Lecturer in Data Science

Submission Information
Publish Date: 
Thursday, December 22, 2022
Archive Date: 
Thursday, February 16, 2023
Job Summary
Job Category: 
Faculty Positions (tenure and tenure-track)
Institution Classification/Type: 
Foreign
Institution/Company: 
Newcastle University
Department Name: 
School of Maths, Stats & Physics,
City: 
Newcastle Upon Tyne
State/Province: 
Tyne And Wear
Country: 
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Announcement
Job Announcement Text: 

We are a world class research-intensive university. We deliver teaching and learning of the highest quality. We play a leading role in economic, social and cultural development of the North East of England. Attracting and retaining high-calibre people is fundamental to our continued success.

What’s in it for you? Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Newcastle University is committed to being a fully inclusive Global University which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society.  We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all our employees and the communities they represent.  We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from everybody, regardless of race, sex, ethnicity, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, age, disability, gender identity, marital status/civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, as well as being open to flexible working practices.

Salary

Lecturer Grade F: £37,474 to £42,155 per annum

Lecturer Grade G: £43,414 to £46,047 per annum

Closing Date: 14 February 2023

The Role

We are a world class research-intensive university. We deliver teaching and learning of the highest quality. We play a leading role in economic, social, and cultural development of the Northeast of England. Attracting and retaining high-calibre people is fundamental to our continued success.
 
What’s in it for you? Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package; plus, the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and several health and wellbeing initiatives to support you, discounted travel for the Metro and local bus services; and discounts for national retailers.  

We are committed to building and maintaining a fair and inclusive working environment and we would be happy to discuss arrangements for flexible and/or blended working.

Applications are invited for multiple vacancies for Lecturer in Data Science within the School of Mathematics, Statistics & Physics, with a flexible start date to be agreed.  The successful candidate will be expected to carry out excellent research and teaching in an area of data science which compliments and strengthen our existing activities.

The successful candidate will benefit a thriving environment in data science.  The School’s research activities in statistics, pure and applied mathematics, and physics span the theory and methods underpinning data science through to data-driven applications in the life sciences, the cosmos and industry.  Data science is one of the key research themes of Newcastle University.  We are part of the Alan Turing Institute and collaborate with the £30 million Newcastle-based National Innovation Centre for Data (NICD). We are partners with the School of Computing in the delivery of an MSc in Data Science and the development of an online version of this programme.  Our NUdata Centre for Doctoral Training in Data Intensive Science for Astrophysics is now recruiting its second cohort and will run until 2028

We particularly seek candidates whose research aligns to one of the following areas of activity in the School: Statistical data science, astrostatistics, mathematical biology & epidemiology, and mathematical data science.  More information on each of these areas, including a contact, is available in the Job Description.

Our aim is to employ a rich mix of people with different backgrounds that will help us to:
•    bring new ideas and different perspectives to both teaching and research
•    refresh our engagement with one another and challenge our thinking
•    enhance our collegiate environment
•    provide more diverse role models, attract a wider range of bright, active, and engaged students, and enhance our pastoral care

All applicants who fulfil the criteria are welcome. We are keen to offer opportunities, where possible, to people from groups who are currently underrepresented in STEM disciplines in the UK.  We are the proud recipients of an institutional silver Athena SWAN award and a unit-level bronze award, demonstrating our achievements and ongoing commitment to achieving gender equality.  

We particularly seek candidates whose research aligns to one of the following areas of activity in the School:

•    Statistical data science. Our Statistics group is internationally recognised for its strength in Bayesian statistics, statistical computation, biostatistics, machine learning, and applied statistics.  The Statistics Group currently has 18 permanent academic staff, including 3 professors, with two new permanent staff recently appointed and joining us later in 2023. Research has been supported in recent years by, inter alia, BBSRC, CRUK, EPSRC, ESRC, EU, Leverhulme, MRC, NIHR and the Wellcome Trust. Contact: Prof Chris Oates ([email protected]).

•    Astrostatistics: Our Astrophysics group covers a range of topics ranging from stars and planets to cosmology and includes observers and theorists.  Many of our staff use advanced statistical techniques and machine learning to understand the large quantities of data coming from modern surveys as well as high performance computing. Our group, joint with Northumbria, was just awarded one of five CDT’s countrywide in Data Science for Astrophysics https://research.northumbria.ac.uk/nudata/ Contact Prof. Tamara Rogers ([email protected]).  

•    Mathematical biology & epidemiology: Our mathematical biology group (with 8 academic staff, including 2 professors) has key focuses on ecology, sustainability, and health, working across broad areas including biofuels, stem cell colonies & tree and plant disease. We have strategic links with both the faculty of medical sciences, the school of natural sciences, and the statistics group to constrain our models with world leading data. Contact: Dr Andrew Baggaley ([email protected])

•    Mathematical data science: The successful candidate will focus from a mathematical perspective on the foundational and theoretical underpinnings of machine learning and statistics, for instance in the areas of optimal transport, machine learning and differential equations, topological data science/persistent homology, algebraic statistics, or cryptography. Our group in Pure Mathematics is internationally recognised for its research across the areas of Analysis, Algebra, Geometry and Topology. The successful candidate will have, or present a clear plan towards establishing, meaningful links with at least some of these research themes. Contact: Dr David Seifert ([email protected])

Key Accountabilities

•    Undertake independent original research in an area related to data science
•    Publish refereed articles in journals of international standing
•    Collaborate with colleagues in the School on research
•    Collaborate in applied research with colleagues from other schools
•    Develop grant-funded research projects
•    Supervise students taking the MSc in Data Science, PhD students and postdoctoral researchers
•    Undertake external professional activities that contribute to the development or application of data science techniques
•    Undertake teaching in data science, including contributing to the design and delivery of a suite of Online Masters degrees in Data Science
•    Contribute to the academic life and work of the School
•    Carry out administrative duties as assigned by the Head of School and the School Executive Board

The University has developed an Academic Job Summary Guidance document which summarises the range of activities that academic staff may be expected to perform

The Person 

Knowledge, Skills and Experience
•    Evidence of analytical and problem-solving capability with the relevant personal skills, initiative, and drive
•    Strong awareness of modern methodology in data science
•    A record of high-quality research in data science, with potential to meet the University’s standard for submission to the Research Excellence Framework and achieve international standing in research within a few years
•    Demonstrable ability to effectively teach at University level and the willingness to supervise PhD students and postdoctoral researchers
•    Experience of using digital content in teaching and the ability to effectively contribute to the online teaching of data science
•    Excellent written and oral communication skills

Desirable
•    Experience of presentation of work to the national/international research community at conferences, workshops or seminars

Attributes and Behaviour
•    Excellent collaborative, interpersonal and team-working skills
•    A clear, ambitious yet realistic vision for their research that represents a good fit with the aims of the academic unit and the delivery of research outcomes to a defined timescale
•    Effective time management, prioritisation, and organisation skills to balance the potentially conflicting demands of teaching, research, and administration; and the ability to meet deadlines
•    Ability to engage with and respond enthusiastically and positively to students from a wide variety of backgrounds
•    Candidates must demonstrate how they can positively contribute to fostering an inclusive environment

Qualifications
•    PhD in Data Science, Statistics, Mathematics or Physics (or closely related discipline)
Desirable
•    Relevant teaching qualification

The University holds a silver Athena SWAN award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality. The University is also a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe.

Included Benefits: 

We have put together a market-leading package of benefits for our colleagues to provide you with what you need both at work and in your personal life.

We ensure there is something for everyone and these benefits include:

  • A cycle to work scheme
  • Shopping discounts
  • Competitive pension scheme
  • Health and wellbeing initiatives
  • Activities and events
  • Generous leave
  • Discounted travel
  • Christmas shutdown

Visit the pages below to find out more about our benefits

https://www.ncl.ac.uk/vacancies/benefits/

Application Deadline: 
Tuesday, February 14, 2023
Selection Deadline: 
Monday, February 20, 2023
Current Status of Position: 
Accepting Applicants
Apply to Job
Attention To: 
Tamara Rogers
Title: 
Professor of computational Astrophysics
Institution/Company: 
Newcastle University
Department Name: 
School of Maths, Stats & Physics
Country: 
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Institution/Company Job ID or Reference Code: 
24875
Inquiries About Job
Attention To: 
Tamara Rogers
Subject: 
24875 Lecturer in Data Science