Post-Doctoral Researcher in Decision Support Systems Development

Post-Doctoral Researcher in Decision Support Systems Development
School of Electronic Engineering
Dublin City University
Fixed Term Contract up to 24 Months

Dublin City University (DCU) is a young, ambitious and vibrant university, with a mission ‘to transform lives and societies through education, research, innovation and engagement’. Known as Ireland’s ‘Uni-versity of Enterprise’, DCU is a values-based institution, committed to the delivery of impact for the public good. DCU was named Sunday Times Irish University of the Year 2021.

DCU is based on three academic campuses in the Glasnevin-Drumcondra region of north Dublin. More than 18,000 students are enrolled across five faculties – Science and Health, DCU Business School, Computing and Engineering, Humanities and Social Sciences and DCU Institute of Education.

DCU is committed to excellence across all its activities. This is demonstrated by its world-class research initiatives, its cutting-edge approach to teaching and learning, its focus on delivering a transformative student experience, and its positive social and economic impact. The university continues to develop innovative programmes in collaboration with industry, such as the DCU Futures suite of degrees, which are designed to equip graduates with the skills and knowledge required in a rapidly evolving economy.

DCU’s pursuit of excellence has led to its current ranking among the top 2% of universities globally. It is also one of the world’s Top Young Universities (QS Top 100 Under 50, Times Higher Top 150 Under 100). In the Times Higher Education University Impact Rankings 2021, DCU ranked 23rd in the world for its approach to widening participation in higher education and its ongoing commitment to eradi-cating poverty, while it ranks 38th globally for its work in reducing inequality and 89th globally for gender equality.

The university is ranked 23rd in the world and first in Ireland for its graduate employment rate, ac-cording to the 2020 QS Graduate Employability Rankings. Over the past decade, DCU has been the leading Irish university in the area of technology transfer, as reflected by licensing of intellectual prop-erty..

School of Electronic Engineering

The DCU School of Electronic Engineering (Scoil na hInnealtóireachta Leictreonaí DCU) was established in the 1980s and continues to provide top level education to both undergraduate and postgraduate students. Recognised nationally and internationally for the outstanding quality of our courses, we focus on preparing students to pursue a broad range of careers in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector in the areas of electronic, computer, and mechatronic engineering.

FOREWARN Project

FOREWARN is an JPI funded project with international partners from 5 European Countries with the aim to assess the occurrence, fate and behaviour of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) and pathogens, develop machine-learning methods to model their transfer and behaviour and build a decision support system (DSS) for predicting risks and propose mitigation strategies. Using large datasets from previous research, FOREWARN will establish the basis of the relationships between the conditions of a particular aquatic environment and the emerging pollution caused by CECs and emerging pathogens. The project will consider 2 types of case studies:

The Role

This position is for a postdoctoral researcher who will be recruited on a fixed term contract basis to be responsible for the development a set of machine learning models and software tools to support decision making regarding CECs and pathogens. This will include a set of predictive models that will use historical data to attempt to predict new emergence and impact of CECs and pathogens. An easy-to-use graphical user interface will also be developed to allow policy advisors and decision makers to interact with the software and visualize the predictions of the model.

Principle Duties and Responsibilities

Specific duties include:

Research models to assist decision making regarding CECs and pathogens.

Carry out the development, training, and evaluation of predictive machine learning models. Participate in the development of a web-based decision support system user interface.

Produce high-quality journal and conference publications in collaboration with the Principal Investigators.

Participate and present at project meetings.

Carry out administrative work associated with the programme of research as necessary.

Minimum Criteria

Applicants must have a PhD in the area of data analytics or machine learning or related discipline. A strong record of international peer-reviewed publications.

Experience with the Python programming language and machine learning/deep learning frameworks (e.g. scikit-learn, PyTorch, TensorFlow).

Experience with web development technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Excellent written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills.

In addition, it is desirable that the candidate has a subset of the following skills and experience:

Experience with relational databases and knowledge of SQL.

Experience in data visualization and web application development.

Candidates will be assessed on the following competencies:

Discipline knowledge and Research skills – Demonstrates knowledge of a research discipline and the ability to conduct a specific programme of research within that discipline.

Understanding the Research Environment – Demonstrates an awareness of the research environment (for example funding bodies) and the ability to contribute to grant applications.

Communicating Research – Demonstrates the ability to communicate their research with their peers and the wider research community (for example presenting at conferences and publishing research in relevant journals) and the potential to teach and tutor students

Managing & Leadership skills - Demonstrates the potential to manage a research project including the supervision of undergraduate students

Essential Training

Post holder will be required to undertake the following mandatory training: Orientation, GDPR, Research Integrity and Compliance. Other training may need to be undertaken when required.

Dublin City University is an equal opportunities employer. In line with the Employment Equality Acts 1998 – 2015, the University is committed to equality of treatment for all those who engage with its recruitment, selection and appointment processes. The University’s Athena SWAN Bronze Award signifies the University’s commitment to promoting gender equality and addressing any gender pay gaps. Information on a range of university policies aimed at creating a supportive and flexible work environment are available in the DCU Policy Starter Packs