Research Assistant/Associate in Exascale Computing for Advanced Engineering (Fixed Term)

University of Cambridge - Department of Engineering, Central Cambridge

Location:	Cambridge
Salary:	£33,002 to £46,049 per annum
Hours:	Full Time
Contract Type:	Fixed-Term/Contract

Placed On: 10th April 2026

Closes: 22nd May 2026

Job Ref: NM49379

A position is available for a Research Assistant/Associate funded jointly by UK Research and Innovation and Rolls-Royce plc as part of the VECTA Prosperity Partnership. VECTA is a collaboration with Rolls-Royce and five universities, including EPCC Edinburgh, University of Cambridge, Warwick University, Surrey University and Queen's University Belfast. The post holder will contribute to a collaboration focused on large-scale distributed-memory GPU computing for problems governed by partial differential equations with engineering applications.

This post will research GPU-accelerated finite element method solvers, and provides opportunities to work closely with and visit collaborating partner universities. There will also be opportunities to contribute to open-source scientific software projects, including the FEniCS Project.

The post holder will be located in Central Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, UK.

The key responsibilities and duties are to undertake research into high-performance computing with an emphasis on GPU-accelerated finite element method solvers. Dissemination of research results will be through published papers and conference presentations, and knowledge exchange through interaction with potential users of the research outputs.

The skills, qualifications and experience required for the role are that the candidate has obtained or is close to obtaining a PhD in Engineering, Applied Mathematics, Computer Science or a related area, and has experience in numerical methods for partial differential equation problems. Experience in GPU computing is an advantage.

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.

To apply for this vacancy, you need to upload two (2) CVs (Curriculum Vitae) in different formats: a Narrative CV and your standard CV (full details in the Further Particulars).

This is a real vacancy that is being studied as part of the Action Research on Research Culture project (ARRC, https://www.arrc.group.cam.ac.uk/).

The ARRC team are investigating the effects of CV format on shortlisting. If you consent to take part in the study, the ARRC team will use information from the shortlisting process to understand the impact of different CV formats. The recruiting academic will not be told whether you have joined the study so your choice about whether to take part in the study cannot influence the decision on who to appoint. Further details can be found in the 'Further particulars' document. If you have questions about the ARRC project, please contact: arrcproject@admin.cam.ac.uk.

Salary Ranges:

Research Assistant: GBP 33,002 - GBP 35,608

Research Associate: GBP 37,694 - GBP 46,049

Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 36 months in the first instance.

To apply online for this vacancy and to view further information about the role, please click the 'Apply' button above.

If you have any questions about this vacancy or the application process, please contact Hilde Hambro (Group Administrator), by email hh463@cam.ac.uk or at 01223 748 243.

Please quote reference NM49379 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.

The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.