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Job id: 095127. Salary: £46,732 per annum, including London Weighting Allowance.

Posted: 13 September 2024. Closing date: 13 October 2024.

Business unit: Natural, Mathematical & Engineering Sci. Department: Engineering.

Contact details: Dr Kai Xu. kai.xu@kcl.ac.uk

Location: Strand Campus. Category: Research.

About us

Recently re-founded, the Department of Engineering is rapidly expanding into a world-class research and teaching department. Research currently focuses on information processing systems, robotics, telecommunications, and biomedical engineering, but we are looking to establish new research themes.

  This post will be affiliated with the newly established Centre for Intelligent Information Processing Systems within the department.

About the role

The Centre for Intelligent Information Processing Systems (CIIPS) led by Professor Bipin Rajendran and Professor Osvaldo Simeone brings together interdisciplinary and diverse expertise synergistically to address future challenges in intelligent information systems, encompassing hardware-software co-design, nanoscale information systems, signal processing, information engineering, and quantum information processing.

We are seeking a highly motivated and conscientious post-doctoral researcher to work on a project that involves the design, implementation and validation of accelerators for training large language models (LLMs) based on neuromorphic computing and In-Memory Computing (IMC) principles.

The project will develop a low-power Neuromorphic In-Memory Computing (IMC) ASIC prototype in nano-scale advanced CMOS technology based on spiking neural networks (SNNs) for both training and inference of of LLMs.

You will contribute to the architecture definition, design, tapeout, and measurements of a low-power Neuromorphic In-Memory Computing  ASIC prototype for training LLMs meeting competitive metrics for energy, precision, and latency constraints.

The project will also involve the use of FPGA-based measurement and validation of the processor system for benchmarking its accuracy and energy efficiency performances on various large datasets. You will also have the opportunity to mentor PhD and MSc students working in the group.

This is a full-time role, and you will be offered a fixed term contract for 12 months, with the possibility of extension.

About you

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

Essential criteria

1.       PhD awarded (or near completion) in Electrical/Electronic or Computer Engineering.

2.       Strong background in Digital/Analog/Mixed Signal Integrated Circuit (IC) design.

3.       Very good skills in HDL (Verilog, VHDL) and scripting languages

4.       Knowledge of commercial EDA tools (such as Cadence, Synopsys, or Mentor Graphics).

5.       Effective communication (oral and written) skills, ability to write research reports and papers in style accessible to academic audiences.

6.       Track record of high-quality research publications in peer reviewed conferences and/or journals.

7.       Ability to work independently and as part of a team on research programmes.

Desirable criteria

1.       Experience with hardware aware optimization of state-of-the-art machine learning models.

2.       Previous experiences in Tape-outs and Chip Testing.

3.       Experience with Low-power IC design and neuromorphic architectures.

Downloading a copy of our Job Description

Full details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document, provided at the bottom of the next page after you click “Apply Now”. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.

*  Please note that this is a PhD level role but candidates who have submitted their thesis and are awaiting award of their PhDs will be considered. In these circumstances the appointment will be made at Grade 5, spine point 30 with the title of Research Assistant. Upon confirmation of the award of the PhD, the job title will become Research Associate and the salary will increase to Grade 6.

Further Information

We pride ourselves on being inclusive and welcoming. We embrace diversity and want everyone to feel that they belong and are connected to others in our community.

We are committed to working with our staff and unions on these and other issues, to continue to support our people and to develop a diverse and inclusive culture at King's.

We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the advert. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible.

To find out how our managers will review your application, please take a look at our ‘ How we Recruit’ pages.

Interviews are due to be held on TBD

We are  able to offer sponsorship for candidates who do not currently possess the right to work in the UK.