Two postdoc positions available in Southampton
We have two 1-year postdoc positions advertised currently. One is Bayesian mapping of demographics in Nigeria in support of polio eradication, with very close application deadline (Monday 17th December). The other is focused on providing crowd-sourcing solutions for coastal pollution monitoring in the UK.
Bayesian mapping of demographics in Nigeria
A Research Fellow with computer programming skills is required to assist with work on a new Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation project focussed on the high resolution mapping of population demographics across low income countries. The post-holder will join Geography and Environment, in the Faculty of Social and Human Sciences at the University of Southampton, but the work will also involve close collaboration with partners at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Oxford University and Oak Ridge National Laboratories, and be part of the AfriPop and AsiaPop population mapping project (www.afripop.org, www.asiapop.org).
We are seeking a scientist with strong spatial statistical skills. The project work to be undertaken by the candidate involves:
- (i) Undertake the development of spatial statistical approaches, including uncertainty quantification, for the production of gridded estimates of demographic characteristics across countries from geolocated household survey data
- (ii) Contribute to work on the design and development of approaches for modelling population movements in low income regions from a range of datasets
- (iii) Undertake the integration of movement datasets and models with the demographics distribution datasets to be constructed
- (iv) Manage the computing infrastructure required to process the datasets
Experience of spatial statistical analysis, computer programming, GIS and demography therefore, a significant advantage. Applicants should have a PhD in a statistical/computational/quantitative discipline, or relevant industry experience. The project work will be highly interdisciplinary and as such there is some flexibility to accommodate expertise from a range of cognate disciplinary backgrounds (e.g. geography, demography, statistics, computer science, ecology, epidemiology etc). A willingness to travel overseas occasionally is also necessary.
The candidate will work under the supervision of Dr Andrew Tatem and Prof Peter Atkinson at the University of Southampton. The position starting date is January 1st 2014 for a period of a year and will remain open until a suitable candidate is found.
Informal enquiries may be made to Dr Andrew Tatem
Research Engineer, Geo-informatics
IT Innovation Centre
You
You are excited by the potential for information technology to change the way businesses and society interact in sectors as diverse as creative industries, manufacturing, life sciences, and the environment. You have a passion for innovation, a keen interest in new and emerging technologies, and the desire to create compelling software-based applications of those technologies within a dynamic industry-facing applied research centre.
You have a degree and probably a post-graduate qualification (MSc or PhD) in computer science, environmental sciences, or a related discipline. You have academic and/or commercial experience of applied research. You can demonstrate strong analytical and mathematical skills. Your excellent written and oral communication will allow you to present ideas clearly and effectively within the Centre, to project partners and clients, and at international conferences.
The IT Innovation Centre
The University of Southampton IT Innovation Centre is advancing a wide range of information technologies and their deployment in industry and commerce. Current work includes secure service-oriented systems; big data; information discovery and decision support; archiving and retrieval; and their relationship to new business models, processes and values. We are continually searching out new and emerging technologies and seeking to understand how they can best serve the varied application sectors in which we work.
The Opportunity
To research and develop systems to analyse large volumes of data collected in community observatories by participative mobile communications in sectors such as environment, energy and transport. You have experience with one or more of: data analytics, semantics, geo-spatial information management, data security and systems integration. You have hands-on experience of designing and implementing service-oriented systems using mobile or Web technologies. You recognise the importance of open software design. Experience of UML at business or system levels is desirable. Knowledge of Java, C# and HTML is required.
Working in a creative and innovative project team, you will be involved in all stages of the project lifecycle including requirements analysis, system implementation, evaluation and support, with opportunities to develop business development and project management skills.
The Benefits
We offer 30 days holiday a year, flexible working around core hours, and the option to join the Universities Superannuation Scheme.
We are committed to the development of our staff and will help you to continually extend your skills to encompass the latest advances in IT. We offer opportunities for career development in technical, project management and business development roles.
Our European project portfolio can provide considerable opportunities for short-term travel, but it does mean that applicants must be able to travel within the EU at short notice.
Please send your CV by email to jobs@it-innovation.soton.ac.uk, citing reference 13re1gi.