DepartmentThis post is based within the Embedded Intelligent Systems (EIS) group in the School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering at the University of Essex. The School brings together expertise across computing and electronic engineering, providing an interdisciplinary environment for research in artificial intelligence, robotics and embedded systems.
Duties of the roleThe post holder will support the University’s research activities on the CONCERTO project, which aims to develop coordinated drones and ground robots for crop monitoring, early detection of pests and diseases, and targeted interventions in soft-fruit production.
Working with the Essex research team, you will support the development and evaluation of technologies for mapping, localisation, communication and fleet management. Activities will include experimental work, system integration, data analysis and the preparation of research outputs.
The role will also involve collaboration with project partners, including Versatile RobotX and Wilkin & Sons (Tiptree), to support testing and demonstration in agricultural environments.
A full list of duties and responsibilities of the role can be found within the job pack.
Qualifications and skills requiredApplicants should hold a relevant Bachelor’s degree in an appropriate subject and/or Professional experience and/or practice in the fields of Computer Science, Electronic Engineering or Mechanical Engineering.
You will have experience of supporting research or technical development in robotics, artificial intelligence, embedded systems or a related area as well as experience of conducting experiments, analysing results and documenting technical finding. In addition, experience of programming in Python and/or C++ for software development, data analysis or experimental work is essential.
The successful applicant will possess knowledge of robotics concepts, such as sensing, mapping, localisation and autonomous navigation and the ability to work collaboratively with academic researchers and external project partners.
This is a research position, and no teaching duties are associated to this post. This is a fixed-term, part-time position for 18 hours per week until 31 October 2028.
At the University of Essex, internationalism and diversity is central to who we are and what we do. We are committed to being a cosmopolitan, internationally oriented university that is welcoming to staff and students from all countries, faiths and backgrounds, where you can find the world in one place.
To support this commitment we have our Global Forum, a staff-led network that promotes and celebrates the rich cultural diversity among Essex staff, and our Colchester campus based Faith Centre, which hosts regular services, meetings and events organised by our chaplains and faith representatives. For more information see: https://www.essex.ac.uk/life/student-facilities/religion-and-faith.
Please see the attached job pack, which contains a full job description and person specification, which outlines the full duties, skills, qualifications and experience needed for this role plus more information relating to the post. We recommend you read this information carefully before making an application. Applications should be made on-line, but if you would like advice or help in making an application, or need information in a different format, please email the Resourcing Team (resourcing@essex.ac.uk).
*More information: Working at the University