Postdoctoral Research Associate

Working at Durham University  

A globally outstanding centre of teaching and research excellence, a warm and friendly place to work, a unique and historic setting – Durham is a university like no other.

As one of the UK’s leading universities, Durham is an incredible place to define your career. The University is located within a beautiful historic city, home to a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and surrounded by stunning countryside. Our talented scholars and researchers from around the world are tackling global issues and making a difference to people's lives.  

We believe that inspiring our people to do outstanding things at Durham enables Durham people to do outstanding things in the world. Being a part of Durham is about more than just the success of the University, it’s also about contributing to the success of the city, county and community.

Our University Strategy is built on three pillars of research, education and wider student experience, but also on our keen sense of community and of inspiring others to achieve their potential. 

Our Purpose and Values

We want our University to be a place where people can be free to be themselves, no matter what their identity or background. Together, we celebrate difference, value one another and are each responsible for creating an inclusive community that is respectful and fair for all.

Find out more about the benefits of working at the University and what it is like to live and work in the Durham area on our Why Durham? information page.   

The Role and Department

The Department is one of the UK’s leading Computer Science departments, with an outstanding reputation in research, teaching, and student employability. Our internationally recognised research covers Algorithms and Complexity, Artificial Intelligence and Human Systems, Networks, Scientific Computing and Vision, Imaging and Visualisation. There is a lively research culture with many visitors and events, and active and rewarding collaborations with other departments in Durham and with other scientists in the UK and internationally. In the recent assessment exercise REF2021 we improved by six places in the ranking. We aim to provide an encouraging and friendly environment with a strong sense of community. The Department has recently grown rapidly, and now has more than 55 permanent members of academic staff. In 2021, we moved to a newly constructed building, which we share with Mathematics.

The Department has a proud tradition of delivering excellence in its undergraduate programmes through research-led teaching. Attracting some of the best students in the UK, the Department is ranked 4th in the Complete University Guide 2024. As part of the expansion of the Department, new MSc programmes in Business Analytics, Scientific Computing and Data Analysis, and in Data Science launched within the past five years.

The Department holds an Athena SWAN Silver award. Athena SWAN is a national initiative that recognises the advancement of gender equality, representation, progression and success for all in academia.

The post holder will be affiliated with the SYSTEMS subgroup of Network Engineering Science and Theory in Durham (NESTiD) research group in the Department of Computer Science. NESTiD (nestid.webspace.durham.ac.uk) is a vibrant and fast-growing research group established in 2020 with the mandate of studying the ubiquitous theme of Networks in every form. NESTiD research broadly covers areas related to network design and algorithms, distributed and parallel computing and algorithms, networked systems and applications, security and resilience, network science, dynamism and processes on networks, mathematical theory underpinning networks and communication, cryptography, quantum networks, social network design and human interaction, cloud, edge, fog and wireless networks. Additionally, the researcher will also be associated with the Durham Smart Grid Laboratory. Currently the laboratory has over 20 researchers and is a leading research facility that brings together advanced simulation tools, realistic emulators, and innovative testbeds to revolutionise smart grid research and development.

Applications are invited for this Postdoctoral Research Associate post. Funded by UKRI EPSRC, the project “CHEDDAR: Communications Hub For Empowering Distributed ClouD Computing Applications And Research” aims to empower distributed cloud computing applications and develop innovative research ideas to drive research and networking across the UK academic community. The role will involve working on the AI-powered green edge-fog-clouds, with a particular interest in (but not limited to) green AutoML for future edge-fog-cloud continuum. To conduct this research project, you will:

• Enable autonomous configuration, orchestration, and composition of ML pipeline (AutoML)
• Evaluate “environmental footprint” of Green AutoML, TinyML, MLOps, Edge AI, and cloud computing.
• Develop green AutoML solutions and their integration within Future Edge-Fog-Cloud Continuum to provision for native AI and transfer learning.

The post holder will be responsible for integrating these solutions and their applications in next generation communication paradigms, and will be expected to primarily support CHEDDAR Team in Computer Science (Dr Anish Jindal, Dr Gagangeet Aujla and Dr Wanqing Tu) and other project investigators. The post holder will proactively engage with academic, other postdoctoral research and technical support colleagues, as well as students, within and external to the Department, including industry, to ensure that activities are undertaken to an appropriate standard.

Key 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 CHEDDAR team in Computer Science.
• To assist with the development of research objectives and proposals.
• To conduct individual and collaborative research projects under the direction of the CHEDDAR team in Computer Science. 
• To work with the CHEDDAR team in Computer Science and other investigators in the CHEDDAR project, 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 CHEDDAR team in Computer Science 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.   
• To attend conferences, workshops, seminars, summer schools and other dissemination activities for promoting the development of Green AI and autoML technologies, engaging with wider communities, and accelerating the impact of research outputs. 

This post is fixed term until 31st March 2025 due to a limited funding period. The project and role may be extended subject to approval from the funding agency.

The post-holder is employed to work on the EPSRC project "CHEDDAR" which will be led by another colleague. Whilst this means that the post-holder will not be carrying out independent research in their 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.

Working at Durham 

A competitive salary is only one part of the many fantastic benefits you will receive if you join the University: you will also receive access to the following fantastic benefits:

• 30 Days annual leave per year in addition to 8 public holidays and 4 customary days per year – a total of 42 days per year.  
• The University closes between Christmas and New Year.
• We offer a generous pension scheme, As a new member of staff you will be automatically enrolled  into the University Superannuation Scheme (USS).
• No matter how you travel to work, we have you covered.  We have parking across campus, a cycle to work scheme which helps you to buy a bike and discount with local bus and train companies.
• There is a genuine commitment to developing our colleagues professionally and personally.  There is a comprehensive range of development courses, apprenticeships and access to qualifications and routes to develop your career in the University.  All staff have dedicated annual time to concentrate on their personal development opportunities.
• Lots of support for health and wellbeing including discounted membership for our state of the art sport and gym facilities and access to a 24-7 Employee Assistance Programme.
• On site nursery is available and children’s clubs in the summer holidays.
• Family friendly policies, including maternity and adoption leave, which are among the most generous in the higher education sector (and likely above and beyond many employers).
• The opportunity to take part in staff volunteering activities to make a difference in the local community
• Discounts are available via our benefits portal including; money off at supermarkets, high street retailers, IT products such as Apple, the cinema and days out at various attractions.
• A salary sacrifice scheme is also available to help you take advantage of tax savings on benefits.
• If you are moving to Durham, we can help with removal costs and we have a dedicated team who can help you with the practicalities such as house hunting and schools.  If you need a visa, we cover most visa costs and offer an interest free loan scheme to pay for dependant visas.

Durham University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion

Equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are a key component of the University’s Strategy and a central part of everything we do.  We also live by our Purpose and Values  and our Staff Code of Conduct.   At Durham we actively work towards providing an environment where our staff and students can study, work and live in a community which is supportive and inclusive. It’s important to us that all colleagues undertake activities that are aligned to both our values and commitment to EDI. 

We welcome and encourage applications from those who are currently under-represented in our work force, including people with disabilities and from racially minoritised ethnic groups.

If you have taken a career break or periods of leave that may have impacted on the volume and recency of your research outputs and other activities, such as maternity, adoption or parental leave, you may wish to disclose this in your application. The selection committee will take this into account when evaluating your application.

The University has been awarded the Disability Confident Employer status. If you are a candidate with a disability, we are committed to ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process. We will make adjustments to support the interview process wherever it is reasonable to do so and, where successful, reasonable adjustments will be made to support people within their role. 

Contact Information 

Department contact for academic-related enquiries 

For informal enquiries, please contact any member of the CHEDDAR team in Computer Science: Dr Anish Jindal ([email protected] ), Dr Gagangeet Aujla ([email protected] ) and Dr Wanqing Tu ([email protected] ). All enquiries will be treated in the strictest confidence.

Contact information for technical difficulties when submitting your application 

If you encounter technical difficulties when using the online application form, we prefer you send enquiries by email.  Please send your name along with a brief description of the problem you’re experiencing to [email protected]  

Alternatively, you may call 0191 334 6801 from the UK, or +44 191 334 6801 from outside the UK. This number operates during the hours of 09.00 and 17.00 Monday to Friday, UK time.  We will normally respond within one working day (Monday to Friday, excluding UK public holidays).  

University contact for general queries about the recruitment process 

If you have any queries about the recruitment process, please contact the recruitment team on [email protected]. 

How to Apply  

To progress to the assessment stage, candidates must evidence each of the essential criteria required for the role in the person specification below. It will be at the discretion of the recruiting panel as to whether they will also consider any desirable criteria, but we would urge candidates to provide evidence for all criteria.  

While some criteria will be considered at the shortlisting stage, other criteria may be considered later in the assessment process, such as questions at interview.  

Submitting your application 

We prefer to receive applications online.   We will update you about your application at various points throughout the selection process, via automated emails from our e-recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to make sure you have not missed any of our updates.

What to Submit 

All applicants are asked to submit: 

• a CV and cover letter which details your experience, skills, and achievements in meeting (or the potential to meet) the criteria set out below.
• List of publications, along with up to 3 representative publications (first page only, in PDF format) relevant to the requirements set out above.

Next Steps 

Short-listed candidates will be invited to the University, either virtually or in-person and will have the opportunity to meet key members of the Department.  The assessment for the post will normally include an interview and we anticipate that the assessments and interviews will take place over two days in or around March 2024. 

In the event that you are unable to attend in person on the date offered, it may not be possible to offer you an interview on an alternative date. 

Please note that in submitting your application Durham University will be processing your data. We would ask you to consider the relevant University Privacy Statement https://www.durham.ac.uk/about-us/governance/information-governance/privacy-notices/privacy-notices/job-applicants/ which provides information on the collation, storing and use of data.   

When appointing to this role the University must ensure that it meets any applicable immigration requirements, including salary thresholds which are applicable to some visas.

Person Specification

Essential Criteria:

Qualifications

Experience

Skills

Desirable Criteria

Experience

Skills