Research Assistant - Computer Vision and Machine Learning (Visual-AI)

Job Title:    Research Assistant – Computer Vision and Machine Learning (Visual-AI)     
Department:        Computer Science 
Grade: Grade 6 
Salary range:      £31,236 - £36,636 (Grade 6 - Spine Point 23 – 28)
Working arrangements: flexible but with expectation for weekly on-site meetings/tasks
Closing date:        30th June 2026
Potential interview date:    21st July 2026

The University

At Durham University we are proud of our people.  A globally outstanding centre of educational excellence, a collegiate community of extraordinary people, a unique and historic setting – Durham is a university like no other. We believe that inspiring our people to do outstanding things at Durham enables Durham people to do outstanding things professionally and personally.  
Across the University we have a huge variety of roles and career opportunities, which together make us a large and successful community, which is a key hub of activity within our region and nationally.  We would be thrilled if you would consider joining our thriving University. Further information about the University can be found here 

The Role and Department

The successful candidate will be based in the Department of Computer Science, Durham University - ranked in the top 10 for Computer Science, Complete University Guide 2025 (Durham University ranked 5^th overall). The Department holds an Athena Swan Silver award, highlighting its commitment to promoting equality across in Science, Engineering and Technology. In the UK REF 2021 research assessment exercise, 97%25 of our research outputs were classified world-leading or internationally excellent (REF 2021).

The Department of Computer Science hosts well-equipped labs with on-site capabilities comprising vehicle-mounted sensors, drone operations, on/off-road robotics, high-precision geo-localisation, bio-signal data collection,  X-ray security scanning, virtual reality and on-demand wide-area surveillance video feeds. In addition Durham University hosts the UK regional supercomputer Bede (128 NVIDIA V100 + 3 NVIDIA Hopper GPUs) in addition to the pan-university Hamilton GPU resource (8 NVIDIA H200 NVL) which both complement our departmental NVIDIA CUDA Compute Cluster (80+ GPUs up to NVIDIA A100) to cater for the increasing GPU compute demands of modern AI-driven research projects.

Applications are invited for a full-time Research Assistant in Computer Vision and Machine Learning (Visual-AI) with a particular emphasis on deep learning for anomaly and out of distribution detection. The post-holder will join Prof. Toby Breckon's research team at Durham University, for an initial fixed-term period of 24 months, funded by an ongoing portfolio of research work primarily spanning aspects of open-world object detection and anomaly/outlier detection for use in both wide-area visual surveillance, aviation security and sensing for future autonomous vehicle/robot sensing (in collaboration with a number of partners).

The successful applicant will be expected to to work on common themes of deep machine learning research with applications across several active research streams within the group. They will consider the use of cutting-edge deep learning algorithms for object detection and tracking, anomaly detection and other generalized data understanding tasks (e.g. behaviour understanding  and/or materials discrimination) across a range of imaging modalities. Specifically, they will investigate novel aspects of these tasks, develop software algorithms, and manage their own academic research in addition to collaboration with a range of external industrial and government collaborators.

The post the offers an outstanding opportunity to gain a strong research track record in an exciting and fast-moving area of applied computer vision and machine learning whilst working in an environment with high levels of external collaboration and industrial research impact.

Further details on visual computing research can be found on the VIViD group website (https://vivid.webspace.durham.ac.uk/) and the personal website of the PI, Prof. Toby Breckon (https://www.durham.ac.uk/staff/toby-breckon/).

Responsibilities:

• To understand and convey information which needs careful explanation to the team or group of people through presentations, discussions and meetings which contribute to the production of research reports and publications.
• To write up results of research work, present information on research progress and outcomes to bodies supervising research in a clear and accurate manner.
• To analyse or undertake basic research by deciding how best to apply existing methodology according to overall context and objectives.
• To deal with problems that may affect the achievement of research objectives and deadlines by discussing with the Principal Investigator or Grant-holder and offering creative or innovative solutions.
• To liaise with research colleagues and make internal and external contacts to develop knowledge and understanding to form relationships for future research collaboration.
• To contribute to the planning of research projects.
• To assist in contributing to support student projects on the use of research methods and equipment. 
• To contribute to fostering a collegial and respectful working environment which is inclusive and welcoming and where everyone is treated fairly with dignity and respect.
• To engage in wider citizenship to support the department and wider discipline.
• To engage in continuing professional development by attending relevant training and development courses.   
• To develop, implement and validate computer software including the development of software deliverables for demonstration to external research collaborators.
• To document and maintain computer software using established practices within the research team.

This post is fixed term for  24 months due to the availability of funding from an ongoing portfolio of research activity led by Prof. Toby Breckon.

The post-holder is employed to work on research/a research project which will be led by another colleague. Whilst this means that the post-holder will not be carrying out independent research in his/her own right, the expectation is that they will contribute to the advancement of the project, through the development of their own research ideas/adaptation and development of research protocols.

Successful applicants will, ideally, be in post by 1st September 2026.

Working at Durham 

A competitive salary is only one part of the many fantastic benefits you will receive if you join the University:

• You’ll receive 27 days annual leave per year in addition to 8 public holidays and 4 customary days per year - a total of 39 days. The University closes between Christmas and New Year. 

• We offer a generous pension scheme, and as a new member of staff you will be automatically enrolled into the University Superannuation Scheme (USS).

• No matter how you travel to work, we have you covered.  We have ample parking across campus, a cycle to work scheme which helps you to buy a bike and discount with local bus and train companies. You can also take advantage of our cost-effective and environmentally friendly Tusker Car Benefit Scheme, allowing you to lease a brand-new electric or hybrid vehicle with savings on tax and National Insurance.

• We have a genuine commitment to developing our colleagues professionally and personally.  There is a comprehensive range of development courses, apprenticeships and access to qualifications and routes to develop your career in the University.  All staff have dedicated annual time to concentrate on their personal development opportunities.

• We provide wide-ranging health and wellbeing support including discounted membership for our state-of-the-art sport and gym facilities and access to a 24-7 Employee Assistance Programme.

• Our on-site nursery is rated Outstanding by Ofsted, and you can access holiday camps for children aged 5-16.

• Our family friendly policies, including maternity and adoption leave, are among the most generous in the higher education sector (and likely above and beyond many employers).

• We offer all staff the opportunity to take part in volunteering activities to make a difference in the local community.

• You can access exclusive discounts via our benefits portal including money off at supermarkets, high street retailers, IT products such as Apple, eating out and days out at various attractions.

• Various salary sacrifice schemes are also available to help you take advantage of tax savings on benefits.

• If you are moving to Durham, you may be eligible for help with removal costs, and we have a dedicated team who can help you with the practicalities such as house hunting and schools.  If you need a visa, we cover most visa costs and offer an interest free loan scheme to pay for dependant visas.

Discover more about our total rewards and benefits package here.

Durham University is committed to equality diversity, inclusion and values

Our collective aim is to create an open and inclusive environment where everyone can reach their full potential and we believe our staff should reflect the diversity of the global community in which we work.  As a University equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are a key part of the University’s Strategy and a central part of everything we do.  We also live by our values and our Staff Code of Conduct.  At Durham we actively work towards providing an environment where our staff and students can study, work and live in a community which is supportive and inclusive.

We welcome and encourage applications from members of groups who are under-represented in our work force including people with disabilities, women and black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.  If you have taken time out of your career, and you feel it relevant, let us know about it in your application.  If you are a candidate with a disability, we are committed to ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process. We will make adjustments to support the interview process wherever it is reasonable to do so and, where successful, reasonable adjustments will be made to support people within their role.

Contact Information 

Department contact for academic-related enquiries 

Prof. Toby P. Breckon, toby.breckon@durham.ac.uk

Contact information for technical difficulties when submitting your application 

If you encounter technical difficulties when using the online application form, we prefer you send enquiries by email.  Please send your name along with a brief description of the problem you’re experiencing to e.recruitment@durham.ac.uk 

Alternatively, you may call 0191 334 6801 from the UK, or +44 191 334 6801 from outside the UK. This number operates during the hours of 09.00 and 17.00 Monday to Friday, UK time.  We will normally respond within one working day (Monday to Friday, excluding UK public holidays).  

University contact for general queries about the recruitment process 

e.recruitment@durham.ac.uk

How to Apply  

To progress to the assessment stage, candidates must evidence each of the essential criteria required for the role in the person specification below. It will be at the discretion of the recruiting panel as to whether they will also consider any desirable criteria, but we would urge candidates to provide evidence for all criteria.  

While some criteria will be considered at the shortlisting stage, other criteria may be considered later in the assessment process, such as questions at interview.  

Submitting your application 

We prefer to receive applications online.   We will update you about your application at various points throughout the selection process, via automated emails from our e-recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to make sure you have not missed any of our updates.

What to Submit 

All applicants are asked to submit: 

• a CV and covering letter which details your experience, skills and achievements in meeting (or the potential to meet) the criteria set out below.
• a publication list to date and/or list of open-source contributions (e.g. link to GitHub, Google Scholar profiles and/or alternatives).

We will notify you on the status of your application at various points throughout the selection process, via automated emails from our e-recruitment system.  Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to ensure you receive all emails. 

Next Steps 

Short-listed candidates will be invited to the University, either virtually or in-person and will have the opportunity to meet key members of the Department.  The assessment for the post will normally include a brief research presentation to the interview panel followed by an interview itself and we anticipate that interviews will take place in or around 21st July 2026 either in-person or remotely.

In the event that you are unable to attend in person on the date offered, it may not be possible to offer you an interview on an alternative date. 

Please note that in submitting your application Durham University will be processing your data. We would ask you to consider the relevant University Privacy Statement Job Applicants/Potential Job Applicants - Durham University which provides information on the collation, storing and use of data.   

When appointing to this role the University must ensure that it meets any applicable immigration requirements, including salary thresholds which are applicable to some visas.

Person Specification

Essential Criteria:

1. A good first degree in a Computer Science or Engineering related subject or equivalent in experience.
2. A Masters in a Computer Science or Engineering related subject or equivalent in experience.
3. Experience in conducting basic academic research or providing research assistance, including the use of standard research methods.
4. Demonstrable ability to produce concise and well-written reports for a range of stakeholders.
5. Demonstrable ability to work cooperatively as part of a team, including participating in research meetings.
6. Ability to manage time effectively and work to strict deadlines.
7. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
8. Ability to liaise with a range of stakeholders.
9. Experience in intermediate to advanced Python programming with experience in one or more of the mainstream deep machine learning frameworks.

Desirable Criteria:

1. A PhD (or be close to submission) in Computer Science, Engineering or a related subject with an emphasis on computer vision and/or machine learning topics.
2. Experience of conducting high quality academic research.
3. Experience of preparing academic papers.
4. Demonstrable ability to produce concise and well-written reports for a range of stakeholders.
    
5. Ability to assist in the provision of support to student projects.
    
6. Ability to liaise with a range of stakeholders.
    

7. Experience in use of the Linux operating system, ROS and/or working with robots and sensor systems.  

    

    

    

   SECONDMENT
   The post is full time, fixed term for a 2 year period and may be offered on an internal secondment basis subject to the agreement of the current line manager.