Research Assistant / Associate CRISTAL Project
Newcastle, GB
Salary:
Research Assistant: £31,396 to £32,982 per annum
Research Associate: £33,966 to £44,263 per annum
Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.
Closing Date: 22 May 2024
We are excited to launch this new and rewarding opportunity for Research Assistants/Associate to join us. We are keen to hear from those of you who have a keen interest in the Visualisation of data. You will join a diverse community of colleagues based in Newcastle in our newly renovated Stephenson Building.
Who are we?
The Future Mobility Group and the Centre for Mobility and Transport brings together a leading transport research team with the highest level of expertise in both passenger and freight, placing and promoting Newcastle University at the heart of the mobility challenge. Based in the School of Engineering, we're driving mobility and transport toward an inclusive, joined-up, healthier, resilient and zero-carbon future. We are uniquely placed to seek innovative solutions to global, national and regional challenges to improve mobility and the transport of people and goods for all.
We work closely with industry, government, delivery stakeholders and users to deliver innovative solutions, using the full multidisciplinary skills the team can bring to address challenges.
Newcastle University is a partner in a European research project “Climate resilient and environmentally sustainable transport infrastructure, with a focus on inland waterways – CRISTAL project. The crucial aim of the project is to create an innovative technology for monitoring and digitization of transport chains, indicating the direction of further development of business and management models that include river transport in multimodal chains. CRISTAL co-creates, tests and implements integrated, cooperative and innovative solutions in its three pilot partners’ areas in Italy, France and Poland. The project includes aspects of technological innovation/development and digitalization.
The Role
In the project Newcastle University has the responsibility to a subsurface inspection radar to collect subsurface data from the inland waterways infrastructure. The next stage of the project is to target critical infrastructure subsurface inspection of the lock provided by Waterways of France (VNF). VNF will provide a sealed empty lock without water for inspection with the EUMO system. An empty lock on the Moselle river is 180 m long x 12 m width x (10 m to 15 m) high. Data will be collected and Newcastle University’s role is to provide 3D subsurface visualisations of the lock walls. VNF will use this information to support the modernisation program. It is also possible that small inland waterway locks may be included in the inspection trials as they are thought to be in need of repair.
You will play a key role in processing data, developing visualisations and producing 3D images of subsurface defects.
Click here to view the full job description.
This role is fixed term until 31 August 2025 with an estimated start date of July 2024.
Support and benefits
You will benefit from working with academics and industry experts across the transport sector. We follow the Researcher Development Concordat. We enable all staff to fulfil their research potential regardless of career stage. This commitment secures our thriving research culture and vibrant research environment. Our offer to each individual and their researcher development involves: mentoring, annual research planning discussions, pooled research funding to support career development and research activities, peer review support for the development of research and innovation funding applications.
We are happy to consider flexible working requests for this opportunity.
Please reach out to Prof Mark Robinson at mark.robinson@newcastle.ac.uk if you would like to discuss the opportunity.
Key Accountabilities
• Become part of a multidisciplinary team in a European project working closely with partners on data collection and visualisation
• Be familiar with the challenges associated with producing images from radar data
• Handle complex data sets and utilise data to inform and develop information for maintenance planning
• Present information on research progress and outcomes at internal meetings
• Write up results from your own research activity and provide input into the dissemination of the projects outputs, in a variety of forms (reports, journal articles, chapters, books, etc.)
• Comply with University policies, including financial regulations, equality and diversity policies, health & safety policy, information systems security policy, data security, intellectual property rights and safeguarding policies
• Engage in personal, professional and career development, to enhance both specialist and transferable skills in accordance with desired career trajectory
• Carry out other duties, commensurate with the grade of the post, as requested by the project
The Person
Knowledge, Skills and Experience
• Experience in conducting research in:
o Collection and use of radar data
o Creation of Data Analytics Modules converting raw measurement data to human interpretable visuals
o Creation of 3D objects with supporting visual exports in 2D for the benefit of reports
o Inputing data in the form of physical or simulated B-scan measurements, local and global geolocation data and metadata informing survey design to be passed to the Data Analytics Module
o Data processing, where datasets are cleaned and enriched through algorithms such as time variable gain adjustment, migration
o Combined processing methodology in order to improve the clarity and prevalence of features within measurement data from the background noise and “clutter” inherently captured in real environments
o Feature Classification, where labels predicting the type of material associated with each feature are assigned with associated confidence intervals to help end users make informed decisions about the nature of features observed. Have experience of handling data sets
• Experience of handling data sets
• Experience of working within a multi-disciplinary project environment
• Ability to demonstrate how your skills can be used to address challenges of data visualisation
Desirable
• Experience of collaborative or consortium working with academic and stakeholder partners
• Have a developing track record of peer reviewed publications in internationally recognised journals and experience of presentation of work to the national/international research community
• Knowledge of innovative ways of presenting research outputs
Attributes and Behaviour
• Excellent communication skills (written and verbal)
• Excellent interpersonal and team-working skills to build trust with collaborating groups
• High level of analytical and problem-solving capacity
• Good planning, organisational and time management skills
• Professional approach with a commitment to equality, diversity, dignity and respect in the workplace
Qualifications
• A bachelor’s or master’s degree in a relevant subject such as: Engineering; Maths; Physics; Computer Science; or related discipline
• PhD (or nearing completion for Assistant) focussed on 3D visualisation of radar data
Desirable
• Evidence of Continued Professional Development (CPD)
Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.
We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society. We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.
At Newcastle University we hold a silver Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality. We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC. We are a Disability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme.
In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe.
Requisition ID: 27043