Theme Lead in Robotics/Autonomous Systems

Professor/Senior Lecturer and Theme Lead in Robotics & Autonomous Systems

Kilobots/Swarmbots
Off

The Centre for Machine Intelligence (CMI) at The University of Sheffield (TUoS) wishes to recruit a Professor /Senior Lecturer and Theme Lead in Robotics & Autonomous Systems. The post is affiliated with the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and the School of Computer Science in the Faculty of Engineering.

The CMI is a strategic initiative supported by a £3.64m TUoS investment, dedicated to the transformation and acceleration of research, innovation, and teaching on and with AI. We are currently appointing leads for the CMI’s four interdisciplinary themes, including this post. You will work across the CMI and our Sheffield Robotics network, developing a strategic vision that brings together our research on machine intelligence, robotics and autonomous systems.

There are tremendous opportunities for growing our research in robotics and autonomous systems at Sheffield, with potential for significant impact for example via our large-scale translational research centres, such as our world-class Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC), the Healthy Lifespan Institute (HELSI) and the Centre for Assistive Technologies and Connected Healthcare (CATCH).

We are particularly keen to appoint a candidate who can contribute to one of the following areas of critical mass and excellence at Sheffield:

  • Medical robotics and systems, assistive and rehabilitative robotics
  • Social robotics
  • Intelligent manufacturing and cyber physical systems
  • Field robotics, robot navigation and localisation
  • Trustworthy autonomous systems, UAVs and swarm robotics
  • Robot manipulation
  • Foundation models for robotics

Robot in lab

About the role

You will have a background in robotics and/or autonomous systems, well-developed leadership skills, and experience of interdisciplinary collaboration. You will work to develop a strategic vision that brings together our research on machine intelligence, robotics and autonomous systems. You will be able to collaborate effectively with other theme leads and the Centre Director to ensure that the CMI is at the forefront of AI research, innovation, and impact, nationally and internationally.

Your responsibilities as Theme Lead will be for three years in the first instance, during which time you will have a reduced teaching commitment, as well as a generous start-up package

Closing date: Friday 6th December 2024

Apply here


About the CMI

Supported by a £3.6m investment from the University, the CMI is a strategic initiative dedicated to the transformation and acceleration of our research, innovation and teaching via Artificial Intelligence (AI). Through close alignment of the CMI and our Centres of excellence and other research centres, as well as the Turing University Network, the University strives to use AI to address research challenges with global significance.

About the Departments 

Find out more about School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering.

Find out more about School of Computer Science.

 ​​​​​​About the University of Sheffield
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Engineering Heartspace entrance

We're one of the UK's leading universities, a member of the Russell Group, with an international reputation for excellence. Our community is made up of 30,000 students from 150 countries, 8,000 staff, including 1,500 of the world’s leading academics. Official teaching quality assessments rate us very highly, and excellent research assessment results confirm our reputation as a centre for a wide variety of world-class research.  We're 105th in the world and 13th in the UK in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2024. We're also among the top 50 most international universities in the world, according to data from the 2023 Times Higher Education World University Rankings.  

We work with other leading universities, governments, and multinational companies to tackle the biggest challenges facing the world today, from the global economy to sustainable energy and food production.  Our partnerships with companies, including Boeing, Rolls-Royce, Siemens and McLaren, set a new standard for industrial, collaborative research. Our Advanced Manufacturing Group (AMG) has a global reputation for helping companies overcome manufacturing problems and is a model for collaborative research involving universities, academics and industry worldwide. Our innovation, including at our Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) and Nuclear AMRC, drives economic growth and productivity, and attracts significant inward investment to our city and region.

University vision and strategic plan

Working at the University of Sheffield

Our staff and their collective talent is the first and foremost priority for an organisation that wishes to change the world for the better through the power and application of ideas and knowledge. We are creating a remarkable place to work. We want our staff to be healthy, happy and engaged.

We are committed to exploring flexible working opportunities which benefit the individual and University. We’re one of the best not-for-profit organisations to work for in the UK. 

An excellent salary will be offered commensurate with the seniority of this post and the experience of the successful candidate. The University’s Total Reward Package includes a generous pension scheme and annual leave entitlement, as well as access to a range of learning and development courses to support your personal and professional development.

We build teams of people from different heritages and lifestyles whose talent and contributions complement each other to greatest effect. We believe diversity in all its forms delivers greater impact through research, teaching and student experience.

As a valued member of staff at the University you'll have access to a range of benefits and schemes to support you both in and out of work. 

Benefits of working at Sheffield.

A Remarkable Place to Live
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Sheffield is England's fourth-largest city, with the wealth of facilities you would expect to find in a major city, yet it's compact, welcoming and accessible.  This extraordinary city is the perfect setting for ground-breaking collaborations. It is world-famous for precision engineering. Creative and digital industries account for almost two fifths of the region’s jobs. Healthcare technology is another growth sector. Sheffield Teaching Hospitals is the UK’s largest NHS foundation trust. Our close links with the city make innovation impactful.

Living in Sheffield

Follow @sheffielduni and @UniOfSheffJobs on Twitter for more information about what makes the University of Sheffield a remarkable place to work.

A global reputation

Sheffield is a world top-100 research university with a global reputation for excellence. We're a member of the Russell Group: one of the 24 leading UK universities for research and teaching.