Research Fellow

**Position Details**

School of Computer Science

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £35,880 to £45,163 with potential progression once in post to £47,874

Grade: 7

Full Time, Fixed Term contract up to April 2026

Closing date: 27th March 2025

**Background**

As systems and processes increasingly integrate machine learning components, whose behaviour can be unpredictable, ensuring their safety and alignment with expected outcomes is essential for responsible governance. Formal guarantees of compliance with predefined specifications are vital for establishing trust among systems, users, and regulatory bodies. In particular, there is a growing interest in integrating AI within bio-pharmaceutical processes, which demand probabilistic reasoning to ensure safety and robustness of deployed AI technologies.

**Role Summary**

The Research Fellow will play a crucial role within the Safeguarded AI project, funded by ARIA (Advanced Research and Invention Agency). As a key contributor, the Research Fellow will work in close collaboration with Dr. Mirco Giacobbe and Dr. Leonardo Stella, as part of an industrial collaboration with AstraZeneca, Cambridge UK, and will engage in cutting-edge research in AI safety, formal verification, dynamical systems and mathematical modelling for the analysis of biochemical processes.

In this role, you will develop mathematical models and algorithms for the analysis of biopharmaceutical manufacturing processes with a focus on formal safety specifications.

The goal is to enable the safety assurance of probabilistic systems with very large or continuous state space that characterise the mathematical description of biochemical processes.

**Main Duties**

The research fellow will be responsible for developing mathematical models and advanced algorithms for automated probabilistic verification in AI safety. In this role you will:

- Contribute to the research goals of the project through collaborative research, with guidance from mentors and a strong network of collaborators.
- Contribute to writing bids for research funding.
- Analyse and interpret data.
- Disseminate research findings at conferences and seminars and contribute to academic publications.
- Supervise students on research-related work and provide guidance to PhD students where appropriate to the discipline.
- Contribute to developing new models, techniques and methods.
- Undertake management/administration arising from research.
- Contribute to Departmental/School research-related activities and research-related administration.
- Contribute to enterprise, business development and/or public engagement activities of manifest benefit to the College and the University, often under supervision of a project leader.
- Deal with problems that may affect the achievement of research objectives and deadlines.
- Promotes equality and values diversity acting as a role model and fostering an inclusive working culture.

**Person Specification**
- First degree in area of specialism and normally, a higher degree relevant to formal verification, dynamical systems, stochastic analysis, statistics or equivalent qualifications.
- Proven ability to publish in top-tier conferences and journals in machine learning, automatic control, bioinformatics.
- Experience presenting research findings at seminars and conferences and ability to communicate complex information clearly.
- Proficiency in programming, with knowledge of (or willingness to learn) machine learning software and formal verification platforms.
- Ability to assess resource requirements and use resources effectively.
- Understanding of and ability to contribute to broader management/administration processes.
- Contribute to the planning and organising of the research programme and/or specific research project.
- Coordinate own work with others to avoid conflict or duplication of effort.Knowledge of the protected characteristics of the Equality Act 2010, and how to actively ensure in day-to-day activity in own area that those with protected characteristics are treated equally and fairly.

**We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy**. **You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone**on our website**.