Faculty of Technology

Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation

Senior Research Associate

Employment type:  Fixed term for 2 years from 1 September 2014

Employment basis:  Full time

Salary:  £28,132 to £31,644 per annum

Position number:  10011552

Closing date:  31 May 2014

Interview date:  Between 2 June and 13 June 2014

The Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation (ICG, www.icg.port.ac.uk) in collaboration with the UoP Cross Faculty Zooniverse initiative intends to appoint a Postdoctoral Researcher/Data Scientist with strong experience in statistics or the statistical exploitation of large data sets in order to further techniques for the exploitation of citizen science for research.

The successful applicant will work on the projects in the Zooniverse citizen science platform, run by the Citizen Science Alliance of which the University of Portsmouth is an institutional member. The successful candidate will participate in the development of the Zooniverse's post citizen input data processing software as well as in the development of new citizen science projects to support University of Portsmouth researchers. Local expertise in citizen science is found both in ICG (Prof. Bob Nichol, Dr Karen Masters), and PBS (Dr Joe Cox).

The successful applicant will spend 50% of their time collaborating with a remote team in both Oxford University, and Chicago, USA on efforts towards the development and deployment of the Zooniverse citizen science platform (www.zooniverse.org) - the world’s largest and most productive collections of online citizen science projects. ICG’s work in the area of citizen science dates from the 2007 launch of Galaxy Zoo – the project which inspired the creation of the Zooniverse.  Within PBS, Dr Joe Cox is the PI of an EPSRC funded project to study the economics of volunteering in the Zooniverse. Building on this work, the University of Portsmouth has recently joined the international Zooniverse collaboration in a University wide initiative involving the Faculties of Technology, Science, Creative and Cultural Industries, Humanities and Social Science, and The Portsmouth Business School. The successful applicant will be responsible for supporting citizen science project development and implementation from departments across all subjects covered by the University, and their main task will be to assist researchers from both the University of Portsmouth and beyond to quickly and reliably obtain research publications from their involvement in citizen science projects.

The Zooniverse uses some of the best technology to provide cutting-edge tools to scientists using the platform; we expect the results produced by this researcher to be adopted by the Zooniverse team and deployed in production across the platform. There is an opportunity to work with a dynamic, innovative and international team of developers and scientists. There will be the opportunity to travel, and to work in areas across a diverse range of research.

The successful candidate will be based at the ICG. The ICG consists of 12 academic staff, 12 postdoctoral researchers and 20 PhD students, and is a member of the Sloan Digital Sky Surveys (SDSS-III and SDSS-IV), the Dark Energy Survey, the UK Low Frequency Array (LOFAR:UK) and the UK National Cosmology Supercomputer Consortium (COSMOS). The University of Portsmouth is a member of the South-East Physics Network (SEPnet) and hosts the 1000-core SEPnet-ASTRO supercomputer (SCIAMA). More information is available at http://www.icg.port.ac.uk.

The start date will be 1^st September 2014, or as soon as possible thereafter.

A PhD or equivalent in a relevant subject (e.g. statistics, computer science, or science with a relevant specialism) is required, as is experience of working with large data sets and the ability to creatively solve problems and work effectively in a diverse and geographically spread team. Candidates should be able to demonstrate an interest in citizen science techniques, and excellent written and oral communication skills.

Your completed application form should include a CV, publication list and research statement. Applicants should also arrange for up to three reference letters to be sent by email to icg-admin@port.ac.uk, to arrive by the same date. 

Late applications may be considered; please contact the HR Recruitment team via hrrecruitment@port.ac.uk for details on how to apply.

We welcome applications from all qualified applicants, but applications are particularly encouraged from traditionally under-represented groups in science/technology. The University of Portsmouth is member of the Athena SWAN charter and an Institute of Physics Project Juno Supporter; these projects show a commitment to introduce organisational and cultural practices that promote gender equality in science and create a better working environment for men and women.

For informal enquiries please contact Karen Masters via email at karen.masters@port.ac.uk or by calling +44 (0)23 9284 3137.