Salary range: £36,924 - £45,613
FTE: 1 (35 hours/week)
Term: Fixed Term (12 months)
Closing date: 11th November 2024
Applications are sought for a Post-Doctoral Research Associate position in Neuromorphic Photonics for Ultrafast Artificial Intelligence Systems. The position is based at the Institute of Photonics (IoP, Dept. of Physics) at the University of Strathclyde.
The successful candidate will work with Dr. Antonio Hurtado, on the UKRI funded Turing AI Fellowship Programme ‘Photonics for Ultrafast Artificial Intelligence (PHOTON-AI)’. The goal of this programme is to design, develop and investigate novel optoelectronic technologies for low energy and ultrafast neuromorphic (brain-like) photonic systems for applications in light-enabled Brain-inspired Computing and Artificial Intelligence. This will involve the design and investigation of photonic artificial neural networks using semiconductor lasers (e.g. Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers-VCSELs) and optoelectronic systems as building blocks, as well as to analyse their performance in complex processing tasks (e.g. image/video processing, pattern recognition, data classification) for use in a variety of industry-informed applications.
The successful candidate will have access to state-of-the-art photonic and micro-fabrication laboratories at Strathclyde. In addition to the development and experimental investigation of the aforementioned opto-electronic neuromorphic photonic systems, the successful candidate will be involved in the development of suitable training algorithms to ensure their successful operation in complex processing tasks. A background in photonics and/or opto-electronic devices and systems and experimental analysis of free-space/fibre-coupled/integrated optical systems is desirable. A background in the programming and algorithm development for the training of neuromorphic (photonic) systems and neural networks is also desirable.
In addition, institutional training courses in leadership skills are available and the successful candidate will be encouraged to undertake these to further their own career objectives. An ability to communicate research effectively is important and public communication training will also be provided.
The project defines strategic collaborations with a wide network of project partners and stakeholders in the UK and overseas. The appointed researcher will work closely with these partners with the opportunity for research visits and secondments to partners as well as travel for dissemination of results at international conferences.
Our research team, with expertise in fundamental and applied research in neuromorphic photonics, nonlinear dynamical systems, light-enabled AI and nanophotonics, are a collegiate and welcoming group and we are looking for a candidate who will enjoy working in the collaborative and dynamic environment at the IoP. We look forward to hearing from candidates with good experimental background and strong oral and written communication skills. Candidates should have an academic or industrial R&D record in photonics or optoelectronics and a demonstrable ability to work both collaboratively and independently.
Whilst a Research Associate is sought for this position, applications from candidates who are close to completing a PhD are also welcome. In such circumstances, appointment will be made at grade 6 level (Research Assistant) and duties and grade will be revised accordingly.
The Hurtado group places the highest importance on equality, diversity and inclusion (ED&I) within our team and recognises the benefits that come with a diverse workforce. Thus, we are particularly welcoming of applications from candidates from under-represented groups, and from those with non-standard career paths. ED&I has been embedded throughout our work and will continue to be an important consideration as our research work develops.
*Whilst a Post-Doctoral Research Associate is ideally sought for this position; applications from candidates who are close to PhD completion or whose award is pending, are welcome. In such circumstances, the appointment will be made at Research Assistant level (RS06 salary scale £ 32,296 -£ 35,880) and duties will be adjusted to reflect the grade of the post. This will continue until the PhD award is confirmed, at which point the duties and grade will be revised accordingly.
Informal enquiries about the post can be directed to Dr Antonio Hurtado, Reader and UKRI Turing AI Acceleration Fellow (antonio.hurtado@strath.ac.uk ; +44 (0)141 548 4668). Further information on the Institute of Photonics can be found at: www.photonics.ac.uk.
Formal interviews for this post will be held in November 2024.
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