Senior / Research Associate - Language Modelling

HOURS: 36

The Alan Turing Institute

Named in honour of Alan Turing, the Institute is a place for inspiring, exciting work and we need passionate, sharp, and innovative people who want to use their skills to contribute to our mission to make great leaps in data science and AI research to change the world for the better.

Please find more information about us here 

ROLE PURPOSE

The primary purpose of the role is to conduct internationally leading research in language modelling and be part of the Institute's Fundamental Research strategic priority area. The role will contribute to the development of sovereign language modelling capabilities, spanning the training, adaptation, fine-tuning, distillation and evaluation of models that strengthen the UK's national resilience, security and public value. 

The SRA/RA will be part of a collaborative, multidisciplinary team of researchers and research engineers and will be expected to engage with internal and external stakeholders and collaborators to support delivery of an ambitious research programme. 

HOW YOU WILL MAKE AN IMPACT

• Publish and disseminate high-quality research papers and publications detailing research outputs and project case studies.
• Communicate and present research outputs to diverse stakeholders through conferences, events, meetings and media opportunities.
• Adhere to and promote principles of reproducible and ethical data science and ensure secure handling of data and health and safety in all aspects of work.
• Undertake high-quality research, actively contributing to the research aims of the Fundamental Research area.
• Engage with stakeholders to ensure that research outcomes can be deployed in the real world.
• Support the preparation of proposals, applications and reports to external bodies for funding and contractual purposes.

Additional duties for SRA

• Define research direction in collaboration with Principal Investigators (PIs).
• Act as a key point of contact, supporting PIs in stakeholder engagement activities.
• Lead the development of reports and publications arising from research findings.
• Lead on the preparation of proposals and applications to external bodies for funding and contractual purposes.
• Manage and/or provide leadership and mentorship to junior team members. 

ABOUT YOU

The ideal candidate will hold a PhD (or equivalent) in an area relevant to this role. They will have the ability to nurture and deliver high-quality research through all stages of development and actively contribute to the aims of the Fundamental Research area. The successful candidate will have experience developing software code and libraries alongside the ability to present complex technical information to a variety of stakeholders. They will be comfortable leading research while also working collaboratively within a multidisciplinary environment to support delivery of an ambitious research programme. We are looking for someone with excellent written and verbal communication skills, demonstrated through high-quality publications in a relevant field. 

Please see our portal for a full breakdown of the Job Description. 

Terms and Conditions

This post is offered on a fixed-term basis. The annual salary range is £45,505 - £51,465 for RA and £57,000 - £58,482 for SRA, plus excellent benefits including flexible working and family-friendly policies. 

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

We value diversity of background, experience, and perspective, and are proud to be an inclusive employer. We warmly encourage applications from all backgrounds, particularly from groups currently under-represented in our sector.  If you feel passionate about this role but don’t meet every single requirement, please apply – we recognise that great candidates may bring strengths beyond the criteria listed.