School of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment
Organisation/Company Edinburgh Napier University Department School of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment Research Field Computer science » Systems design Computer science » Autonomic computing Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions PhD Positions Country United Kingdom Application Deadline 9 Nov 2025 - 23:59 (UTC) Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 35 Offer Starting Date 1 Apr 2026 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Horizon Europe - MSCA Marie Curie Grant Agreement Number 101226624 Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No
Offer Description
Edinburgh Napier University– Schools of Computing and Engineering & the Built Environment
Edinburgh Napier University is one of the largest higher education institutions in the UK with over 25,000 students from 109 countries. An innovative, learner centric university with a modern and fresh outlook, Edinburgh Napier is ambitious, inclusive in its ethos and applied in its approach.
The research in its School of Computing, Engineering and Built Environment (SCEBE) is recognised as world leading or internationally excellent in UK’s REF. The latest UK national research assessment (REF 2021) places our computer science as third best in terms of research power in Scotland.We are a leading UK university with 100% of our assessed work from areas of computing achieving the highest rating (world-leading), a recognition achieved only by six other universities in the UK. SCEBE are dedicated to dealing with new digital challenges and opportunities as they arise, and helping organisations to look ahead and shape our digital future. SCEBE works across a spectrum of fields of computer technology including smart sensors & networks, Cyber Physical System, intelligence-driven software engineering, generative and bio-inspired AI, future interaction and cyber-security. It helps to explore not just the technology but how people interact with the technology and how it impacts on society. SCEBE works on projects with EU, UK’s research councils, international funders and clients across all industry sectors. SCEBE also have a vibrant PhD programme developing new research and new researchers' skills, and a number of CPD and Postdoc training programmes.
The school is based in the lively and exciting Merchiston area at theheart of Edinburgh, Scotland's inspiring capital. Further information about Edinburgh Napier University can be foundhere .
The Role
Applications are invited for a Doctoral Candidate (also known as Doctoral Fellow) in GREET (Generative Explainee-aware Explainability and Transparency in Proactive Cyber-Physical Eco- Environments) Doctoral Network, funded by Horizon Europe’s MSCA Programme. The candidate will work within the Research Group of Intelligence-Driven Software Engineering in the SCEBE school.
The GREET Doctoral Network offers an exciting opportunity for an early-career researcher to contribute to shaping a new generation of Cyber Physical Systems, which will support generative cognition, explainee-aware explainability, and transparent proactivity in the highly secured CPS eco-environments. Focused on the novel generative AI-driven CPS, GREET aims to deliver key insights into the science and models of the proposed CPS, set up its scientific foundation, and equip the DN’s recruited Doctoral Candidates with skills to drive the next innovative steps in this key area.
In partnership with 13 renowned institutions and industrial leaders across 9 countries, GREET will train 15 talented doctoral candidates (DCs) through an interdisciplinary co-design approach that integrates with ecosphere-driven, user studies, and agile methodologies. The proposed new CPS will drive an economic and societal paradigm shift towards a trustworthy proactive smart world, it will bring in future smart services with its built-in holistic cognitive and trustworthy learning ability, deployed in many vital societal and economic services, such as smart cities, manufacturing, healthcare, energy and transport.
The Doctoral Candidate will first study and create the model-driven and semantics-based explainability repositories for CPS. Further, the doctoral candidate will extract and define knowledge and patterns for typical explainability for proactivity and eco-cognition. Working with other doctoral fellows, the candidate will support development of the generative AI algorithms for proactivity and eco-cognition and the creation and operation of the virtual explainability twins.
The Doctoral Candidate will be employed as a full-time Research Fellow by Edinburgh Napier University and meanwhile registered for PhD degree. Salary is very competitive, and the PhD tuition fees will be paid/exempted by the project.
What you can expect
Edinburgh Napier University is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Our gender pay gap is currently one of the lowest in the sector. We actively encourage applications from women, ethnic minorities, people with disabilities and other underrepresented groups.
Who we are looking for
Applicants:
* must not have a doctoral degree on the date of their recruitment
* can be of any nationality
* should be enrolled in a doctoral programme during the project
* should comply with the mobility rules: in general, they must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the recruiting organisation for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before their recruitment date
* A first degree (at least a 2:1) ideally in Computer Science with a good fundamental knowledge of at least one of the following areas software engineering, explainable AI, semantic models or Cyber Physical Systems.
* Experience of fundamental software design and development
* Competent in the use and development of semantic models and design patterns
* Knowledge of explainable AI and digital twins
* Good written and oral communication skills
* Strong motivation, with evidence of independent research skills relevant to the project
* Good time management
Benefits we offer:
We offer support and recognition wherever due, as well as fantastic benefits such aspension with employer contributions of 17.6% - 26%, a minimum of 46 days holiday and annual pay reviews.
Additional Information
Informal enquiries about the role can be made to Professor Xiaodong Liu (x.liu@napier.ac.uk ). Applications for the role must be submitted via the Edinburgh Napier University job applications web site – emailed applications will not be accepted.
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