Research Assistant / Associate in Sensor Systems

Salary:

Research Assistant: £32,296 - £33,482 per annum

Research Associate: £34,866 per annum

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Closing Date: 12 January 2025

The Role

The Intelligent Sensing and Communication (ISC) Group within the School of Engineering at Newcastle University is recognised as a leading research hub in the UK, with an international reputation for pioneering work in Sensors, Communications, and Signal Processing.

If you have a strong research background in networked sensor system development and machine learning (ML), the ISC Group could be just the place for you, as we are currently seeking to appoint a highly motivated researcher to support our recently funded research project focusing on food fresshness assessment using sensor systems and ML algorithms.

This role focuses on designing and developing advanced sensor systems to quantify food freshness, replacing subjective human judgment with data-driven insights. The developed technology aims to reduce household food waste by notifying users to consume still-edible food or enabling its efficient redistribution within communities. You will lead the design and prototyping of sensor systems, including gas/odour sensors, and develop embedded systems underpinned by PCB designs. You will also implement low-power communication architectures to ensure efficient and reliable data transfer. Furthermore, the role involves training and validating ML algorithms to process sensor data, delivering accurate and actionable freshness assessments.

This is a great opportunity to contribute to impactful research addressing sustainability challenges, collaborating with industry and academic partners, and producing high-quality outputs with both academic and real-world applications. You will be guided and supported by the Principal Investigator and collaborate closely with a multidisciplinary team and external partners.

The role is fixed-term for 9 months.

For informal queries regarding the role or the project, please contact Dr Oktay Cetinkaya (Lecturer in Sensor Systems) at: oktay.cetinkaya@newcastle.ac.uk.

To apply, please provide evidence of how you meet the essential criteria outlined in ‘The Person’ section below by uploading a letter of application along with your Curriculum Vitae (CV).

We are committed to building and maintaining a fair and inclusive working environment and would be happy to discuss arrangements for flexible and/or blended working. For more information about the School of Engineering and our research, please click here.

Key Accountabilities

• Design, prototype, and optimise sensor systems, including gas/odour sensors.
• Develop and implement low-power communication architectures for efficient data transmission.
• Design PCBs and program microcontrollers for sensor integration.
• Train and validate ML algorithms using sensor data for predictive insights on food freshness.
• Test and validate prototypes, iterating to improve hardware and system performance.
• Prepare technical documentation, research papers, and conference presentations.
• Collaborate effectively within multidisciplinary teams to achieve project goals.

The Person

Knowledge, Skills and Experience 

• Expertise in sensor interfacing, embedded systems, and PCB design.
• Strong knowledge of low-power, event-driven communication protocol design for IoT applications.
• Experience with machine learning, including algorithm development and training.
• Knowledge and research experience in hardware/software co-design.
• Ability to develop prototypes, design testbeds, collect data, and analyse results systematically.
• Attention to detail and commitment to high-quality outputs. 
• Ability to manage research data and maintain records in a professional manner for research projects.

Desirable

• Experience in mobile app development.
• A developing track record of peer-reviewed publications in internationally recognised journals and conferences and experience in presenting to the national and international research community.

Attributes and Behaviour

• Proactive in driving research tasks and achieving outcomes.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, and strong teamwork abilities.
• Willing to learn and expand your research area and carry out challenging research studies.
• Commitment to professional development and research dissemination.
• Maintaining a high level of professional conduct and ethics in research.
• Committed to embedding the values of equality and diversity in all aspects of your work.
• Demonstrable commitment to our values of academic excellence. ambition. social responsibility and accountability.

Qualifications

• A PhD (or near completion for Assistant level) in Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Computer Science, or a related discipline.

Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.  As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.

We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society.  We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent.  We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.

At Newcastle University we hold a silver Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality.  We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC.  We are a Disability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme.

In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe. 

Requisition ID: 27828