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Department of Computer Science

Full time, fixed term

Outstanding candidates in Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, are invited to apply for a post of Research Associate in the Department of Computer Science at Royal Holloway University of London.

The Department, established in 1968 (one of the oldest Computer Science departments in the world), is one of the top departments of Computer Science in the UK. In the most recent Research Excellence Framework (REF 2014), it scored 11th for the quality of the research output, with a third of the publications recognised as world-leading and a further half internationally excellent (87% in total). The Department is home to outstanding researchers in algorithms and complexity, artificial intelligence, machine learning, bioinformatics, and distributed and global computing. Over the past five years, the department has undertaken an ambitious plan of expansion: fifteen new academic members of staff were appointed, new undergraduate and integrated-master programmes were created, and five new postgraduate-taught programmes were launched. The department is involved in multiple inter/multidisciplinary activities, from electrical engineering to psychology and social sciences.

The position is funded by the Innovate UK grant “Demeter: Intelligence Scavenging”, held by Prof Sara Bernardini, in the context of the program “Subsea autonomous systems: next generation technologies”. The project will be carried out by a consortium including industry (Autonomous Devices, Signaloid, D-RisqQ and CRP Subsea) and academia (University of Strathclyde and University of Manchester). Demeter uses energy-harvesting, intelligent, uncrewed vehicles to provide a persistent, infrastructure-independent subsea sensor data retrieval and analysis service. Demeter will enable more cost-effective predictive maintenance of subsea assets, greatly reduce OPEX and downtime, and ultimately lower the cost and environmental impact of exploiting renewable and non-renewable offshore resources alike. Key innovations include long-endurance, energy-harvesting, hybrid underwater and surface autonomous vehicles; an onboard edge-processing module (based on a novel computer architecture) capable of performing intensive statistical analysis of harvested sensor data at a fraction of the power of current technologies; a technology stack for high-integrity long-term autonomous navigation and decision making; and embedded subsea sensors adapted for data retrieval by the autonomous vehicles. As an integrated solution, Demeter aims to shift the subsea monitoring paradigm from one of manual, expensive, and low-frequency data retrieval to that of automated, inexpensive, high frequency and on-demand intelligence retrieval.

The successful candidates will have a strong research record in Artificial Intelligence and/or Robotics and a strong interest in practice-driven research. The duties and responsibilities of this post include conducting collaborative research on the themes of the project, assisting in the development of software based on the needs of the project, contributing to the necessary preparatory work to submit the results to prestigious conferences and journals.

In return, we offer a highly competitive rewards and benefits package (including generous annual leave and training and development opportunities), close interaction with industry via secondments and collaborations with world-leading research institutions in the UK and abroad, in addition to:

• Pension Scheme with generous employer contribution
• Various schemes including Cycle to Work, Season Ticket Loans and help with the cost of Eyesight testing.
• Free parking

The post is based in Egham, Surrey, where the College is situated in a beautiful, leafy campus near to Windsor Great Park and within 20-minute commuting distance from London.

For an informal discussion about the post, please contact Prof Sara Bernardini on [email protected] or +441784 276792.

For queries on the application process the Human Resources Department can be contacted by email at: [email protected].

Please quote the reference: 0423-175

Closing Date: 23:59, 3 May 2023

Interview Date: To Be Confirmed

Please note that it will not be possible for the College to issue a Certificate of Sponsorship for successful candidates as this role's pro-rata salary will not meet the minimum threshold set by UK Visas and Immigration. Successful candidates will therefore need to be eligible to work in the UK or have limited leave to remain in the UK and associated right to work for the duration of their employment with the College, in accordance with the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006.