[alife] Research Assistant at University of Hertfordshire Adaptive Systems Research Group

[Chrystopher Nehaniv]

Research Assistant in Computer Science
University of Hertfordshire - School of Computer Science


£20,300 - £21,500 per annum (depending on qualifications and  
experience)

A Research Assistant is required to work within the Science and  
Technology Research Institute as part of the Adaptive Systems Research  
Group and primarily within the teams leading research in humanoid  
robotics on EU funded projects (ITALK - http://www.italkproject.org).   
The position is based on a fixed-term contract, although there may be  
a possibility of extension depending on performance and funding. The  
position may start as soon as possible with a contract up to end of  
February 2012. You will be a member of the Adaptive Systems Research  
Group (http://adapsys.feis.herts.ac.uk/) at University of  
Hertfordshire in the School of Computer Science which includes 30  
research staff members (postdocs and PhD students). The University of  
Hertfordshire is the top-ranked university in the UK amongst new  
universities for post-2008 RAE-funding in Computer Science and  
Informatics, with 55% of research outputs identified as  
internationally excellent or world leading. The highly active and  
multidisciplinary research group has an excellent international  
research track record including research in human-robot interaction,  
social robotics and robot learning.

Primary responsibilities include providing software  support and  
maintenance of key repositories used in robotics research,  
implementation of software suites on robotic platforms, set-up of  
robotics research computers and associated networks, software  
programming and documentation, background research, assisting in the  
set-up of experiments and collecting experimental data.  The role  
would also involve assisting in the preparation of research  
publications.

You should have a good Honours degree in Computer Science or a related  
discipline; an MSc in artificial intelligence/robotics would be  
desirable. You are expected to be a highly competent programmer in C+ 
+ , and have strong familiarity with Unix (e.g. Linux/Mac OSX) and  
Windows based systems. You must have excellent communication skills.   
You must be fluent in English. Experience of physical robotic  
technologies is desirable. The work will involve the implementation of  
demonstrable software systems.

You will work in a vibrant research environment under the supervision  
of university research and academic staff.

Candidates may wish to contact Dr Joe Saunders by email j.1.saunders at herts.ac.uk 
  to discuss the post further.

Closing Date: 6 May 2010

Quote Reference: EN9189XAC

The University offers a range of benefits including a final salary  
pension scheme, professional development, family friendly policies,  
child care vouchers, waiving of course fees for the children of staff  
at UH, discounted memberships at the Hertfordshire Sports Village and  
generous annual leave.

Apply online at http://www.herts.ac.uk/jobs or request an application  
pack from Human Resources on 01707 284802 (24hr voicemail), or if  
calling from outside the UK add country code 44, quoting the  
appropriate reference number.