Funded by a Royal Society Faraday Discovery Fellowship, you would be working on the project "Predicting synthesisable materials: bridging the gap between computation and experiment", working at the interface of Chemistry and Artificial Intelligence (AI). This is one of just seven long-term £8M projects funded in the UK (). This is an exciting opportunity to design and implement novel digital technologies in collaboration with a wide range of academic collaborators. You will be part of a larger team of Research Associates, PhD students, and a technician consisting of experimental chemists, computational chemists, and computer scientists specialising in AI. You are also expected to have the opportunity to engage with events, training and personal development activities run by the Royal Society.
You will develop methods for data-extraction from the literature, generative AI, as well as explore the training of LLMs to assist in guiding the synthesis of promising materials, using both software tools you develop and data collected by the larger team. You will also explore the integration of human-in-the-loop feedback to improve the models. The post is ideal for individuals interested in working creatively across a range of projects and experts, working closely with academics in Chemistry and Imperial's School for Human and Artificial Intelligence. The broader research environment also includes the EPSRC-funded AI hub for Chemistry (AIchemy), Co-Directed by Prof. Jelfs.
For those with significant experience as a Research Associate, there is the possibility to be appointed at a higher spine point acting as a research group manager. In that case, in addition to their research, the post holder would be expected to assist in the day-to-day running and strategic direction of Prof. Jelfs' research group, including supervision of postgraduate and undergraduate project students, co-managing and developing collaborations, kick-starting new research programmes, submission of publications and grant applications and recruitment. This is an excellent opportunity for a candidate looking to gain the experience needed to pursue a long-term career in academia. Candidates interested in being considered for this level of position should indicate this within their application. Candidates in their early career post-PhD are expected to start at the lower end of the salary range.
You will:
1. Development and application of novel graph learning based methods
2. Development and application of novel AI methods for predicting the synthesisability of organic molecules
If appointed at a higher spine point:
3. to assist in the day-to-day running of the Jelfs research group including, but not restricted to, supervision of postgraduate and undergraduate project students and PDRAs, co-managing and developing collaborations (academic and industrial), kick-starting new research programmes and oversight of the strategic development of the group, writing and submission of publications and grant applications, and recruitment.
4. Experience in generative models and developing novel methods for them
5. Practical experience in state-of-the-art techniques in AI for chemistry
6. Experience of dealing with multidisciplinary experimental and theory collaborators
7. Practical experience within a research environment and publications in relevant journals
8. (For appointment at a senior level): experience as a post-doctoral research associate, experience of grant writing, experience of managing research programmes, excellent organisation skills, experience supervising junior researchers, ability to build productive working relationships
9. The opportunity to continue your career at a world-leading institution and be part of our mission to continue science for humanity.
10. Grow your career: gain access to Imperial’s sector-leading as well as opportunities for promotion and progression.
11. Sector-leading salary and remuneration package (including 41 days off a year and generous pension schemes).
12. Be part of a diverse, inclusive and collaborative work culture with various and resources to support your personal and professional .