Postdoctoral Researcher – Federated Learning Solutions

Insight SFI Research Centre For Data Analytics

Data Science Institute, College of Science and Engineering

Ref. No. University Of Galway 258-23

Applications are invited from suitably qualified candidates for a full-time, fixed-term position as a Postdoctoral Researcher with the Insight SFI Research Centre at the University of Galway.

This position is funded by Science Foundation Ireland, and is available from the 1st January 2024 for one year.

Job Description:

The successful candidate will be working with a team of around 10-15 researchers on a range of topics including federated learning, data management, machine and deep learning – ultimately aiming to design and develop cutting-edge technologies, algorithms, and system solutions for industry and society.

Duties:

The successful candidate will:

• Conduct research in the areas of federated learning solutions, decentralised approaches, machine learning and deep learning.
• Support the Principal Investigators in the design and development of the specific research programme.
• Facilitate research collaboration activity between the project partners
• Liaise with third-level and industry partners to accomplish project deliverables and milestones.
• Build proof-of-concept demonstrators showcasing research outcomes and deploy these solutions in real industrial settings.
• Disseminate research results and activities through papers, tutorials where appropriate.
• Work with project PIs to develop further collaborative funding opportunities
• Engage in the wider research/scholarly activities of the project partners.
• Any other duties assigned commensurate to this level of post

 Qualifications/Skills required:

 Essential Requirements:

• PhD in Computer Science, Engineering or related discipline
• Experience on the topic of federated learning
• Demonstrated publication record
• Knowledge of the broad area of the computer science, computer engineering, data science and data engineering
• Strong programming skills in Java and/or at least one other programming language (C, C++, Python, Scala)
• Ability to work in a team-based environment developing state-of-the-art software solutions on time and to specification
• Motivated and proactive attitude, willing to take ownership and initiative in all work assignments
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills
• Excellent communication skills, verbal and written (English)

Desirable Requirements:

• Proposal writing experience
• Hands on experience of working on distributed systems and/or cybersecurity
• Knowledge of open source and distributed solutions and architectures
• General understanding of machine learning techniques and state-of-the art tools
• Experience in working on data analytics for industry
• Experience of designing data visualisation tools, e.g., mashups
• Experience engaging in research collaborations with industry

Salary: Postdoctoral Researcher salary scale €42,783 – €54,965 per annum, (subject to the project’s funding limitations), and pro rata for shorter and/or part-time contracts.

The default position for all new public sector appointments is the 1st point of the salary scale. This may be reviewed, and consideration afforded to appointment at a higher point on the payscale (subject to the project’s funding limitations), where evidence of prior years’ equivalent experience is accepted in determining placement on the scale above point 1, subject to the maximum of the scale.

Research Salary Scales – University of Galway).

Start date: Position is available from 1st January 2024.

Continuing Professional Development/Training:

Researchers at University of Galway are encouraged to avail of a range of training and development opportunities designed to support their personal career development plans. University of Galway provides continuing professional development supports for all researchers seeking to build their own career pathways either within or beyond academia.  Researchers are encouraged to engage with our Researcher Development Centre (RDC) upon commencing employment – see HERE for further information.

Further information on research and working at University of Galway is available on Research at University of Galway

For information on moving to Ireland please see www.euraxess.ie

Further information about Insight is available at www.insight-centre.org

Insight is the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Research Centre for Data Analytics. It is one of the largest data analytics centres in Europe. It seeks to derive value from Big Data and provides innovative technology solutions for industry and society by enabling better decision-making. It supports 450 researchers across the country in areas such as the Fundamentals of Data Science, Sensing and Actuation, Scaling Algorithms, Model Building, Multi Modal Analysis, Data Engineering and Governance, Decision Making and Trustworthy AI. More information on the Insight SFI Research Centre for Data Analytics is available at www.insight-centre.org

Galway is located on the beautiful west coast of Ireland, ‘between’ Europe and the USA, making it an ideal hub for national, European and international research.

Informal enquiries concerning the post may be made to Professor John G. Breslin, john.breslin@universityofgalway.ie

To Apply:

Applications to include a covering letter, CV, and the contact details of three referees should be sent, via e-mail (in word or PDF only) to John Breslin: john.breslin@universityofgalway.ie

Please put reference number University of Galway 258-23 in subject line of e-mail application.

Closing date for receipt of applications is 5.00 pm (Irish Time) 10th November 2023

We reserve the right to re-advertise or extend the closing date for this post.

University of Galway is an equal opportunities employer.

All positions are recruited in line with Open, Transparent, Merit (OTM) and Competency based recruitment