Research Associate - United Kingdom - MarRI-UK

Description

*Exact Salary to be agreed with individual academic institution.

• This role can be appended to existing employment contracts at hosting universities with their express permission and agreement – if this is your intension you should discuss this possibility with your existing line manager before applying.
• This job application is composed of two steps. Expression of Interest through MarRI-UK is the first step. A panel composed of MarRI-UK academic and industry members will down-select suitable candidates based on the submission.

Suitable candidates will be referred to relevant MarRI-UK academic members for the second step of recruiting through each university's recruiting process.

Research Assistant

Maritime Research and Innovation UK (MarRI-UK) was founded in 2019 to help spur on the Government's Maritime 2050 agenda, with founding members from across the British Maritime Sector, MarRI-UK has grown into a collaborative research organisation with 21 members representing the best of British industry, academia and not-for-profits. We are an industry-led membership organisation that drives the global competitiveness of the UK maritime through extensive partnerships in identifying, developing, and leveraging emerging technologies.

Our industry members include: Babcock, BAE Systems, BMT, Lloyds Register, Qinetiq, Arc, Ecomar Propulsion and Spaera.

The membership also includes eight academic members who are world leaders in maritime research and allows us to work collaboratively across the academic sector to produce ground breaking research for the maritime industry. Our academic members are, Liverpool John Moores University, Newcastle University, UCL, University of Exeter, University of Liverpool, University of Plymouth, University of Southampton and the University of Strathclyde.

MarRI-UK seeks to appoint two Research Associates to assist in a 24-month members research programme consisting of two projects, which are funded by the MarRI-UK industrial members. There are two posts available and each can be located at any one of our academic members locations. Each post is fixed term for 24 months.

As a Research Associate, on Autonomy and Digital, as part of the MarRI-UK team, you will undertake research in a Maritime Autonomy / Digital project.

The Autonomy / Digital project will see the successful candidate, through meticulous evaluation and innovation, aim to enhance operational safety, elevate automation control and refine Autonomy-Human interactions across all facets of autonomous ships. The project will look to develop high-accuracy Maritime Situational Awareness and decision-making tools and develop a comprehensive approach to autonomous vessel design operation and maintenance, focusing on identifying present operational obstacles and mitigating potential operational risks.

To be considered for the role, you will be educated to a minimum of PhD level in an appropriate discipline, or have significant relevant experience in addition to a relevant degree. You will be a forward-thinking engineer with a background in Mechanical Engineering or Marine Engineering. You should be able to demonstrate that you are able to carry out research independently and collaboratively and be able to work with industry members as required. You will also be required to undertake administrative duties to support the projects. You will have an ability to plan and organise your own workload effectively and an ability to work within a team environment. You will have excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to listen, engage and persuade, and to present complex information in an accessible way to a range of audiences. Candidates with the necessary skill sets to undertake these projects are invited to submit their applications.

Job Description Brief Outline of Job:

The Postholder will undertake a research project either on Maritime Autonomy or Digital under the guidance of your PI, the MarRI-UK academic and industry members.

The postholder is expected to have experience in maritime research and be able to apply their skill set to deliver the outputs for each of the projects that will help to inform industry and UK policy makers of the future of the shipping industry.

The postholder is expected to deal with complex data of a specialist or highly technical nature and develop initiative, creativity and judgement in applying appropriate approaches to develop new innovative research methods to undertake the members research project on behalf of MarRI-UK.

The postholder will write up research work for publication individually or in collaboration with colleagues and disseminate results as appropriate to their discipline by, for example, conference presentations, industry and Government presentations and peer reviewed publication. The postholder will contribute to collaborative decision making with colleagues on research matters within their area of competence and input into administrative activities.

Main Activities/Responsibilities:

1. Play a lead role in the specific research project/s with guidance from MarRI-UK, Industry Members and the Academic Members as required.

2. Plan and manage own workload, with guidance from colleagues as required.

3. Conduct individual and/or collaborative research, including determining appropriate research methods and contributing to the development of new research methods.

4. Undertake comprehensive technical reviews to address critical areas in autonomous shipping to be able to gain insights into the effectiveness, efficiency and safety implications of the existing autonomous technologies and processes.

5. Develop high-accuracy Maritime Situational Awareness and decision-making tools that will enable degree 4 MASS to accomplish their mission, including navigation situation awareness and collision avoidance.

6. Develop a comprehensive approach to autonomous vessel design operation and maintenance, focusing on identifying present operational obstacles and mitigating potential operational risks.

7. Identify sources of funding and contribute to the securing of funds for research, including drafting grant proposals and planning for future proposals.

8. Collaborate with colleagues on the development of knowledge exchange activities by, for example, participating in initiatives which establish research links with industry and influence public policy and the professions.

9. Write up research work for publication and dissemination, individually or in collaboration with colleagues and MarRI-UK academic members, and disseminate results as appropriate

10. Engage in continuous professional development.

Person Specification

Educational and/or Professional Qualifications
(E=Essential, i.e. a candidate must meet all essential criteria to be considered for selection, D=Desirable) Essential/ Desirable

Good honours degree and PhD (or equivalent professional experience) in an appropriate discipline or at least 4 years appropriate professional experience Essential

Membership of relevant Chartered/professional bodies (including Higher Education Academy) Desirable

Work/research experience in Naval Architecture, Ocean and Marine Engineering Desirable

Experience

Sufficient breadth or depth of knowledge in the relevant discipline/s to contribute to research programmes and to the development of research activities Essential

Relevant work experience in hybrid/electric ship systems and autonomous ship systems Essential

Experience of undertaking individual research work and disseminating results. Essential

Experience in ship manoeuvring and simulations Essential

Experience in preparing research proposals Essential

Experience of knowledge exchange related activities Desirable

Experience in autonomous ship experiments or trials Desirable

Experience in developing computer and web applications Desirable

Job Related Skills and Achievements

Developing ability to conduct individual research work, to disseminate results Essential

Programming languages and programming in open simulation platforms (MATLAB/Simulink, Python, C++, etc.) Essential

Knowledge of autonomous ship planning and control algorithms Essential

Journal publications in the scientific area of naval architecture, ocean and marine engineering Essential

Ability to plan and organise own workload effectively Essential

Ability to work within a team environment where the team comprises members from multiple organisations Essential

Ability to deal with, analyse and interpret complex data of a specialist or highly technical nature Essential

Knowledge of AI, Machine Learning techniques Desirable

Ability to contribute to collaborative decision making with colleagues on academic content in areas of research Desirable

Personal Attributes

Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to listen, engage and persuade, and to present complex information in an accessible way to a range of audiences Essential

Build internal and external contacts and participate in networks for the exchange of information and to form relationships for future collaboration. Desirable

Other Relevant Factors

Willingness and ability to travel nationally and internationally including overnight stays from time to time to attend meetings and conferences. Essential

A panel composed of MarRI-UK academic and industry members will down-select suitable candidates based on the submission.

Suitable candidates will be referred to relevant MarRI-UK academic members for recruiting through each university recruiting process.