Vacancies

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Current vacancies

Open Rank Faculty Position in Machine Learning

Open Rank Faculty Position in Machine Learning (B02-06221)

The Gatsby Unit seeks to appoint a new principal investigator with an outstanding record of research achievement and an innovative research programme in machine learning. Appointments may be made at the rank of Group Leader (renewable), or Lecturer (Assistant Professor), Associate Professor or Professor, according to experience and international standing. You will pursue and develop your own lines of research within the broad remit of the unit’s focus on the mathematical principles of learning, perception and action in brains and machines. You will teach and supervise at graduate and postdoctoral level, primarily as part of the unit’s PhD and postdoctoral training programmes. You will join a highly interactive and collaborative unit, and be expected to play a significant role within UCL’s vibrant scientific community and collaborate actively within the unit, SWC and beyond.

About You

You must hold an PhD or equivalent degree; have a very strong track record of quantitative and analytic research in theoretical or computational neuroscience, machine learning, statistics, computer science, physics or engineering; be excited about research-centred teaching and interaction; and be committed to the professional development and mentoring of early career researchers. In machine learning, we seek candidates who focus on the mathematical foundations of learning from data and experience, addressing fundamental questions in probabilistic or statistical machine learning and understanding; areas of particular interest include generative or probabilistic modelling, causal discovery, reinforcement learning, theory of deep learning, and links between these areas and neuroscience or cognitive science.

How to apply

To apply please visit UCL's vacancy listing (Ref: B02-06221) and click "Apply Now". Please submit your CV which should include names of 3 referees; and in the Attachments section (Other Attachments) a statement covering research accomplishments. You do not need to upload any papers you have authored.

For academic enquiries please contact Prof Maneesh Sahani maneesh@gatsby.ucl.ac.uk. For enquiries about the appointment process please contact Mike Sainsbury m.sainsbury@ucl.ac.uk.

Review of applications has begun, and will continue until the position is filled. The earlier an application is received, the more likely we are to be able to give it full consideration.

What we offer

The Gatsby Unit offers internationally competitive salaries and an award-winning work environment. You will work in a vibrant, interactive and collaborative environment, with world-class PhD programme and generous core funding. Our facilities include on-site high-performance computing platform, extensive seminar programme, interaction space and on-site brasserie. Our staff are entitled to UCL's wide range of staff benefits, including a generous annual leave entitlement, family-friendly policies, occupational pension schemes, relocation and housing assistance (where applicable) and professional development opportunities.

OUR COMMITMENT TO EQUALITY, DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

As London’s Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world’s talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates from groups, including women and those from an ethnic minority background, who are likely to be under-represented in UCL’s workforce in this type of role.

Additional information

Gatsby Faculty Position - Information pack.pdf

Research Fellow (Palmigiano group)

Research Fellow (Training Fellow in Theoretical Neuroscience)

We invite applications for a post-doctoral Training Fellowship under the guidance of Dr Agostina Palmigiano, focused on developing theoretical approaches to investigate the mechanisms underlying sensory, motor or cognitive computations. You will be responsible for the execution of the project (with opportunities for co-supervision of students), presentation of results at conferences and seminars, and publication in suitable venues. This post is initially funded for two years with the possibility of a one-year extension at the end of the period. The appointment will be on the UCL Grade 7 salary scale.

You should have a strong quantitative background in theoretical neuroscience, machine learning, statistics, computer science, physics or engineering; a record of publication in highly respected journals and conferences and must hold a PhD in a relevant field by the agreed start date of the position.

Please see this document for a detailed job description and person specification.

To apply visit UCL Jobs (B02-06155) and click Apply Now to submit your CV and in the Attachments section (Research Paper 1) a statement covering research accomplishments and the names of two referees. Academic enquiries about the role should be directed to Agostina Palmigiano (a.palmigiano 'at' ucl.ac.uk). For any other enquiries contact Mike Sainsbury (m.sainsbury 'at' ucl.ac.uk).

The application deadline is 30 June 2024.

Project Research Interns

We welcome applications from final-year undergraduates and Master’s students for paid research internships (that are not part of the degree course requirement).

Our research focuses on the mathematical principles of adaptive intelligent behaviour. We study (un)supervised and reinforcement learning; inference, coding and neural dynamics; Bayesian and kernel methods, and deep learning; with applications to the analysis of perceptual processing and cognition, neural data, signal and image processing, machine vision, network data and nonparametric hypothesis testing.

During the internship (up to 3 months), you will work on a research project full-time under the supervision of experienced researchers. You will develop and apply your research skills, gain hands-on research experience, and connect with researchers at the unit and beyond. At the end of the thesis project / internship, you will write a report and present your work to the whole unit.

We particularly encourage applications from groups that are under-represented in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics fields and/or who have experienced some form of educational disadvantage.

Applications are reviewed four times per year in January, April, July, and October. You are advised to apply well in advance of the planned start date, as the review process may take up to 8 weeks (and if applicable, to allow ample time for visa application). If you plan to intern in summer, please submit your application by the January deadline.

Next review round: April 2024. Please submit your application by Friday, 12 April 2024 23:59 GMT. We are unable to consider late applications under any circumstances. Please note that all summer intern positions have been filled; we will only be able to consider candidates with a start date in/after autumn 2024.

Please review the information under tab 'Eligibility' and tab 'Applications' carefully before sending your application materials. (The page is best viewed on a computer.)

Be in your final undergraduate year or a Master’s student.
Be enrolled in a relevant subject such as computer science, physics, engineering, statistics, mathematics, neuroscience, or cognitive psychology.
Have a strong mathematical and analytical background and a keen interest in theoretical neuroscience, machine learning or both.
Have proven/potential academic excellence.
Have a good command of the English language.
Be available for the entire duration of the thesis project/internship.

Please send I-Chun Lin i.lin@ucl.ac.uk the following documents in a single PDF file (with naming convention: Forename_Surname.pdf)

CV (2-page limit), including (a) the schools you have attended, (b) your A-level (or equivalent) results, (c) your undergraduate (and Master's, if applicable) results so far, (d) prizes or awards for your academic work at school/university, including scholarships, (e) any extracurricular activity, experience or skill you feel is relevant to the application, and (f) information of two academic referees, including the name, affiliation and job title, who can and have agreed to comment on your academic ability, the quality of your work and your potential for further study and research.
Transcript(s), containing the grades you have received so far for your undergraduate degree (and Master's degree if applicable).
A brief description of your research interests and academic background, explaining how it fits with the Gatsby Unit (up to 300 words). Please list the faculty member(s) you would like to work with.
(Optional) A statement on any financial, regional, societal or personal factors that may have constrained your academic potential (up to 200 words).

In your email, please also specify when you would like to start and for how long.

Please arrange for your references to be sent directly to I-Chun by your two academic referees using their professional email address (i.e., we will not request the references on your behalf). It is your responsibility to follow up with your referees to ensure the references arrive by the deadline stated above (i.e., same as yours).

We may also be able to accommodate non-UCL students who wish to carry out their MSc (or similar) academic research projects with us. Applications to do so should be submitted following the same procedure for project research internships as stated above, giving details of your institution and academic programme as well as any constraints or regulations relevant to the research, and specifying that you are applying to carry out a MSc (or similar) research project in your email to I-Chun. Please note that such academic research visits are separate from our paid internships, and we expect any financial support or remuneration to ordinarily be arranged through your home institution. MSc and other project students at UCL may make enquiries in line with their usual course schedules.

Updated 2024-03-12

Why join us?

The Gatsby Unit has been at the forefront of theoretical neuroscience and machine learning since its establishment in 1998. We maintain a singular and cohesive research culture, emphasising interaction and collaboration both within the unit and beyond. The unit’s research benefits from tight links to the exceptional scientific communities at UCL in neuroscience and machine learning and AI, with particularly close collaborations with world-class researchers in the SWC and the UCL ELLIS Unit. We are located in the heart of London, sharing a purpose-designed building with the SWC a few blocks away from the UCL campus.

We have an exciting programme of scientific and social events, including an external seminar series and topical workshops, journal clubs, research talks and regular tea hour socials (jointly with SWC on Fridays). Our staff are entitled to UCL's full range of benefits and development opportunities.

We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL’s workforce. These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; LGBTQI+ people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women. Gatsby Unit & SWC are delighted to have received an Athena Swan Bronze Award in 2021. We stand by our commitment to positive action to improve equality and accessibility in the workplace. We will provide reasonable adjustments to enable people to work and flourish with us. We are committed to fostering a positive cultural climate where all staff and students can thrive and committed to Wellbeing@UCL.

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