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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The Alan Turing Institute is expanding its research into the application of machine learning and AI to agricultural data, building on a previous two-year programme on the Impact of Climate Change on UK Agriculture. As part of this the Institute is aiming to strengthen its existing links to agricultural research institutions, such as Rothamsted Research, the John Innes Centre, and the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, and to build links with new partners in this area. Among the priorities of this research programme are the development of digital twins for agriculture, large-scale models of crop-yield prediction, crop phenotyping approaches, sustainable agriculture, and livestock monitoring.

ROLE PURPOSE

The Alan Turing Institute is recruiting a Senior Research Fellow who would be seconded from their home institution (part-time) in order to lead efforts in line with the priorities outlined above, to develop collaborations, and to develop funding bids to support large collaborative projects.

DUTIES AND AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

• Bring development of funding bids for the application of machine learning and AI to agriculture, and digital twins for agriculture
• Act as principal investigator, should these bids be successful, and lead a team of Research Associates
• Disseminate findings through peer-reviewed articles and at seminars, workshops, and conferences.
• Contribute to the national and international landscape of research and applications
• Liaise with funding bodies and provide information to project stakeholders and represent the research group at external meetings/seminars, either with other members of the team or alone.
• Carry out collaborative projects with colleagues in partner institutions, and research groups.

In particular the Senior Research Fellow will:

• Build links between ATI, Rothamsted, and other agricultural research institutions
• Explore the potential of digital twins for agriculture, from the farm level to the national level
• Investigate integration of agricultural data across scales, from plants to drone and satellite data
• Build upon existing projects and large-scale datasets at ATI on crop yield prediction, soil type, land use, weather, and remote sensing, with potential applications of ML/AI
• Develop further opportunities for the application of ML/AI to large agricultural datasets
• Explore the potential of machine learning approaches for the development of sustainable agriculture

• PhD degree in Natural Science, Mathematics, Computer Science
• Programming experience including machine learning, AI, data science
• Experience processing and analysing large scientific datasets
• Research experience formulating and pursuing scientific research questions
• Research experience in the application of ML/AI to agricultural data
• Track record of excellent academic publications
• Ability to creatively solve problems, working both independently and with other team members

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 3533 or 0203 862 3516, 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.

CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS: Sunday 18 June 2023 at 23:59

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

This part time 0.5 FTE post is offered on a fixed term basis until June 2025. The annual salary is £66,150 - £71,663 pro rata plus excellent benefits, including flexible working and family friendly policies, https://www.turing.ac.uk/work-turing/why-work-turing/employee-benefits

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

Staff are expected to work at our British Library office for a minimum of 4 days per month (for full time roles), dependent on the requirements of the role. The hiring manager will be able to confirm expectations around working pattern for this role 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

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].