Research Assistant/Associate – Robot Plankton Taxonomist (Fixed Term)

About the Project

Applications are invited for a Research Associate to carry out a joint project "The Robot Plankton Taxonomist", funded by UKRI and co-supervised by Prof Pietro Liò at the Department of Computer Science and Technology, University of Cambridge and colleagues at the Centre for Environment and Aquatic Science (Cefas) and the Marine Biological Association (MBA). The project investigates the use of multimodal machine learning approaches to segment images and model the phenotypic of plankton. Using imaging and electronic information data available at the partner organisations, the postholder will explore different deep learning approaches to develop the next generation of classifiers that explicitly include chain-of-thought reasoning to address current classifiers' limitations, thus supporting cost-effective and sustainable biodiversity monitoring programmes.

The post holder will be part of a multidisciplinary team, have opportunity to visit partner organisations and participate in field work at sea if they wish, which will provide a great opportunity to interact with colleagues expert in the field.

Main Duties

• Be responsible for all aspects of the research projects, including defining the direction of the work, conducting the research, analysing the data, preparing the work for publications and disseminating the results at meetings.
• Identify, develop and apply a broad range of techniques to pursue the research objectives.
• Keep up to date with developments in the field, proposing or implementing changes of direction as necessary.
• Ensure the research is carried out in accordance with good practice and in compliance with local policies and legal requirements.

Profile and Skills

• PhD (or close to completion) in Computer Science, Biology, Bioinformatics, Mathematics, or another relevant field, or equivalent research or industry experience.
• Strong programming skills in Python and familiarity with git.
• Experience developing machine learning models, ideally with a focus on multimodal representation learning is an advantage.
• Experience working with brain imaging and/or molecular data is desirable.

Appointment at Research Associate level is dependent on having a PhD. Those who have submitted but not yet received their PhD will be appointed at Research Assistant level, which will be amended to Research Associate once the PhD has been awarded.

Salary

£33,002–£46,049, plus an additional 2.5% supplement.

How to Apply

Applications should include a cover letter, CV, publications list and contact details for two professional referees. Please quote reference NR49713 on your application.

Apply via: https://www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/research-assistantassociate-fixed-term-nr49713