Postdoc Research Officer

Location: Bay Campus, Swansea

About The Role

We are delighted to post this postdoctoral researcher position as part of the National EdgeAI Hub in conjunction with Newcastle University School of Computing. The postholder will work closely with Prof. Xianghua Xie from the Computer Vision and Machine Learning group (http://csvision.swan.ac.uk) at Swansea University, and collaborate with researchers across the multi-site National EdgeAI Hub. The researcher will work on building novel robust decentralised machine learning techniques that are suitable for edge devices and their applications to, for instance, healthcare and robotics.

Our primary focus is to develop novel data-driven machine learning techniques that can be securely deployed on complex datasets, which are often distributed or federated and have their own requirements on data privacy. Building on our strength and experience, the Swansea team will address key challenges of decentralized AI in the era of edge computing and for the next generation of edge networks.

Our main research agenda include: (1) developing robust privacy-preserving algorithms for distributed learning; (2) optimising distributed machine learning from heterogenous data and incomplete data; and (3) efficient continuous and transfer learning with decentralised datasets. The postholder will carry out research, implementation, and experimentation on advanced machine learning models and edge computing techniques in these areas.

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

The University is committed to supporting and promoting equality and diversity in all its practices and activities. We aim to establish an inclusive environment and welcome diverse applications from the following protected characteristics: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race (including colour, nationality, ethnic and national origin), religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation.

We have an under-representation of women in the area of research and would particularly welcome applications from women for this position. We also have an under representation of individuals from ethnic minority backgrounds and would encourage applications from these groups. Appointments will always be made on merit.

As an inclusive and welcoming workplace, we value people for their skills regardless of their background. Applications are welcome in Welsh and will not be treated less favourably than those submitted in English.

Welsh Language Skills

The Welsh language level required for this role is Level 1 - A little. The role holder will be able to pronounce Welsh words, answer the phone in Welsh (good morning/afternoon) and use very basic everyday words and phrases (thank you, please etc.). Level 1 can be reached by completing a 1 hour course.

The University is a proud bilingual institution, our Welsh Language Strategy outlines our aspiration to promote the language and enable our staff to engage with the language as an additional workplace skill and as a gateway to new cultural and social opportunities. Applications are welcome in Welsh and will not be treated less favourably than those submitted in English. Welsh speakers have the right to an interview in Welsh. Applicants for a role where Welsh skills are essential are expected to present their application in Welsh and will be interviewed in Welsh, if shortlisted.

Additional Information

Applications for this role will take the format of a CV submission and cover letter.

Closing Date: 27 August 2024

Interview Date: 16 September 2024

Informal Enquiries: Xianghua Xie x.xie@swansea.ac.uk

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