The Department of Computer Science at the University of Bath welcomes applications for an Artificial Intelligence Research Associate to work with Professor Özgür Şimşek and the Centre for Artificial Intelligence.
This is currently a fixed-term position for 48 months, to start on 1 October 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter.
The postholder will support the EPSRC Prosperity Partnership on Injectable Medicines, which explores the problem of sequential decision making applicable to optimising the high-volume, high-variation manufacturing of injectable medicines. The emphasis is on approaches that could eventually be deployed into real scenarios to improve industrial processes. Relevant areas of research include reinforcement learning and probabilistic machine learning. Candidates will be expected to design and develop novel approaches in these areas that are robust and applicable to real industrial scenarios.
There is a strong expectation you will actively contribute to the strong profile of machine learning work at Bath and its interdisciplinary ethos through participation in the development and publication of research results in major international conferences and journals.
The postholder will have the opportunity to work with Centre for AI scholars and academics, contributing to developing new funding bids, as well as support existing funded projects, and to gain experience in one or more areas of AI. Our capabilities are also of significant interest to industry, and you will be able to help deepen existing partnerships and develop new ones.
The Centre for AI at the University of Bath provides a new home for this exciting field of research, focusing primarily, but not exclusively, on machine learning, the field that is driving the major developments in AI today. The Centre aims to lead, enable, connect, prepare, nurture, and showcase the fundamental research in AI, innovative applications and commercial activities that represents the distinctive internationally leading identity for Bath AI.
Centre for AI members conduct basic research in AI and the Centre fosters interdisciplinary collaborations, e.g. Chemistry (drug discovery, material synthesis, chemical reaction prediction), Life Sciences (analyses of biological systems), Maths (theory of machine learning), and Physics (simulating complex physical systems, analysing vast data from astrophysics, particle physics, oceans)
This is initially a 2-year fixed term role, with the potential to extend, depending on the success of funding applications. The long-term aim is to build a group of AI Research Associates with different areas of expertise, skills, and capabilities, working closely with Centre for AI academics and driving our research forward.
The role is full-time (36.5 hours per week) role, but we welcome applications from candidates looking for less than full-time hours. Please state your preferred working pattern in your application.
For an informal discussion regarding the role please contact Özgür Şimşek at [email protected].
As a member of Research Staff at the University of Bath, you will be entitled to a minimum of 10 days professional development (pro rata) each year and will have considerable freedom to shape your own scientific programme within the strategic aims of the Centre. The Centre and the University actively support postdoctoral researchers in developing independent research directions and fellowship applications. Recent AIRAs have progressed to interesting, competitive long-term positions at Bath or elsewhere and continue to work with us in different capacities as part of our network.
A lower grade offer may be made (Grade 6) with comparable reduction in responsibilities and amendment in job title to Research Assistant, if a suitable applicant cannot be found to fill the Grade 7 position. Applicants will need to be within six months of their course completion date and will be promoted to Research Associate once their PhD has been awarded.
We consider ourselves to be a university where difference is celebrated, respected and encouraged. We have an excellent international reputation with staff from over 60 different nations and have made a positive commitment towards gender equity and intersectionality receiving a Silver Athena SWAN award. We truly believe that diversity of experience, perspectives, and backgrounds will lead to a better environment for our employees and students and encourage applications from all genders, backgrounds, and communities, particularly from under-represented groups, and value the positive impact that will have on the university. We are committed to maintaining a safe and secure environment for our students, staff, and community by reinforcing our Safer Recruitment commitment.
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What we can offer you
We're continually expanding our benefits package to better support you and enhance your experience with us and the below is just an example of some of the many great benefits we offer:
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Generous annual leave allowance with an additional 5 discretionary days so that you can enjoy a positive work life balance
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Generous employer contributory pension schemes
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Cycle to work scheme
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Electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme
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Staff discount at Team Bath gym
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Staff benefits include discounted postgraduate tuition and language courses, alongside a wide range of personal and professional development opportunities such as apprenticeships, LinkedIn Learning, and more
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Local discounts, including free entry to the Holburne Museum in Bath
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A family-friendly workplace
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An excellent reward package that recognises the talents of our diverse workforce
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Relocation allowance
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Visa reimbursement and Interest-Free Loan to help with the cost of some immigration expenses
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Employee assistance services through Health Assured, including access to the Wisdom app
Find out more about our benefits hear from our staff about what makes the University of Bath a great place to work as well as following us X and LinkedIn.
Be Well at Bath
We’re committed to creating a health-supporting working environment where everyone can thrive and be at their best. We offer a range of resources to enable you to do that from your first day here, including:
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Staff support groups and networks
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A network of Staff Wellbeing Champions
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A suite of tools, resources and frameworks that enable you to be at your best and thrive
Find out more about being at your best at Bath.
- Job Description & Person Specification
- Job Description & Person Specification
Right to Work in the UK: We do not assess immigration or right to work status until offer stage. Being invited to interview does not guarantee you are eligible for visa sponsorship and all offers are conditional on meeting right to work requirements. Further information is available on our application support webpage.
Anonymous shortlisting: We are constantly seeking to reduce the unconscious bias that enters any assessment process, with the goal of creating an inclusive and equal assessment process. To support this, personal details such as your name, may be removed from application forms at the initial shortlisting stage.
