King's College London

About us

The Department of Informatics is looking to recruit a Postdoctoral Research Associate to work on data mining, in the context of a project funded by Leverhulme Trust, in the Department of Informatics at King’s College London. The position is full time and available till 30th April 2028 with immediate start.

About the role

The PDRA will be working on a project on resilient pattern mining, which aims to develop algorithms for discovering patterns that are robust to data changes. They are expected to co-develop the problem definitions, design reslience measures, co-developing and implementing the project algorithms, experimentally evaluating all methods on real and synthetic datasets using experiments and case studies, and contributing to dissemination activities.

This is a full time post (35 hours per week), and you will be offered a fixed term contract until 30th April 2028.

Research staff at King’s are entitled to at least 10 days per year (pro-rata) for professional development. This entitlement, from the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers, applies to Postdocs, Research Assistants, Research and Teaching Technicians, Teaching Fellows and AEP equivalent up to and including grade 7. Visit the Centre for Research Staff Development for more information.

About you

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

Essential criteria

1.       PhD qualified in relevant subject area 

2.       Develop algorithms that are based on rigorous principles for the analysis of sequences, time-series and graphs.   

3.       Engineer the algorithms to improve their time and space efficiency, by proposing novel solutions. 

4.       Implement baseline algorithms and evaluate them in terms of effectiveness and efficiency 

5.       Write and/or contribute to the writing of research publications 

6.       Work independently and as part of the group 

7.       Keep up to date with the relevant scientific literature 

8.       Assist in the dissemination of the project results

Desirable criteria

1.       Background on string algorithms 

2.       Background on graph algorithms

3.       Background on data management

4.       Programming skills (preferably in C++)

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 page. 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

At King’s, we believe that the diversity of our community and a culture that is welcoming, open, inclusive and collaborative, are great strengths of the university. 

The Equality Act of 2010 protects the rights of our students and staff and provides a framework to fulfil our duties to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and in addition, to advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between those who share a protected characteristic and those who do not. At times, this will include balancing rights and beliefs that can feel in tension.

We are committed to free speech and to academic freedom, believing that our foundational purpose as a university, is to create spaces where a wide range of ideas, including ideas that are controversial, can be discussed and debated, and where members of our community can express lawful views without fear of intimidation, harassment or discrimination.

When engaging in the robust exchange of ideas, we ask that our community is mindful of our Dignity at King’s guidance.

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 person specification section of the job description. 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.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is evolving rapidly, and we recognise its growing role in professional work. Applicants may use AI tools to support preparation of their application, for example to research the role or structure written responses. However, applications must reflect the applicant’s own work and experience. AI tools should not be used during interviews or assessment activities unless this has been agreed in advance as a reasonable adjustment. Further guidance on the use of AI in recruitment can be found here.

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