Please note: the closing date for this post has now passed and further applications may not be accepted.

Further Particulars

Post title	Research Associate
Reference number	S36868
School/department	School of Computer Science
Closing date for receipt of applications	8/6/2006
Hours	Full time
Salary range	Starting salary Ł20,842 - Ł24,886 a year; potential progression to Ł25,633 a year
Post duration	The post is available until 31 March 2007
Number of vacancies available	1
Personnel contact(s)	Ms. Jo Gerald email: j.a.gerald@bham.ac.uk tel.: 0121 415 9000
Informal enquiries to	Prof. X Yao email: x.yao@cs.bham.ac.uk
Details Job Summary Cercia is the applied arm of the synergetic triangle in natural computation in the School of Computer Science, University of Birmingham. This post will provide support in research activities, outreach courses, projects and the research group and strengthen the team of Research Fellows Cercia, supporting Cercia in its outreach and knowledge transfer activities, including software development and scholarship publications. Main Duties 1. Delivery of Cercia Business Assist. (65%) This involves meeting with companies, assessing company needs, performing background research, producing business assist reports, producing and maintaining records of all activities. This activity requires in-depth knowledge of natural computation, as well as the ability to quickly understand the area of the BA, and the ability to perform background research. It also requires very good communication skills. Duties include:- (This equates to 60% of the individual time and it is an expectation that the following duties would be undertaken) To undertake prescribed research tasks in accordance with specified research projects in order to support the achievement of Cercia\x{2019}s and the School\x{2019}s research strategy. To prioritise tasks within agreed work schedule to ensure that projects are delivered on time. To contribute to the development or choice of research methods, techniques, approaches and models used by Cercia, the Natural Computation Group and the School. To carry out routine administrative tasks associated with specified research projects, e.g. preparation of manuscripts for publication, organisation of project meetings and documentation. To attend meetings and conferences for the purposes to disseminating research results. To be available to participate in company visits as required by the specified research projects. To undertake collection of research data through a variety of research methods such as experimentation and research interviews. To write technology briefing reports for business readers and technical papers for academic researchers. To publish high quality papers in international conferences and/or journals. 2. Participation in other outreach activities, especially involvement in preparation and teaching of Cercia courses, attendance of exhibitions, meetings, and other related activities. This requires good communication and interpersonal skills. (10%) 3. Identification of potential business assist clients. This involves web and database searches, attendance of meetings, and exploration of other sources (e.g. news). (10%) 4. Production of software. This involves taking ideas and programs developed in Cercia and the natural computation group, and developing them into demos suitable for exhibitions, client meetings, etc. This requires both programming skills in a number of programming languages, and the understanding of the underlying natural computation principles. (10%) 5. Any other duties as may reasonably be required by the Cercia Director. (5%) Decision Making/Problem Solving (i) without reference to others Developing software systems in the applications of nature inspired techniques. Writing papers for conferences, magazines and journals. Identifying Cercia Business Assist leads. (ii) after consulting others Contacting companies for meetings. Producing Cercia Business Assist reports. Approaching companies, inviting them to meetings with Cercia. Producing and presenting course materials, tutorials and exercises. (iii) or that would be referred to someone else Any network, marketing, publicity and other general administrative activities for areas in the School of Computer Science outside Cercia. Final checking and editing of Business Assist reports. Contract negotiation. Any financial matters. Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications and Experience Required Essential Excellent graduate degree, e.g., at the MSc level, in Natural Computation Understanding and experience of research methods and processes in natural computation and its applications Excellent analytical and problem solving skills in Computational Intelligence and natural computation Work experience on industrial projects (2+ years) Self-motivated and keen on tackling real-world problems Ability to work effectively and efficiently as team member as well as independently Excellent written and oral communication skills Excellent education and training in Natural Computation to the MSc level Desirable Software development either as part of research or real-world project Ability to move between different projects as needed Ability to work independently and meet deadlines Interest in applications of Computational Intelligence Interest in working with industry Communication Skills Contact / Purpose/Skills Required Industry / Presentation of Cercia, Introduction of Natural Computation to people outside the field, understanding industry's language and problems, producing reports that are scientifically sound whilst accessible for the client. Cercia Staff / Cooperation on business assists, demos, targets, leads; peer review of reports. Cercia Manager / Coordination of contacts to companies, work prioritization, other Cercia related duties Academics within Computer Science and other Departments / Collaboration on BAs and other projects
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Cercia Research Associate job vacancy

Please note: the closing date for this post has now passed and further applications may not be accepted.