Postdoctoral Research Associate or Research Associate in Circuit and System Design for Bio-hybrid Systems

Job Title: Research Associate in Circuit and System Design for Bio-hybrid Systems
Department: Computer Science
Grade: Grade 7 
Salary range: £35,333 to £42,155 per annum 
Working arrangements: 35 hours per week.
Closing date: TBD       
Potential interview date:  Mid-April 2023

The 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 Role and Department
Computer Science at Durham is a UK Top 10 Department (Complete University Guide 2023). We are committed to high-quality teaching and research, and the Department increased excellence in all research areas since the last research assessment exercise, moving six places up the ranking to the 20th position for REF 2021. We are proud of our emphasis on equality, diversity and inclusion and are working hard to make our department the no.1 University in the UK for women to study Computer Science.

We are looking for a Research Associate to perform circuit and system design for new types of complex bio-hybrid entities – miniature robotic platforms that integrate electronics with biology. The role will involve the creation of ultra-low power instrumentation circuits for measuring physiological parameters such as movement and electrophysiology, electrical impedance spectrography and multiple biosensors, and passing the collected data to a processing back-end via a wireless link. Significant innovation will be required in the circuits and system design in order to meet the challenging power budget present while using commercially available off-the-shelf electronic devices. This will necessitate hardware, firmware, and potentially some software level design. Our devices aim to operate underwater, and so robust and maintenance free operation is critical, and will necessitate skills in both electronic design and enclosure design.

The work is part of the EU-H2020 funded project “Robocoenosis : ROBOts in cooperation with a bioCOENOSIS” which aims to create a novel paradigm of “life form in the loop” which will allow the development of new types of complex bio-hybrid entities, putting together different living organisms and technological elements using a symbiotic/mutualistic method. The current role focuses on the instrumentation and bio-hybrid aspects of the project, principally through discrete component circuit design in Altium (or similar) with some data processing in Python (or similar). The project is highly multidisciplinary and will involve working with Biologists, Computer scientists, Roboticists from leading European Universities.

This position will ideally suit applicants with an interest in developing ultra low power circuit and system design skills. Expertise in circuit design (ideally using Altium) are essential. We are not constrained to using any one technique or architecture for minimising power and integrating the system, instead individuals with a creative approach to problem solving are desired. Nevertheless, experience of design with Texas Instruments components and software tools, and RF communication, would be beneficial. In addition, some hands on data collection in the bio-hybrid ecosystem must be performed and so applicants must be willing to get involved in experimental work in the field. Previous experience with Python and algorithms for providing simple data processing and cleaning would be beneficial, or training can be provided if necessary. Experience of design using flexible PCB substrates (e.g. Kapton) would be beneficial but not essential, as would experience with electrode interface manufacture (e.g. printed Silver). Skills in these areas can be taught if required.

• To conduct individual and collaborative research projects under the direction of the Principal Investigator or Grant-holder.
• To use creativity to design a novel electronic circuits for micro-robot system with a particular focus on social behaviour of honeybees.
• 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 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 for 22 months due to the project's available funding.

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.

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 – please include or delete if not applicable. 
• 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.

Durham University is committed to equality diversity, inclusion and values

Our collective aim is to create an open and inclusive environment where everyone can reach their full potential and we believe our staff should reflect the diversity of the global community in which we work.  As a University equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are a key part of the University’s Strategy and a central part of everything we do.  We also live by our 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 of our colleagues are aligned to both our values and commitment to EDI.

We welcome and encourage applications from members of groups who are under-represented in our work force including people with disabilities, women and black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.  If you have taken time out of your career, and you feel it relevant, let us know about it in your application.  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 Dr Farshad Arvin ([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).  

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: 

Next Steps 

The assessment for the post will include a formal interview and a technical interview, and we anticipate that the assessments and interviews will take place in mid-April 2023.

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

Other