Department of Computer Science

Grade 7: - £33,797 - £40,322 per annum
Fixed Term - Full Time
Contract Duration: 7 months
Contracted Hours per Week: 35
Closing Date: 13-Mar-2021, 7:59:00 AM 

Durham University 

Durham University is one of the world's top universities with strengths across the Arts and Humanities, Sciences and Social Sciences. We are home to some of the most talented scholars and researchers from around the world who are tackling global issues and making a difference to people's lives.

The University sits in a beautiful historic city where it shares ownership of a UNESCO World Heritage Site with Durham Cathedral, the greatest Romanesque building in Western Europe. A collegiate University, Durham recruits outstanding students from across the world and offers an unmatched wider student experience.

Less than 3 hours north of London, and an hour and a half south of Edinburgh, County Durham is a region steeped in history and natural beauty. The Durham Dales, including the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, are home to breathtaking scenery and attractions. Durham offers an excellent choice of city, suburban and rural residential locations. The University provides a range of benefits including pension and childcare benefits and the University’s Relocation Manager can assist with potential schooling requirements.

Durham University seeks to promote and maintain an inclusive and supportive environment for work and study that assists all members of our University community to reach their full potential. Diversity brings strength and we welcome applications from across the international, national and regional communities that we work with and serve.

The Department

The Department of Computer Science is rapidly expanding. A new building for the department (joint with Mathematical Sciences) has recently opened to house the expanded Department. The current Department has research strengths in (1) algorithms and complexity, (2) computer vision, imaging, and visualisation and (3) high-performance computing, cloud computing, and simulation. We work closely with industry and government departments.  Research-led teaching is a key strength of the Department, which came 5th in the Complete University Guide. The department offers BSc and MEng undergraduate degrees and is currently redeveloping its interdisciplinary taught postgraduate degrees. The size of its student cohort has more than trebled in the past five years. The Department has an exceptionally strong External Advisory Board that provides strategic support for developing research and education, consisting of high-profile industrialists and academics.
Computer Science is one of the very best UK Computer Science Departments with an outstanding reputation for excellence in teaching, research and employability of our students.

The Role 

Postdoctoral Research Associate to work on the AHRC-funded project  “Visitor Interaction and Machine Curation in the Virtual Liverpool Biennial”.

The project looks at virtual art exhibitions that are curated by machines, or even co-curated by humans and machines; and how audiences interact with these exhibitions in the era of online art shows. The project is in close collaboration with the 2020 (now 2021) Liverpool Biennial (http://biennial.com/). The role of the post holder is, along with the PI Leonardo Impett, to implement different strategies of user-machine interaction for virtual art exhibits; and to investigate the interaction behaviour of different types of users with such systems.

Responsibilities :

• To understand and convey material of a specialist or highly technical nature to the team or group of people through presentations and discussions that leads to the presentation of research papers in conferences and publications.
• To prepare and deliver presentations on research outputs/activities to audiences which may include: research sponsors, academic and non-academic audiences.
• To publish high quality outputs, including papers for submission to peer reviewed journals and papers for presentation at conferences and workshops under the direction of the Principal Investigator or Grant-holder.
• To assist with the development of research objectives and proposals.
• To conduct individual and collaborative research projects under the direction of the Principal Investigator or Grant-holder.
• To work with the Principal Investigator or Grant-holder and other colleagues in the research group, as appropriate, to identify areas for research, develop new research methods and extend the research portfolio.
• To deal with problems that may affect the achievement of research objectives and deadlines by discussing with the Principal Investigator or Grant-holder and offering creative or innovative solutions.
• To liaise with research colleagues and make internal and external contacts to develop knowledge and understanding to form relationships for future research collaboration.
• To plan and manage own research activity, research resources in collaboration with others and contribute to the planning of research projects.
• To deliver training in research techniques/approaches to peers, visitors and students as appropriate.
• To be involved in student supervision, as appropriate, and assist with the assessment of the knowledge of students.
• To contribute to fostering a collegial and respectful working environment which is inclusive and welcoming and where everyone is treated fairly with dignity and respect.
• To engage in wider citizenship to support the department and wider discipline.
• To engage in continuing professional development by participation in the undergraduate or postgraduate teaching programmes or by membership of departmental committees, etc. and by attending relevant training and development courses.   

This post is fixed term until 31 August 2021 as the research project is time limited and will end on 31 August 2021. 

The post-holder is employed to work on research/a research project which will be led by another colleague. Whilst this means that the post-holder will not be carrying out independent research in his/her own right, the expectation is that they will contribute to the advancement of the project, through the development of their own research ideas/adaptation and development of research protocols.

Successful applicants will, ideally, be in post by February 2021.

How to Apply

For informal enquiries please contact Dr Leonardo Impett (leonardo.l.impett@durham.ac.uk). All enquiries will be treated in the strictest confidence. 

We prefer to receive applications online via the Durham University Vacancies Site. https://www.dur.ac.uk/jobs/. As part of the application process, you should provide details of 3 (preferably academic/research) referees and the details of your current line manager so that we may seek an employment reference.

 Applications are particularly welcome from women and black and minority ethnic candidates, who are under-represented in academic posts in the University. We are committed to equality: if for any reason you have taken a career break or periods of leave that may have impacted on your career path, such as maternity, adoption or parental leave, you may wish to disclose this in your application. The selection committee will recognise that this may have reduced the quantity of your research accordingly.

What to Submit 

All applicants are asked to submit:

• A CV and covering letter which details your experience, strengths and potential in the requirements set out above

The Requirements

Essential:

Qualifications

• A PhD (or be close to submission) in the Digital Humanities, (Digital) Museology, New Media Art, or a related subject, OR
• A PhD (or be close to submission) in Computer Science, Bioinformatics, Mathematics/Statistics, Physics or a related subject

Experience

• Experience in conducting high quality academic research.
• Evidence of being able to conduct research in areas relevant to the project
• Demonstrable ability to write material of a quality commensurate with publication in highly-ranked journals.
• Demonstrable ability to present research papers at national/international conferences and communicate complex information to specialists and within the wider academic community. 

Skills

• Demonstrable ability to work cooperatively as part of a team, including participating in research meetings.
• Ability to work independently on own initiative and to strict deadlines.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Demonstrate programming ability (whether or not the candidate has a formal background in computer science) 

Desirable:

Experience

• Strong publication record in peer-reviewed journals, commensurate with stage of career.
• A track record of presenting research at conferences, symposia, or meetings, commensurate with stage of career.
• Demonstrable ability to develop research proposals and designs in collaboration with other academics.
• Evidence of experience in contributing to collaborative research projects.

​Skills

• Demonstrable ability to plan and manage independent research. 
• Ability to set research goals, be self-motivated and proactive.
• Strong interest in interdisciplinary research, especially art-technology research
• Experience in machine learning, natural language processing, computer vision or human-computer interaction a bonus

DBS Requirement: Not Applicable.