"Research Associate/Senior Research Associate in Environmental Impact of Digital Services"

Job number

ACAD107350

The role

This is an exciting opportunity for a skilled, motivated, and talented postdoctoral researcher to study the environmental impact of future AI and video technology and develop strategies to reduce it.

You will be part of the EPSRC-funded CANDISE project (Change-oriented Assessments for Net-zero DIgital Services). In collaboration with our globally leading academic and industrial partners, including Akamai, BT, Meta, Netflix, and Sony, you will investigate the environmental impact of future AI and video technology and propose solutions to mitigate it.

Leveraging your existing expertise in energy-efficient AI or video communication, along with training and development provided by our team, you will:

Build models of the environmental impacts of current and future high-bandwidth network and AI services (e.g., real-time video, cloud gaming) and derive assessment methods from these.

Identify hotspots, trends, and robust strategies for impact reduction.

The CANDISE project adopts a multidisciplinary approach, focusing on long-term environmental sustainability through deep technical expertise.

You will join the Sustainable Technology Lab in the Bristol Interaction Group (http://biglab.co.uk/labs/), a vibrant multidisciplinary research community of 11 academics and 40 postdoctoral researchers and students.

In this technical role, you will collaborate closely with others and, through your experiments, interactions with partners, and study of trends in hardware and software energy efficiency optimization, you will build models and develop guidance for a range of stakeholders.

This is an open-ended appointment for initially 2 years, with the possibility of extension. The role is offered full-time or part-time. This role is offered at Research Associate (RA) and Senior Research Associate (SRA) level. 

You will be part of a highly inclusive and supportive team, with training provided to support your needs and time allocated for professional development.

What will you be doing?

Conduct original research on the environmental impacts of digital services, including AI, video streaming, gaming, and virtual reality.

Implement (RA) or lead (SRA) the modelling of service systems.

Participate in designing interviews and workshops with engineers, designers, and business managers across the supply chain.

Support (RA) or lead (SRA) the investigation of carbon reduction strategies for engineers, management, and policy.

Contribute to (RA) or lead (SRA) high-impact publications.

Collaborate closely with other researchers in the team.

You should apply if

You have the following:

Qualifications for Grade I (Research Associate):

A good honours degree (or equivalent) with subject knowledge in the relevant area and some research experience.

A relevant postgraduate research degree or equivalent professional qualification/experience, or be working towards one.

Qualifications for Grade J (Senior Research Associate):

A PhD or equivalent expertise in AI, video communication, or a related field.

Additional Knowledge and Skills:

Understanding of web-services architectures and familiarity with service operations, including networking and servers.

Knowledge of energy efficiency or carbon footprints.

A track record of contributing (Research Associate) or leading (Senior Research Associate) high-impact academic publications.

Experience in quantitative data analysis is desirable.

Excellent communication skills are essential.

Additional information

Why Apply?

Be part of a leading-edge research project with global industry leaders.

Join a vibrant, multidisciplinary research community.

Benefit from extensive training and professional development opportunities.

Work in a supportive and inclusive environment.

To find out more about what it's like to work in the Faculty of Engineering, and how the Faculty supports people to achieve their potential, please see our staff blog:

https://engineeringincludesme.blogs.bristol.ac.uk/

Contract type: Open ended with fixed funding for two years

Work pattern: Full or part time

Grade: Grade I or Grade J

Salary: £37099 - £41,732 (Grade I) or £41,732 - £46,974 (Grade J) per annum (pro rata for part time)

School/Unit: Faculty of Engineering 

This advert will close at 23:59 UK time on 10/09/2024

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