Back to search results

Principal AI Research Engineer

University of Cambridge - University Information Services

Location: Cambridge
Salary: £63,606 to £67,468 per annum
Hours: Full Time
Contract Type: Permanent
Placed On: 21st August 2025
Closes: 14th September 2025
Job Ref: VC43086

Are you interested in a unique opportunity to help shape and deliver the UK National AI Research Resource (AIRR) service?  We are looking for a highly experienced and enthusiastic AI Engineer to work on Dawn:

(https://www.hpc.cam.ac.uk/d-w-n)

which is part of the UK AIRR:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ai-research-resource/airr-advanced-supercomputers-for-the-uk)

and provides world-leading, AI-specialised computing capacity for public and academic researchers, and small and medium size enterprises. Dawn is now being deployed for use in globally impactful research fields such as clean energy, personalized medicine and climate science and we need your help to develop tools and workflows to drive exploitation of this world leading resource. You will also play a key role in fostering a vibrant community of AI and HPC practitioners, helping to build networks that accelerate research collaboration and knowledge sharing across the UK's research ecosystem.

Who you will be working with

The role is based in the University of Cambridge's Research Computing Services a leading UK National Supercomputing Centre that provides facilities and services to world-renowned scientists, clinicians, and engineers across the UK and beyond. You'll be part of a growing team of specialist AI, Software, and Systems Engineers dedicated to supporting use of Dawn, working with a wide range of stakeholders across multiple disciplines and national institutions.

What you will do

  • Leadership: Lead diverse AI projects, adapting your approach to meet the specific needs of clients and teams.
  • Community engagement: Lead initiatives to build and nurture the Dawn user community, convening workshops and networking events that bring together researchers from different disciplines and institutions.
  • Mentorship: Design and deliver training programmes for both novice and experienced users, creating pathways for skill development within the AI/HPC community
  • Community-driven innovation: Facilitate user groups and special interest communities around specific research domains (climate science, healthcare, greener energy, etc.) to drive domain-specific innovation.

What you will have

  • Experience of leading and developing a team of highly technical specialists.
  • Practical experience with some or all of Natural Language Processing, Machine Learning, Deep Learning and Statistical Modelling techniques. Experience with Large Language Model training and fine-tuning frameworks would be welcome.
  • Proficiency in software engineering.
  • A good understanding of data structures and algorithms and data-oriented approaches to problem-solving.
  • Excellent communication skills and the ability to collaborate with experienced as well as novice clients and stakeholders.
  • Experience in community building, user engagement, or developer relations within technical communities.

Alongside a significant knowledge of AI tools and techniques, an interest in working with High Performance Computing is essential but experience is not crucial as long as you have the right attitude and enthusiasm.

What we can offer

  • Opportunities to represent the organisation at national and international conferences.
  • Budget for community events and professional development activities.
  • Connection to a broader network of AI and HPC professionals across the UK and internationally.
  • 41 days holiday per year, including bank holidays.
  • A generous pension.
  • Hybrid working. You can work some of the time from home, coming into the office as and when required.
  • A friendly and supportive team environment.
  • The opportunity to shape and influence how we work.

We welcome applications from individuals who wish to be considered for flexible working arrangements.

To apply online and to view further information about the role, please click the 'Apply' button above. 

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.

We value your feedback on the quality of our adverts. If you have a comment to make about the overall quality of this advert, or its categorisation then please send us your feedback
Advert information

Type / Role:

Subject Area(s):

Location(s):

Job tools
 

PhD Alert Created

Job Alert Created

Your PhD alert has been successfully created for this search.

Your job alert has been successfully created for this search.

Ok Ok

PhD Alert Created

Job Alert Created

Your PhD alert has been successfully created for this search.

Your job alert has been successfully created for this search.

Manage your job alerts Manage your job alerts

Account Verification Missing

In order to create multiple job alerts, you must first verify your email address to complete your account creation

Request verification email Request verification email

jobs.ac.uk Account Required

In order to create multiple alerts, you must create a jobs.ac.uk jobseeker account

Create Account Create Account

Alert Creation Failed

Unfortunately, your account is currently blocked. Please login to unblock your account.

Email Address Blocked

We received a delivery failure message when attempting to send you an email and therefore your email address has been blocked. You will not receive job alerts until your email address is unblocked. To do so, please choose from one of the two options below.

Max Alerts Reached

A maximum of 5 Job Alerts can be created against your account. Please remove an existing alert in order to create this new Job Alert

Manage your job alerts Manage your job alerts

Creation Failed

Unfortunately, your alert was not created at this time. Please try again.

Ok Ok

Create PhD Alert

Create Job Alert

When you create this PhD alert we will email you a selection of PhDs matching your criteria.When you create this job alert we will email you a selection of jobs matching your criteria. Our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy apply to this service. Any personal data you provide in setting up this alert is processed in accordance with our Privacy Notice

Create PhD Alert

Create Job Alert

When you create this PhD alert we will email you a selection of PhDs matching your criteria.When you create this job alert we will email you a selection of jobs matching your criteria. Our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy apply to this service. Any personal data you provide in setting up this alert is processed in accordance with our Privacy Notice

 
 
More jobs from University of Cambridge

Show all jobs for this employer …

More jobs like this
Join in and follow us

Browser Upgrade Recommended

jobs.ac.uk has been optimised for the latest browsers.

For the best user experience, we recommend viewing jobs.ac.uk on one of the following:

Google Chrome Firefox Microsoft Edge