"Research Associate in Information Theory (Fixed Term)"

Applications are invited for a Research Associate position to work on ERC Advanced Grant on "Scaling and Concentration Laws in Information Theory" led by Professor Albert Guillén i Fàbregas (Engineering) and Leverhulme Trust Grant "Old Problems, New Perspectives: A Fresh Look at Classical Hypothesis Testing" led by Professor Varun Jog (Mathematics). The position will be carried out jointly at the Department of Engineering and at the Department of Pure Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics in approximately equal time shares. The projects study the fundamental information theoretic limits in communication and hypothesis testing. Specifically, the project will develop the theory of source and channel coding at vanishingly small rates and derive new results in hypothesis testing in asymptotic and non-asymptotic regimes. It is expected that new mathematical tools in concentration of measure and information inequalities will be necessary to address these problems.

The successful candidate will have a genuine interest in Shannon theory and information-theoretic approaches to statistical inference. They will have a background in information theory, hypothesis testing, statistics, communications theory and/or channel coding, as well as asymptotic methods in probability and statistics and will conduct research related to the project. The specific problems of research will be determined in consultation with the PIs, considering the skills and interests of the successful candidate. The successful candidates will work closely with the PIs (Professor Albert Guillén i Fàbregas and Professor Varun Jog) and actively participate in the activities of the PIs research groups. The project will be run in collaboration with Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Barcelona, and short research stays in Barcelona will be possible.

Key responsibilities and duties include undertaking an independent program of research and assisting with ongoing research lines, developing numerical experiments, writing up results for publication, and presenting work to colleagues at conferences or seminars, both internally and externally. Funding for international conference travel will be available. The successful candidates may also be asked to assist in organising various seminars and study groups.

The successful candidate will have a PhD (or equivalent) in Electrical, Information or Telecommunications Engineering, Computer Science, Statistics or Mathematics by the start date of the position and should have relevant background knowledge in Information Theory.

The post holders will be located in Central Cambridge.