The School of Computer Science seeks to appoint an Associate Professor with an established and sustained academic profile within Robotics and Autonomous Systems. The School of Computer Science is a key player in the continued success story of the University of Lincoln, the Modern University of the Year 2021 (awarded by the Times Good University Guide). It pursues a blend of fundamental, applied and interdisciplinary research, with current focus areas in Computer Vision, Machine Learning, Robotics and Autonomous Systems, and Human-Computer Interaction. The post holder is expected to contribute to the School’s teaching activities and to develop their research portfolio, to include: acquiring external funding; supervising postdoctoral researchers and PhD students; publishing in the highest quality journals and conferences; strengthening industry partnerships and contributing to real-world applications with positive impacts; and conducting, directing and leading research to fulfil the University’s ambition and strategic objectives.

Associate Professors are involved in university service beyond their School and College, demonstrating continuous academic attainment and achievement, providing academic leadership through active contribution to their discipline and enhancing the University’s national and international reputation.

The successful candidate will be part of the Lincoln Centre for Autonomous Systems (L-CAS), the College of Science’s cross-disciplinary research centre in robotics. It is internationally recognised for its contributions in perception, learning, decision-making, control and interaction capabilities of autonomous robotic systems, in application domains including agri-food, healthcare, transportation, logistics, nuclear robotics, space and service robotics. L-CAS is among the fastest-growing robotics groups in the UK, a member of the UKRAS network, and a partner in many collaborative research projects; with funding from UK Research Councils (EPSRC and BBSRC), InnovateUK and EU Research Programmes, among others. It provides a highly dynamic, inter-disciplinary research environment, with extensive collaboration opportunities, many robotic platforms (wheeled, humanoid, robotic arms, manipulators, swarms, etc), and established support infrastructures. 

We specifically welcome applications to establish new areas of research that complement our existing specialisms, such as (but not limited to): robotic manipulation and grasping; mobile manipulation; fleet robotics; robot learning; soft robotics; and haptics. The postholder will be part of the leadership team of L-CAS, with independence and support to take their team towards world-leading research contributions and new opportunities. 

The University is committed to building a culturally diverse institution, where all staff and students can flourish and feel valued for their contribution and individuality. We welcome talented people, whatever their background, to work and study here. All appointments are made on merit. We particularly encourage applications from suitably qualified female academics, as they are currently under-represented in positions within the School.

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