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Founder and Managing Partner at Aspia Space
Job Title: Applied Scientist (Full Time)
Location: Harwell Science Campus (near Oxford) preferred, Cornwall Office (near Penryn) possible. Remote work available, but applicants must be able to reach a designated office.
Working Hours: 37 hours per week, with flexible hours possible.
Salary: £60-80k (dependent on experience)
* 25 days holiday per annum, plus UK Bank Holidays (with up to 5-day rollover)
* Company pension
* Private medical insurance
Why Join Aspia?
Aspia combines the freedom and creativity of a research lab with the commercial urgency of a high-growth start-up. Our approach is already powering breakthrough solutions in land use, climate resilience, and food security. We’re looking for exceptional individuals who can thrive in a fast-moving, research-driven, but product-focused environment.
About Aspia
Aspia Space is building the next generation of planetary intelligence. We transform observational data into trusted, consumable intelligence for agriculture, finance, environmental planning and policy.
From our offices in Harwell and Cornwall, we push Earth data to its limits to deliver insights no one else can, developing products that combine satellite imagery and expert ground truth with the very best observational science and deep learning tools to support clients across the world, powering everything from smallholder farming programmes in Africa to biodiversity net gain compliance in the UK.
We’re a multidisciplinary team of scientists, engineers, and product strategists who believe in delivering practical impact. Our ambition is global, but our focus is always local, measurable, and relevant.
About the Role
We are looking for an Applied Scientist with an engineering mindset and a strong foundation in data science. You will be part of a small, agile R&D team applying advanced machine learning techniques to satellite Earth Observation data. You will collaborate with experienced scientists and engineers, with opportunities to mentor and be mentored.
You should be comfortable handling large (and small) datasets and eager to reframe complex technical problems as opportunities for innovation. Scientific rigour and curiosity are essential: we value critical thinking and a hands-on approach to solving problems that don’t have textbook answers.
This is not a conventional industry role. We are interested in boundary-crossers—people who draw from multiple disciplines, who can translate ideas into robust, scalable code, and who are able to effectively communicate their ideas and results to others, including non-technical stakeholders.
Key Responsibilities
* Be an integral part of the R&D team, contributing to the development of new and existing EO-based products and services.
* Apply deep learning models (such as U-Nets, transformers, diffusion models) to EO data.
* Lead or contribute to experimental research projects, including proof-of-concepts and rapid prototyping, either in response to external requests/challenges or brainstormed within the team. These may be associated with short deadlines or be more open-ended.
* Document code, maintain version control, and follow good software engineering practices.
* Contribute to technical reports, whitepapers and academic articles related to Aspia Space research and product development.
* Shape Aspia's R&D roadmap through idea generation and exploration of new methodologies.
* Represent Aspia at internal and external meetings, workshops, conferences, and trade shows.
* Support grant writing and proposal development.
Required Qualifications & Experience
* At least a 2.1 undergraduate degree in Physics, Mathematics, Computer Science, or another numerate discipline, or an exceptional non-traditional background (e.g. open-source contributions).
* A postgraduate degree (MSc, MRes or PhD) in Physics, Mathematics, Computer Science or other numerate discipline.
* Commercial or industry experience with a strong coding component.
* Solid understanding of applied statistics.
* Experience with scalable deep learning techniques and large EO data. We are particularly interested in candidates who have a history of successfully applying neural networks in the real world.
* Fluency inPython and common data science libraries (NumPy, pandas, matplotlib, scikit-learn, Jupyter, PyTorch).
* Proficiency with Linux, bash scripting, and git.
* Strong communication skills, with the ability to convey complex technical material to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
* Ability to work independently as well as in a team.
* Ability to plan work and meet deadlines.
* Experience with geospatial data and tools (such as QGIS, geopandas, rasterio).
* A well-maintained GitHub or GitLab portfolio.
* Familiarity with cloud computing (AWS, Azure, GCP) or HPC environments.
* Experience of working in an Agile environment.
* Evidence of leading independent research.
* A publication record in peer-reviewed literature or notable conferences.
How To Apply
To apply, please send a PDF of your CV (and an optional cover letter) to Laura Botha at laura.botha@aspiaspace.com. Informal enquiries can be directed to James Geach at james.geach@aspiaspace.com.
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.
Seniority level
* Seniority level
Entry level
Employment type
* Employment type
Full-time
Job function
* Job function
Research, Analyst, and Information Technology
* Industries
Defense and Space Manufacturing
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