Fixed-term start date of 1 August 2018 (or as soon as possible thereafter) and an end date of 31 March 2021.

We have an exciting opportunity in the Department of Automatic Control and Systems Engineering (ACSE) for a researcher with a passion to apply novel machine learning and optimization methods to help industrial engineers solve the environmental and performance challenges facing internal combustion engines in an era of increased regulation and competition.

As part of the prestigious Innovate UK project ‘DYNAMO’, you will work alongside research leaders from Sheffield – as well as Loughborough University and the University of Bath – to deliver novel, yet practical, technologies that can be used by systems engineers and design engineers in major automotive OEMs. You will also have the opportunity to work directly with technical specialists in industrial partners from a range of organisations, including OEMs and both large and small consultancy firms.

The successful candidate will need to hold, or to be working towards completion of, a PhD in a quantitative subject field such as engineering, computer science, statistics, or applied maths. Knowledge of optimisation methods, and the ability to apply software engineering principles to the implementation of these, is essential.

In the role, you will design new methods for robust multi-objective optimisation workflows and implement these methods as C++ software components in Liger – an open-source integrated optimisation environment that has been developed over several years in close collaboration with Ford Motor Company and Jaguar Land Rover. You will also support and maintain the open-source release of the Liger software.

Being keen to advance your research career in machine learning and optimisation, you will be have the opportunity to present your findings at word-leading conferences and will be expected to develop world-class research papers for submission to leading journals in both methodological and applied fields. DYNAMO is a highly collaborative project, and you will need to prepare and deliver regular presentations as project meetings and quarterly reviews, gaining exposure to a wide range of specialists from both academia and industry.

You will be joining a research group at Sheffield – Complex Optimisation and Decision-Making – that are highly regarded internationally for the quality of their methodological and applied optimisation work. You will have the opportunity to interact with and learn from optimisation research leaders and experienced research staff. Development of research staff is an important priority for the group, and previous members have achieved success in academic and industry research pathways, both in the UK and abroad.

We’re one of the best not-for-profit organisations to work for in the UK. The University’s Total Reward Package includes a competitive salary, a generous Pension Scheme and annual leave entitlement, as well as access to a range of learning and development courses to support your personal and professional development. We are committed to exploring flexible working opportunities which benefit the individual and University.

We build teams of people from different heritages and lifestyles whose talent and contributions complement each other to greatest effect. We believe diversity in all its forms delivers greater impact through research, teaching, and student experience.