Research Scientist - Contractor

CompanyHuawei Technologies Research & Development (UK) Ltd

LocationEdinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom

Posted At1/23/2026

UK Visa Sponsorship Analytics

Occupation Type

Natural and social science professionals not elsewhere classified.

Occupation Code Skill LevelHigher Skilled

Sponsorship Salary Threshold

£41,700 (£21.38 per hour)

Standard minimum applies

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Description

About Huawei Research And Development UK Limited

Founded in 1987, Huawei is a leading global provider of information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and smart devices. We have 207,000 employees and operate in over 170 countries and regions, serving more than three billion people around the world.

Our vision and mission is to bring digital to every person, home and organization for a fully connected, intelligent world. To this end, we will drive ubiquitous connectivity and promote equal access to networks; bring cloud and artificial intelligence to all four corners of the earth to provide superior computing power where you need it, when you need it; build digital platforms to help all industries and organizations become more agile, efficient, and dynamic; redefine user experience with AI, making it more personalized for people in all aspects of their life, whether they’re at home, in the office, or on the go.

This spirit of innovation has led Huawei to work in close partnership with leading academic institutions in the UK to develop and refine the latest technologies. With a shared commitment to innovation and progress, both parties have worked together to achieve common goals and establish a strong partnership. The partnership between UK and Huawei help to develop the technologies of the future that will transform the way we all communicate, work and live.

For the past 30 years we have maintained an unwavering focus, rejecting shortcuts and easy opportunities that don't align with our core business. With a practical approach to everything we do, we concentrate our efforts and invest patiently to drive technological breakthroughs.

This strategic focus is a reflection of our core values:

staying customer-centric,

inspiring dedication,

persevering,

Growing by reflection

Huawei Research And Development UK Limited Overview

Huawei’s vision is a fully connected, intelligent world. To achieve this, we work to inspire passion for basic research around the world. Our combined passion drives development across the global innovation value chain. Huawei has the largest Research and Development organization in the world with 96,000+ employees in research centers around the globe. In the UK, we already have design centers in Cambridge, London, Edinburgh and Ipswich. We continue to explore and define new research directions and new services. We have expanded our collaborations with academic researchers; researched new network architectures, integration of communications and key enabling technologies; and developed the fundamental theories of these technologies. We invite you to join us on this exciting journey and drive your career forward.

Job Summary:

The Systems Infrastructure Research (SIR) lab in Edinburgh plays a key role in shaping the future of Huawei’s data centre infrastructure. Uniquely positioned at the intersection of advanced research and practical engineering, our team translates cutting-edge innovations into real-world solutions.

We are looking to hire several contract Research Scientists with expertise in computer systems and AI infrastructure to conduct cutting-edge research. These roles are ideal for recent PhD graduates seeking industrial research experience or for exceptional BSc or MSc graduates looking to deepen their research skills in an industry setting. We welcome applicants with backgrounds in one or more of the following areas: operating systems, distributed systems, and machine learning systems.

Key Responsibilities:

Rapid Prototyping: Collaborate with a multidisciplinary team to quickly develop and test proof-of-concept prototypes, validating research ideas in real-world, industrial environments.
Performance Optimization: Perform detailed profiling and optimization of operating systems and large-scale distributed systems, leveraging a range of heterogeneous hardware (e.g., CPU, NPU) for enhanced performance.
Research Publications: Transform research findings and innovative contributions into high-impact publications in top-tier academic journals and conferences.
Technical Documentation: Create and maintain comprehensive technical documentation outlining research methods, design decisions, and implementation specifics to ensure reproducibility and support internal knowledge sharing.
Stakeholder Engagement: Communicate research progress, performance insights, and key outcomes to internal stakeholders through clear and engaging presentations.

Person Specification:

List details of Knowledge, Skills, Experience and Qualifications needed to do the job:

Required:

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science or a related technical field.

Be comfortable with research methodology.

Have an in-depth understanding of operating systems and/or distributed systems and/or cloud computing and/or machine learning systems.

Good programming skills, master of at least one language, such as C/C++.

Good communication and teamwork skills.

Desired:

PhD in operating systems, distributed systems, or machine learning systems.
Published papers in top journals/conferences focused on systems (NSDI, EuroSys, SoCC, OSDI etc.) and/or machine learning (NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR).
Experience in the full lifecycle of developing, deploying, and maintaining large-scale cloud production systems, demonstrating expertise in scalability, reliability, and performance optimization.

This job description is only an outline of the tasks, responsibilities and outcomes required of the role. The jobholder will carry out any other duties as may be reasonably required by his/her line manager. The job description and personal specification may be reviewed on an ongoing basis in accordance with the changing needs of Huawei Research and Development UK Limited.