Research Assistant/ Associate (Fixed Term)

Research Assistant/ Associate (Fixed Term)

Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 18 months in the first instance.

We are seeking a Research Associate to join the Cambridge Machine Learning Systems Lab (CaMLSys - https://mlsys.cst.cam.ac.uk) at the University of Cambridge's Department of Computer Science and Technology.

We seek a highly motivated Postdoctoral Research Associate to join a research lab working at the intersection of machine learning and systems. The lab addresses foundational and applied research challenges spanning algorithms, systems, and hardware, with the unifying goal of enabling next-generation systems that can scale to frontier AI capabilities.

The successful candidate will conduct independent and collaborative research that advances the state of the art in machine learning methods.

Interested applicants may want to consult recent papers from the lab that are indicative of current areas of interest; for example:

• https://proceedings.mlsys.org/paper_files/paper/2025/hash/185087ea328b4f03ea8fd0c8aa96f747-Abstract-Conference.html
• https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.05153
• https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.05361
• https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.04396

Although it should be noted the lab maintains a broad interest in advancing all facets of building SOTA-level safe forms of AI.

The lab emphasizes close collaboration among researchers with diverse expertise in algorithms, hardware, mathematics, statistics, and software. Postdoctoral researchers are encouraged to pursue ambitious ideas, develop new collaborations, and help define the future research agenda of the group.

The successful candidate will hold (or be close to completion) a PhD in a relevant specialist subject or equivalent experience, will be self-motivated, solutions-oriented, and have a solid understanding of Federated Learning. This is a unique opportunity to work with leading experts and pioneers in FL

Applicants should contact Professor Nicholas Lane (ndl32@cam.ac.uk) for further information about the position.

Appointment at Research Associate level is dependent on having a PhD. Those who have submitted but not yet received their PhD will be appointed at Research Assistant level, which will be amended to Research Associate once the PhD has been awarded.

Further information on the requirements for the role can be found in the further particulars.

In addition to the base salary stated above, the successful candidate for this post will receive an additional 2.5% supplement to their pay.

Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.

Please provide a CV and covering letter. If you upload any additional documents which haven't been requested, we will not be able to consider these as part of your application.

Questions about the recruitment process may be addressed to the HR Team at hr-admin@cst.cam.ac.uk

Please quote reference NR49592 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

Key information

Department/location: Department of Computer Science and Technology

Salary: £33,002-£46,049

Reference: NR49592

Category: Research

Date published: 13 May 2026

Closing date: 4 June 2026