefit of the UK's economy, society and population. To do this we will access novel, real-time, large scale datasets that bring about exciting research opportunities.

ROLE PURPOSE

The successful candidates will join the Economic Networks and Transaction Data project. This project will build on new, large scale datasets on firm-to-firm transactions held by the ONS. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to be at the heart of the development of new economic statistics, develop economic models of production networks that can leverage large scale datasets, and develop methods for efficiently reducing the dimensionality and complexity of network-generated data.

The research will combine traditional methods in economics and economic statistics with new methods from machine learning and network analysis, with the aim of understanding supply chain disruptions, business cycles and industry co-movement, and the evolution of production networks at high and medium frequency.

The successful candidate will join a vibrant team of researchers and will have opportunities to engage with projects / experts. The candidate will work closely with a team of data scientists at the ONS, another Turing postdoc, Vasco Carvalho (Cambridge) and François Lafond (Oxford). The candidate will have opportunities to engage with other partners in the larger programme, including Sam Cohen, Gesine Reinert, Doyne Farmer, Terry Lyons & Mihai Cucuringu (Oxford), Aureo de Paula & Lars Nesheim (UCL), and Lukasz Szpruch (Edinburgh).

This position is open to pre-doctoral and post-doctoral candidates.

DUTIES AND AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

• Apply state-of-the-art and novel data science and artificial intelligence techniques emerging from the Institute and elsewhere to the business-inspired research challenges of the Turing partnerships.
• Scope, pilot and deliver high quality research activity in partnership with partner stakeholders, and under the Direction of the Principal Investigator and Programme Director
• Drive collaboration with academic experts and broader research partners from across the Turing and the wider Turing community
• Publish and disseminate high-quality research papers and publications detailing research output and project case-studies.
• Become part of the broader partnership team and be expected to engage on a regular basis with the partner.

Essential

• Research Associate level: PhD in Economics, Statistics, Mathematics, Operations Research, Computer Science or closely related discipline.
• Research Assistant level: Degree or professional qualification in Economics, Statistics, Mathematics, Operations Research, Computer Science or closely related discipline.
• A solid background in one or more of the following: Macroeconomics, National and Financial Accounting, Network Science, Machine Learning, Mathematical modelling of collective behaviour of interacting systems
• Track record of the ability to initiate, develop and deliver high quality research aligned with the research strategy indicated by the PI and any industrial stakeholders and to publish in peer reviewed journals and conferences.
• Experience in design, development and implementation of research software libraries, ideally using one of the following: Python, R, Julia and their associated frameworks.
• Track record of outstanding research and in delivering impact appropriate to career stage
• Ability to organise working time, take the initiative, and carry out research independently, under the guidance of the PI

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 on 020 3862 3546 or email [email protected].

CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS: 26 June 2022 at 23:59

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

This full-time post is offered on a 2-year fixed-term basis. The annual salary is £38,000-£46,200 (depending on experience) 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 £36,236 per annum.

ONS security clearance

Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check carried out by the ONS.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed.

The level of security needed is security check.

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 teal 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 continuous eligibility 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]

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

In line with current Government guidance, most of our organisation is currently working remotely. When Government guidance changes, 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.