Research Fellow in Artificial Intelligence for Engineering

The University of Sheffield is a remarkable place to work. Our people are at the heart of everything we do. Their diverse backgrounds, abilities and beliefs make Sheffield a world-class university.

We offer a fantastic range of benefits including a highly competitive annual leave entitlement (with the ability to purchase more), a generous pensions scheme, flexible working opportunities, a commitment to your development and wellbeing, a wide range of retail discounts, and much more. Find out more about our benefits (opens in a new window) and join us to become part of something special.

Overview

The School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the University of Sheffield seeks to appoint a Research Fellow on a full-time fixed-term contract for four years.

This is a rare opportunity for the successful applicant to develop further towards leading an independent academic career at the interface of AI and engineering applications (such as advanced manufacturing). The role holder will primarily support the Head of School (Professor George Panoutsos, Chair in Computational Intelligence) and his research activities in the area of Machine Learning (ML) for Engineering, focusing on aspects of explainable machine learning within a range of engineering applications. In addition, you will assist the Head of School in managing his personal research and group consisting of early career research associates and PhD students.

You will also engage directly with numerous external stakeholders (industry and academia), which will form part of your research network and give you opportunities for further research collaboration and dissemination. The role will offer some opportunities for supporting taught students too (i.e. research-level projects), hence enabling the successful applicant to build a strong overall academic profile towards a future career in academia (i.e. towards a Lectureship in future years).

The School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE) is part of the prestigious Faculty of Engineering, which is one of the largest academic communities of engineers in the UK, ranked joint first in the UK for Research Environment in the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021).

We are home to several national institutes and centres (e.g. National Epitaxy Facility, The National 6G Radio Systems Facility, National mmWave Facility, Rolls-Royce Control, Monitoring and Systems Engineering University Technology Centre). We strive to conduct fundamental research and innovation to address global challenges, while also supporting the education of the next generation of engineers.

Main Duties And Responsibilities

• Conduct personal research of international standing, which includes identifying literature and updating own knowledge; assessing the validity of the relevant literature and lead scientific/engineering contributions to the development of own field.
• Write up research work for publication and give presentations at conferences.
• Determine research objectives, and initiate and implement a programme of research. This may include managing time, materials, finance and equipment.
• Disseminate research findings/results through the production of papers for high quality journals and presentation either in-house or at national/international conferences or seminars.
• Identify appropriate sources of funding and support for the preparation of research proposals for funding bodies.
• Apply for, manage or co-manage external research funding over the period of grant(s).
• Prepare at least one grant application with PDRA staffing and one without over the period of this post.
• Involvement in professional activities such as refereeing papers, editing journals, refereeing research grants, external examining, organising conferences, committee membership and involvement with professional bodies on accreditation.
• Supervise or co-supervise undergraduate/postgraduate project students and/or PhD students. Manage Research Assistant(s) and/or Research Associate(s) if requested.
• Delegate and monitor the work of research students.
• Deal with reactive requests relating to supervising research staff and students.
• Participate in consortium meetings and seminars.
• Plan several months in advance to meet deadlines for journal publications and to prepare presentations and papers for collaboration meetings and conferences.
• Maintain representation and standing by active membership of research and professional committees and groups.
• Carry out other duties, commensurate with the grade and remit of the post

Person Specification

Our diverse community of staff and students recognises the unique abilities, backgrounds, and beliefs of all. We foster a culture where everyone feels they belong and is respected. Even if your past experience doesn't match perfectly with this role's criteria, your contribution is valuable, and we encourage you to apply. Please ensure that you reference the application criteria in the application statement when you apply. As part of your application, please submit a full academic CV and list of publications.

Criteria

Essential Or Desirable

Stage(s) assessed at

A PhD (or close to completion of a PhD) in Machine Learning or a similar area (e.g. in Computer Science, Electrical and Electronic Engineering) or equivalent experience. Experience with ML applications in engineering would be advantageous.

Essential

Interview / Application / Test

Evidence of high-quality, relevant publications (commensurate with career stage).

Essential

Interview / Application / Test

In-depth knowledge of Computational Intelligence/Machine Learning systems and methods, in particular those relevant to Explainable AI, Physics-Guided Machine Learning.

Essential

Interview / Application / Test

Strong software development skills (for example, in Python, MATLAB, C++, usage of HPC facilities)

Essential

Interview / Application / Test

Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, report writing skills and experience of delivering presentations.

Essential

Interview / Application / Test

Ability to work effectively with internal colleagues and external academic and industrial partners.

Essential

Interview / Application / Test

Ability to analyse and solve problems with an appreciation of longer-term implications.

Essential

Interview / Application / Test

Ability to assess and organise resources, and plan and progress work activities.

Essential

Interview / Application / Test

Experience of developing and maintaining a network of contacts throughout own work area.

Desirable

Interview / Application / Test

Further Information

Grade

Grade 8

Salary

£48,149-£57,422 with the potential to progress to £64,605 through sustained exceptional contribution

Work arrangement

Full time, flexible working may be considered

Duration

Fixed term for four years

Line manager

Head of School

Our website

https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/eee

Contact

Rebecca Fieldsend ([email protected])

Next steps in the recruitment process

It is anticipated that the interviews for this position will take place on Monday 11th August 2025. This will consist of an interview and a presentation. Please contact Rebecca Fieldsend ([email protected]) if you require any reasonable adjustments.

Our vision and strategic plan

We are the University of Sheffield. This is our vision: sheffield.ac.uk/vision (opens in new window).

What We Offer

• A minimum of 41 days annual leave including bank holiday and closure days (pro rata) with the ability to purchase more.
• Flexible working opportunities, including hybrid working for some roles.
• Generous pension scheme.
• A wide range of discounts and rewards on shopping, eating out and travel.
• A variety of staff networks, providing opportunities for social interaction, peer support and personal development (for example, Race Equality, LGBT+, Women’s and Parent’s networks).
• Recognition Awards to reward staff who go above and beyond in their role.
• A commitment to your development access to learning and mentoring schemes; integrated with our Academic Career Pathways.
• A range of generous family-friendly policies
• paid time off for parenting and caring emergencies
• support for those going through the menopause
• paid time off and support for fertility treatment
• and more

More details can be found on our benefits page: sheffield.ac.uk/jobs/benefits (opens in a new window).

We are a Disability Confident Employer. If you have a disability and meet the essential criteria for this job you will be invited to take part in the next stage of the selection process.

Closing Date : 27/07/2025

We are a research university with a global reputation for excellence. Our ideas and expertise change the world for the better, making a real difference to society. We know that when people come together with different views, approaches and insights it can lead to richer, more creative and innovative teaching and research and the highest levels of student experience. Our University Vision (www.sheffield.ac.uk/vision) outlines our commitment to building a diverse community of staff and students that recognises and values the abilities, backgrounds, beliefs and ways of living for everyone.