University of Birmingham – Centre for Systems Modelling & Quantitative Biomedicine

Salary: Full time starting salary is normally in the range £45,585 to £54,395 with potential progression once in post to £61,198, Grade 8

Hours: Full time

Contract type: Fixed term, 3 years

Closes: 9th October 2023

This is a unique 3-year research role for a talented and versatile data scientist/statistician, computer scientist or mathematical modeller to work as part of a team of interdisciplinary researchers within the Centre for Systems Modelling and Quantitative Biomedicine (SMQB) at the University of Birmingham.

SMQB is a unique environment for the pursuit of interdisciplinary research which brings together outstanding scientists and innovators from our School of Mathematics, School of Computer Science, and the Institute for Metabolism and Systems Research in the Medical School.

This comes at an exciting time for the SMQB with an anticipated move in early 2024 into the Precision Health Technologies Accelerator (PHTA, https://phta.co.uk/), a unique innovation and accelerator facility which is part of the Birmingham Health Innovation Campus (https://phta.co.uk/bhic/). The PHTA provides state-of-the-art incubation and collaboration space and SMQB will be co-located with innovative health and life science businesses, bringing together entrepreneurs, start-ups and scale-ups together with the next generation of academic and clinical leaders, creating unique opportunities to commercialise ideas and accelerate the rapid development of cutting-edge therapies and technologies.

Led by Professor John Terry, SMQB’s mission is to transform lives through quantitative biomedical and clinical research. We co-create research challenges with a range of stakeholders, including industry partners, biomedical researchers, clinical scientists, as well as people with lived experience of disease and members of the public. To solve these challenges, we use techniques from machine learning, artificial intelligence and data science and statistical and mathematical modelling. Our key research themes are mathematical and computer modelling; neuroscience and neurology; endocrinology, metabolism and reproduction; and medical sensors and wearables. We currently hosts 3 independent research fellows, as well as being the hub for a £1.3M EPSRC/MRC Network+ in responsible neurotechnology.

The role

Centre Fellows are innovative roles which are critical for the success of our interdisciplinary ethos. They are designed to enable transition to independence for talented early career researchers and give you the opportunity to develop and grow your own research portfolio, with the freedom that comes with a research-only contract. To facilitate this, the role comprises two main parts to which you will devote your time equally:

Pursuing your own personal programme of research.Your time will be spent developing your research portfolio in one or more of the key research themes of the Centre, while being immersed in a highly supportive and dynamic environment. You will receive mentoring and support from world-class academics, as well as the training and coaching needed to support your transition to independence.
Pump-priming interdisciplinary industry facing research projects. You will provide the quantitative expertise and leadership to co-create and develop needs-driven projects of biomedical and clinical significance with researchers from across our unique university, hospital and industry ecosystem. Working closely with relevant industrial partners from within or beyond the PHTA (in areas such as digital health, MedTech or diagnostics) alongside academics, healthcare users and members of the public you will propose and develop collaborative projects and co-create commercialisation and translational opportunities where applicable. This includes liaising with industry, senior academics, and Business Engagement to ensure the proposed research is fit for purpose and conducting research and publishing outcomes, as appropriate to the disciplinary area and specific project.

In addition to these main components, Centre Fellows have the opportunity to become involved in interdisciplinary training and stakeholder engagement, as we continue to grow the ecosystem within and beyond Birmingham.

About you

You will hold a PhD or equivalent in Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Physics, or a related discipline. You will already have extensive postdoctoral experience and either existing industrial experience or the transferable skills and desire to engage in stakeholder-led research. You will be curiosity driven and seeking to further develop your quantitative skills to tackle some of the most pressing healthcare and societal challenges. You will receive strong support and mentorship to develop your own independent programme of research, with the ultimate aim of securing your own personal fellowship funding.

We are seeking an individual with a strong background in one or more of:

machine learning and/or AI
Image analysis; time series analysis; data visualisation
statistical modelling/statistical inference
Interdisciplinary mathematical modelling
wearable technologies
scientific computing and programming in multiple high-level programming languages (e.g. C, C++, Julia, Matlab, Python, R)

If you have the demonstrated capacity to work independently, think creatively and desire to work as part of a collaborative team we want to hear from you.

Informal enquiries should be addressed to Dr Rebecca Ward, SMQB Programme Manager at r.j.ward.2@bham.ac.uk.