Temporary Jobs in Durham, county durham, united kingdom

Working at Durham University

A globally outstanding centre of teaching and research excellence, a warm and friendly place to work, a unique and historic setting - Durham is a university like no other.

As one of the UK's leading universities, Durham is an incredible place to define your career.The University is located within a beautiful historic city, home to a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and surrounded by stunning countryside. Our talented scholars and researchers from around the world are tackling global issues and making a difference to people's lives.

We believe that inspiring our people to do outstanding things at Durham enables Durham people to do outstanding things in the world. Being a part of Durham is about more than just the success of the University, it's also about contributing to the success of the city, county and community. Our University Strategy is built on three pillars of research, education and wider student experience, but also on our keen sense of community and of inspiring others to achieve their potential.

Our Purpose and Values

We want our University to be a place where people can be free to be themselves, no matter what their identity or background. Together, we celebrate difference, value one another and are each responsible for creating an inclusive community that is respectful and fair for all.

Find out more about the benefits of working at the University and what it is like to live and work in the Durham area on our Why Join Us? - Information Page

The Role and Department

As part of the Computer Science Department, you will work closely with colleagues from the Law School, as well as potentially colleagues from Economics and Biosciences. Your role will contribute to the strategically important research objectives of Durham University's internationally leading JusTN0W initiative (Just Transitions to a Net Zero World).

The Computer Science Department at Durham is one of the UK's leading institutions in the field, renowned for its cutting-edge research, excellence in teaching, and strong student employability outcomes.

We invite applications for a Research Associate or Postdoctoral Research Associate to join the JusTN0W Initiative under the supervision of Dr. Nelly Bencomo. We particularly encourage applications from :

• Candidates with a BSc or MSc in a CS discipline who are considering an academic career and have a strong interest in software development.
• PhD holders who have discovered a passion for software development over other aspects of academic research.
• Individuals interested in pursuing a PhD at Durham University.

Flexible working arrangements are available for this position.

Key responsibilities :

Working closely with the Principal Investigators (PIs) and Co-Investigators (Co-Is) of JusTN0W, you will contribute to the development of a framework and software prototype for an AI-based compliance control system. This system will apply Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Large Language Models (LLMs) to analyze the compliance of treaties and agreements, including for example bilateral agreements that are particularly relevant for operationalizing Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.

Your role will involve :

This position offers an exciting opportunity to work at the intersection of AI, law, and sustainability, contributing to innovative research with real-world impact.

At Grade 6 :

And additionally, at Grade 7 only :

This post is fixed term for a period of 1 year, with the possibility of extension from future funding.

The post-holder is employed to work on research / a research project which will be led by another colleague. Whilst this means that the post-holder will not be carrying out independent research in his / her own right, the expectation is that they will contribute to the advancement of the project, through the development of their own research ideas / adaptation and development of research protocols.

Successful applicants will, ideally, be in post by June 2025.

Working at Durham

A competitive salary is only one part of the many fantastic benefits you will receive if you join the University : you will also receive access to the following fantastic benefits :

Discover more about our total rewards and benefits package here.

Durham University is committed to equality diversity, inclusion and values

Our collective aim is to create an open and inclusive environment where everyone can reach their full potential and we believe our staff should reflect the diversity of the global community in which we work. As a University equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are a key part of the University's Strategy and a central part of everything we do. We also live by our values and our Staff Code of Conduct. At Durham we actively work towards providing an environment where our staff and students can study, work and live in a community which is supportive and inclusive. It's important to us that all of our colleagues are aligned to both our values and commitment to EDI.

We welcome and encourage applications from members of groups who are under-represented in our work force including people with disabilities, women and black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. If you have taken time out of your career, and you feel it relevant, let us know about it in your application. If you are a candidate with a disability, we are committed to ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process. We will make adjustments to support the interview process wherever it is reasonable to do so and, where successful, reasonable adjustments will be made to support people within their role.

Person Specification

Essential Criteria : Qualifications

Experience

Python, specifically experience with Python AI libraries, e.g. PyTorch, TensorFlow

Skills

Desirable Criteria

Experience

Skills

How to Apply

To progress to the assessment stage, candidates must evidence each of the essential criteria required for the role in the person specification below. It will be at the discretion of the recruiting panel as to whether they will also consider any desirable criteria, but we would urge candidates to provide evidence for all criteria.

While some criteria will be considered at the shortlisting stage, other criteria may be considered later in the assessment process, such as questions at interview.

Submitting your application

We prefer to receive applications online. We will update you about your application at various points throughout the selection process, via automated emails from our e-recruitment system. Please check your spam / junk folder periodically to make sure you have not missed any of our updates.

What to Submit

All applicants are asked to submit :

We will notify you on the status of your application at various points throughout the selection process, via automated emails from our e-recruitment system. Please check your spam / junk folder periodically to ensure you receive all emails.

Contact Information

Department contact for academic-related enquiries

Dr Nelly Bencomo ( [email protected] )

Contact information for technical difficulties when submitting your application

If you encounter technical difficulties when using the online application form, we prefer you send enquiries by email. Please send your name along with abrief description of the problem you're experiencing [email protected]

Alternatively, you may call 0191 334 6801 from the UK, or +44 191 334 6801 from outside the UK. This number operates during the hours of 09.00 and 17.00 Monday to Friday, UK time. We will normally respond within one working day (Monday to Friday, excluding UK public holidays).

University contact for general queries about the recruitment process

Next Steps

Short-listed candidates will be invited to the University, either virtually or in-person and will have the opportunity to meet key members of the Department. The assessment for the post will normally include an interview and we anticipate that the assessments and interviews will take place over two days in early to mid May 2025.

In the event that you are unable to attend in person on the date offered, it may not be possible to offer you an interview on an alternative date.

Please note that in submitting your application Durham University will be processing your data. We would ask you to consider the relevant University Privacy Statement Job Applicants / Potential Job Applicants - Durham University which provides information on the collation, storing and use of data.

When appointing to this role the University must ensure that it meets any applicable immigration requirements, including salary thresholds which are applicable to some visas.