Research Associate, Applied Research Group - Defence & Security

The Alan Turing Institute

Named in honour of Alan Turing, the Institute is a place for inspiring, exciting work and we need passionate, sharp, and innovative people who want to use their skills to contribute to our mission to make great leaps in data science and AI research to change the world for the better.

Please find more information about us here.

BACKGROUND

The Defence & Security (D&S) programme at the Turing is looking to expand its Applied Research Group (ARG), working on real-world cyber security and machine learning problems for defence and national security stakeholders.

As a team, ARG aims to apply innovative research to real-world problems. We use research papers and code repositories to implement the latest developments in machine learning to pressing real-world problem sets, outputting feasibility studies, code repositories and supporting documentation. Projects vary in scale, from literature reviews to early-stage research engineering and longer-term proofs-of-concepts.

CANDIDATE PROFILE

We are looking to hire a Research Associate to develop a unique applied research portfolio and manage partner engagement alongside ARG’s Theme Lead. ARG is a cross-disciplinary team – therefore able to respond to a wide variety of problem sets – and encourage applications from both generalists and specialists including those who self-identify as statisticians, software engineers, machine learning practitioners, data scientists or data engineers.

DUTIES AND AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

• Develop, implement, and adapt state-of-the-art and novel data science and machine learning techniques to problems faced by the Institute’s partners.
• Work at pace on short-term (6-8 week) projects that aim to test the feasibility of turning academic literature into real-world capability.
• Lead independently on iterative project development and delivery cycles with ARG’s defence and national security partners.
• Lead frequent partner engagements (in-person at partner sites and virtually) to present on technical findings and give pilot-scale demonstrations.
• Contribute to a culture of technical excellence within the Institute, for example by leading sessions for internal reading groups and seminars.

Please see our portal for a full breakdown of the role.

Person Specification

• PhD or an equivalent qualification/experience in cyber security, machine learning computer science, data science, mathematics, statistics, electrical and electronic engineering, or a related discipline.
• General cybersecurity or machine learning knowledge.
• Demonstrated ability to initiate, develop and deliver high quality applied research of maximum value to core partners.
• Experience in organising working time, taking initiative, and carrying out research independently.

Please see our portal for a full breakdown of the Job Description.

Terms and Conditions

This full-time post is offered on a fixed term basis till 30 April 2025. The annual salary is £42,893 - £48,510 plus excellent benefits, including flexible working and family friendly policies, https://www.turing.ac.uk/work-turing/why-work-turing/employee-benefits.

The Alan Turing Institute is based at the British Library, in the heart of London’s Knowledge Quarter. We expect staff to come to our office at least 4 days per month. Some roles may require more days in the office; the hiring manager will be able to confirm this during the interview.

Application procedure

Please click on the ‘Apply’ button above for full details on how to apply and the interview process.

Equality Diversity and Inclusion

We are committed to making sure our recruitment process is accessible and inclusive.

This includes making reasonable adjustments for candidates who have a disability or long-term condition. Please contact us at adjustments@turing.ac.uk  to find out how we can assist you.

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