Postdoctoral Research Associate or Research Associate in Task-based programming

The University

At Durham University we are proud of our people.  A globally outstanding centre of educational excellence, a collegiate community of extraordinary people, a unique and historic setting – Durham is a university like no other. We believe that inspiring our people to do outstanding things at Durham enables Durham people to do outstanding things professionally and personally.  

Across the University we have a huge variety of roles and career opportunities, which together make us a large and successful community, which is a key hub of activity within our region and nationally.  We would be thrilled if you would consider joining our thriving University. Further information about the University can be found here .

The Role and Department

The Department of Computer Science has been rapidly expanding over the past years – it tripled in size over the last 4 years and now has around 50 academic faculty. A new building, joint with Mathematical Sciences, to house the expanded Department has recently been inaugurated, and it hosts all our academics, our students, and experimental kit. The current Department has research strengths in algorithms and complexity, in artificial intelligence and human systems, networks, scientific computing, and computer vision, visualisation, and imaging. 

Collaborative consortia between colleagues from Physics and Computer Science have managed to secure multiple grants under the ExCALIBUR programme. ExCALIBUR is the UK’s exascale framework. It puts heavy emphasis on the establishment of an exascale-ready software ecosystem. The unique property of the Durham consortia is that they combine cutting-edge research on the application side with new and experimental hardware and with the latest insights, research questions and challenges around algorithms and software development methodologies. Three flagship projects that recently have kicked off are the ExCALIBUR Task-based Parallelism project, a multigrid project and the PAX-SPH project.

In the spirit of these projects, we are searching for a candidate who can research into task-based formalisms, their assessment and their improvement, and/or help us with our multigrid research. The successful candidate will ideally be in post by 1 May 2023 or as soon as possible. For more information, please visit our Department pages at https://www.dur.ac.uk/computer.science/  and https://tobiasweinzierl.webspace.durham.ac.uk/ .

The Role

Applications are invited for a Postdoctoral Research Associate or Research Associate in the Scientific Computing research group. The successful candidate is expected to work within a team of colleagues who are all contributing towards the core software developed by our ExCALIBUR projects.

In the task project, we have built a system which can track existing and hypothetical task parallelism within source code: Developers annotate their application with instructions “this could be a task” before they run their application. Our software then displays the existing and hypothetical task graph and delivers recommendations how the annotations could be translated into various task-based programming languages. As a new colleague, you will 

• either build a new simulator which takes the task graph plus an abstract machine model – which we have to specify – and then delivers predictions and recommendations how fast the code might run if we introduced tasking;
• or uses the task tool to inject (more) tasking into an existing smoothed particle hydrodynamics code which simulates galaxy formation.

In the multigrid project, we develop a toolkit for matrix-free multigrid solvers fitting to higher-order discretisation in space and time with dynamic AMR and local time stepping. As a new colleague, you will either:

• Develop new multigrid ingredients;
• or apply our multigrid ideas to the application domain of interest (computational astrophysics)

This role is available at Grade 6 as a Research Associate or at Grade 7 as a Postdoctoral Research Associate.

We expect the following from a new colleague at Grade 6:

• To understand and convey material and ideas around tasking at conferences and talks.
• To help in publishing high quality outputs under the direction of the Principal Investigator.
• To contribute to the planning and undertaking of research projects (code base) under the direction of the Principal Investigator, deciding how best to apply existing methodology according to overall context and objectives.
• To deliver training in research techniques (“how to use the new ideas”) to peers, visitors and students as appropriate.
• To deal with problems that may affect the achievement of research objectives and deadlines by discussing with the Principal Investigator and offering solutions.
• To liaise with research colleagues and make internal and external contacts to develop knowledge and understanding.
• 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 training courses.

We expect the following from a new colleague at Grade 7:

• To develop novel ideas around tasking under the direction of the Principal Investigator – either how it is used or how we can predict its potential performance impact.
• To understand and convey material and ideas around tasking at conferences and talks.
• To publish high quality outputs under the direction of the Principal Investigator.
• To contribute to the research projects (code base) under the direction of the Principal Investigator.
• To assist with the development of research objectives and proposals.
• To deliver training in research techniques (“how to use the new ideas”) to peers, visitors and students as appropriate.
• To deal with problems that may affect the achievement of research objectives and deadlines by discussing with the Principal Investigator and offering solutions.
• To liaise with research colleagues and make internal and external contacts to develop knowledge and understanding.
• To plan and manage own research activity, research resources in collaboration with others and contribute to the planning of research projects.
• 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 training courses.

This post is fixed term for 12 months, due to funding restrictions, and can be extended subject to a successful grant extension.

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 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.

Successful applicants will, ideally, be in post by 1 May 2023.

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: 
• 27/30 Days annual leave per year in addition to 8 public holidays and 4 customary days per year – a total of 39/42 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, 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 Prof Tobias Weinzierl ([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 

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 a brief coding exercise, and we anticipate that the assessments and interviews will take place over two days in 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:

• At Grade 6:
• A good first degree in Computer Science, Applied Mathematics or Computational Physics or a related discipline.
• At Grade 7, as Grade 6 plus:
• A PhD (or be close to submission) in Computer Science, Applied Mathematics or Computational Physics.

• At Grade 6:
• Experience in writing high quality software (C++ preferred, Python acceptable).
• Demonstrable ability to write material of high quality (scientifically and linguistically).
• At Grade 7, as Grade 6 plus:
• Demonstrable ability to present research papers at international conferences and communicate complex information to specialists and within the wider academic community.

• At Grade 6:
• Demonstrable ability to work cooperatively as part of a team, including participating in research meetings.
• Ability to manage time effectively and to strict deadlines
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Demonstrable ability to work towards formal guidelines and deadlines.
• At Grade 7, as Grade 6 plus:
• Ability to work independently on own initiative

Desirable Criteria:

• At Grade 6:
• An MSc (or be close to submission) in Computer Science, Applied Mathematics, Computational Physics or a related discipline.

• At Grade 6:
• Experience of presenting at academic conferences.
• Experience in developing large-scale software in a team.
• At Grade 7, as Grade 6 plus:
• Strong publication record in peer-reviewed journals, commensurate with stage of career.

• At Grade 7:
• Experience with performance analysis tools and numerical simulation software.