Vacancies

Postdoctoral Research Associate in Inclusive Battery Redeployment and Policy for Global Decarbonisation

Research Grade 7: £38674 - £46913

Closes: 13 Jan 2025

We are seeking a full-time Postdoctoral Research Associate in Just and Inclusive Battery Redeployment for Global Decarbonisation to join the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, School of Geography and Environment at the University of Oxford. The post is funded by the Oxford Martin Programme on Circular Battery Economies. It is fixed-term for 30 months (or up to December 2027).

The successful candidate will work on an exciting new multi-disciplinary programme on Circular Battery Economies, which aims to determine the existing/growing role of batteries for energy storage in Global South countries. This position will focus on identifying and understanding the interactions of key actors within these landscapes, building analytical frameworks based on comprehensive data and institutional mapping, analysis of growth sectors and geographies, and continuous stakeholder engagement.

Main duties will include:

understanding the landscape of cross-cutting policies that support battery uptake in Global South countries and current market entry points/barriers for second-life batteries

identifying stakeholder groups that influence deployment of second life batteries

understanding community needs and to what extent community perceptions of using second life batteries are factored in

the role of justice in battery uptake and use, and the synergies between regulatory and policy frameworks supporting battery deployment for sustainable uptake.

The post-holder will undertake interdisciplinary research, and have skills in mixed methods (qualitative and quantitative) research, as well as demonstrable capability to engage with diverse stakeholder and community groups This research will inform targeted policy interventions. The project will involve close collaboration with researchers from other disciplines within the Oxford Martin School Circular Battery Economies Programme who are working on technical aspects such as second-life battery modelling, re-certification, and use cases for redeployment.

You must hold, or be near to completion, of a relevant PhD in the fields of economic policy, economic geography, energy and environmental studies, public policy, or another closely-related social science discipline, with post-qualification research experience or relevant work experience prior to the PhD. Ideally, you will be familiar (through previous research or work experience) with the academic and policy literature on the deployment of decarbonised technologies particularly batteries, circular economy approaches, economic development, policy studies, and justice and equity in the energy transition. Additionally, the ideal candidate will have a strong peer-reviewed publication record appropriate to their career stage, and sufficient specialist knowledge of policy design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.

Applications are particularly welcome and encouraged from women, black, and minority ethnic candidates, who are under-represented in posts in SoGE. SoGE are committed to equality and value diversity.

All applications must include a CV, Supporting Statement/Cover Letter. Applications for this vacancy are to be made online.

For further guidance and support, please visit https://www.jobs.ox.ac.uk/how-....

The closing date for applications is 12:00 noon on 13 January 2025, and interviews will be held on 17 February 2025.

Postdoctoral Research Assistant

Research Grade 7: £40,855 - £46,913 per annum

Closes: 7 Jan 2025

We invite applications for a Postdoctoral Research Assistant to join a research project funded by Oxford Martin School and led by Professors Christl Donnelly and Moritz Kraemer.

The position is offered on a fixed-term basis until 30 September 2027, with a maximum duration of 33 months, and is full-time.

The successful candidate will be a member of a research group with responsibility for carrying out research on the analysis of digitally collected data for epidemiological inference and monitoring of transmission during epidemic, reporting to Professors Christl Donnelly and Moritz Kraemer. The post holder will provide guidance to junior members of the research group including research assistants and DPhil students.

Applicants will have, or be close to completing a PhD in in a relevant field such as statistics, biostatistics, infectious disease epidemiology, epidemic modelling. They will have excellent communication skills, including the ability to write for publication, present research proposals and results, and represent the research group at meetings.

We proudly hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze Award and a departmental Athena SWAN Silver Award, which guide our progress towards advancing racial and gender equality. As part of our commitment to openness, inclusivity and transparency, we would particularly welcome applications from women and black and minority ethnic candidates, who are currently under-represented in positions of this type at Oxford.

Please direct informal enquiries to Professors Christl Donnelly ( christl.donnelly@stats.ox.ac.uk) or Moritz Kraemer ( moritz.kraemer@biology.ox.ac.uk), quoting vacancy reference 176594.

Applicants will be selected for interview purely based on their ability to satisfy the selection criteria as outlined in full in the job description. You will be required to upload a statement setting out how you meet the selection criteria, a curriculum vitae including full list of publications, a statement of research interests, and the contact details of two referees as part of your online application. (NOTE: Applicants are responsible for contacting their referees and making sure that their letters are sent to hr@stats.ox.ac.uk directly, by the closing date).

Only applications received before 12.00 noon UK time on 7th January 2025 can be considered. Interviews are anticipated to be held on 30th January 2025.

Senior Research Associate in AI Threat Detection

Grade 8: £48,235 - £57,255 per annum (Inclusive of Oxford University weighting)

Closes: 6 Jan 2025

We are seeking a full-time senior Research Associate to join the Machine Learning Research Group at the Department of Engineering Science (central Oxford). The post is funded by the Oxford Martin School and is fixed-term to the 31st August 2026.

The successful candidate will work as part of a project team, consisting of researchers in the departments of Engineering and Computer Science, supporting the Oxford Martin Programme on AI Threat Detection, as well as engaging across the wide local network of experts in AI, cybersecurity, AI safety & governance. The Oxford Martin Programme on AI Threat Detection aims to fill a critical gap in AI security by developing advanced methods to detect attacks on AI systems.

You will lead the development of a test framework including a library of target AI models and training datasets. You will also lead development and implementation of algorithms for logging AI response to security threats.

You should hold a relevant PhD/DPhil and post-qualification research experience. You should also have experience with a range of machine learning techniques, appropriate for analysing patterns in large data sets.

Informal enquiries may be addressed to Steve Roberts (email: sjrob@robots.ox.ac.uk)

Only online applications received before midday on the 6th January 2025 can be considered. You will be required to upload a covering letter/supporting statement, including a brief statement of research interests (describing how past experience and future plans fit with the advertised position), CV and the details of two referees as part of your online application.

Postdoctoral Research Assistant in AI Threat Detection

Grade 7: £37,524 - £45,763 per annum (Inclusive of Oxford University weighting)

Closes: 6 Jan 2025

We are seeking a full-time postdoctoral researcher to join the Machine Learning Research Group at the Department of Engineering Science (central Oxford). The post is funded by the Oxford Martin School and is fixed-term to the 31st August 2026.

The successful candidate will work as part of a project team, consisting of researchers in the departments of Engineering and Computer Science, supporting the Oxford Martin Programme on AI Threat Detection, as well as engaging across the wide local network of experts in AI, cybersecurity, AI safety & governance. The Oxford Martin Programme on AI Threat Detection aims to fill a critical gap in AI security by developing advanced methods to detect attacks on AI systems.

You will be responsible for developing a test framework including a library of target AI models and training datasets. You will also help research the spectrum of threat and vulnerability models for the AI systems.

You should have a relevant PhD/DPhil or be near completion (submitted your thesis) together with relevant experience. You should also have previous experience with abnormality detection, or related machine learning techniques, for detecting unexpected patterns in large data sets.

Informal enquiries may be addressed to Steve Roberts (email: sjrob@robots.ox.ac.uk)

Only online applications received before midday on the 6th January 2025 can be considered. You will be required to upload a covering letter/supporting statement, including a brief statement of research interests (describing how past experience and future plans fit with the advertised position), CV and the details of two referees as part of your online application.

Postdoctoral Research Associate in Second-Life Battery Grid Storage

Research Grade 7: £38,674 - £46,913 per annum

Closes: 9 Jan 2025

We are seeking a full-time Postdoctoral Research Associate in Second-Life Battery Grid Storage to join the Power Systems Architecture Lab within the Department of Engineering Science at the University of Oxford. The post is funded by the Oxford Martin Programme on Circular Battery Economies. It is fixed term for 30 months (or up to December 2027).

You will undertake original research on the technical integration and economic evaluation of second life batteries for power grid energy storage, focusing on clean electricity access in the Global South. The research will bring together power grid and battery modelling, optimisation, economic evaluation and material flow analysis. The project will also involve close collaboration with researchers from other disciplines within the Oxford Martin Circular Battery Economies Programme, who are working on second-life battery modelling, re-certification, and redeployment, as well as social acceptability and policy design.

You should hold a relevant PhD/DPhil, or be near completion, in electrical engineering, economics, applied mathematics or another related area. (For candidates with an undergraduate/master’s degree, there is the potential for the appointment to be Grade 6 (£34,982 - £40,855 per annum).

Applications for this vacancy are to be made online via our e-recruitment system and should include the covering letter/supporting statement (describing how you meet the criteria), a CV, and names of two academic references.

The position is a full-time fixed term post available for 30 months.

The closing date for applications is 12.00 noon on 09 January 2025.

Informal enquiries may be addressed to Professor Thomas Morstyn: Thomas.Morstyn@eng.ox.ac.uk

For more information about working at the Department of Engineering Science, see www.eng.ox.ac.uk/about/work-with-us/

The University of Oxford is committed to equality and valuing diversity. All applicants will be judged on merit, according to the selection criteria.

The Department holds an Athena Swan Bronze award, highlighting its commitment to promoting women in Science, Engineering and Technology.