Data Scientist Development Programme - Job Description

Positions being recruited: LIDA Data Scientists (multiple posts available)

Start date of positions: 30th September 2024

Length of fixed term positions: 12 months, full time (35 hrs a week)

Salary: Grade 5, sp 20, £27,979

Opening date for applications: Wednesday 1st May 2024

Closing date for applications: Wednesday 29th May 2024

Interviews: will be held remotely on 26th, 27th and 28th June 2024

Do you have excellent numerical skills, with experience of using statistical or predictive techniques? Do you have a keen interest in using data science for public good? Do you want to be part of a successful, leading research Institute?

The Leeds Institute for Data Analytics (LIDA) is offering data scientist development posts to help advance research activity across each of its constituent areas: Artificial Intelligence (AI), health informatics, urban analytics, statistical and mathematical methods, and visualisation and immersive technologies.

This is a clearly-defined training and development role for early-career data scientists. The LIDA Data Scientist Development Programme provides an outstanding opportunity to develop skills that are in high demand within industry and academia, both nationally and globally, within a growing, state-of-the-art facility. Our offer to those employed on the Programme includes the chance to:

• Own delivery of data science project(s) and get hands-on technical experience using real data;
• Establish links with project partners (internal or external) and work to provide solutions to real-world challenges;
• Build skills and knowledge in advanced analytics, not only through mentorship and applied research, but also through on-site training opportunities in statistical analysis, visualisation, research methods and computer programming;
• Work alongside leading scholars as part of the LIDA team and gain valuable work experience.

LIDA is committed to supporting the University’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy and particularly encourages applications from groups currently under-represented on the Programme and within LIDA, these include women, Global Majority and low socio-economic background candidates. One post out of the total is reserved for Global Majority[1] candidates only; one post is reserved for women applicants only; and one post is reserved for low socio-economic background [2] applicants only, at the request of the funder the Economic and Social Research Council, as part of the funder’s commitment to increasing opportunities for women, those from the Global Majority and low socio-economic backgrounds in the field of data science. For clarity, women, Global Majority and low socio-economic background candidates are encouraged to apply for any of the data scientist posts we are recruiting on the Programme as well as those which are reserved for them specifically.  Candidates will always be selected based on merit and ability.

1 Global Majority defined for the purpose of this exercise as those who identify themselves under the HESA ethnicity codes 100 – 112,119

[2] Those from low socio-economic backgrounds defined for the purpose of this exercise as those (1) whose main earning parent when the candidate was 16 years of age held an occupation classed under the National Statistics Socio Economic Classifications (NS-SEC) as analytics classes 5-8 (or operational categories L10-L14) (2) an applicant attended a school which achieved below the national average attainment 8 score at GCSE (being a recognised indicator of low socio-economic background); (3) neither parent attended University (being a recognised indicator of low socio-economic background).

You will be a graduate (Bachelor’s, Master’s or PhD) in a relevant field and will have excellent numerical skills that may have been gained in the context of quantitative social science, computing, mathematics/statistics, medical bioinformatics or population studies. Career changers are also very welcome!

As a LIDA Data Scientist, your main duties will include:

• Helping to advance research activity across each of LIDA’s constituent areas: AI, Health Informatics, Urban Analytics, Statistical and Mathematical methods, and Visualisation and Immersive Technologies;
• Undertaking quantitative analysis on core datasets; e.g. data wrangling, data linkage, data scraping, modelling and analysis; dealing with missing data;
• Planning your own research activity in collaboration with the project investigators and other members of the research team;
• Meeting with clients and partners in support of LIDA’s partnership-building strategy;
• Participating in and presenting at LIDA research meetings and seminars;
• Delivering written outputs, including blog articles, case studies and contributing to research papers;
• Attending and representing your project at relevant conferences through poster presentations or giving papers.

These duties provide a framework for the role and should not be regarded as a definitive list. Other reasonable duties may be required consistent with the grade of the post.

• Excellent all-round numerical skills gained in the context of quantitative social science, computing, mathematics, statistics, bioinformatics, or population studies;
• Completed an Undergraduate or Master’s degree in a relevant field;
• Knowledge of and experience using the statistical programming language(s) R/ Python or similar for data manipulation and statistical computing;
• Experience in programming, algorithms or open source in data science;
• A keen interest in using data science for public good using statistical or data analytic techniques;
• Good project-management skills, gained through work experience or coursework;
• Good communication skills through writing reports and/ or presentation skills;
• A willingness to work as part of a team.

You may also have:

• Experience of working with large unstructured (or ‘messy’) data sets;
• Experience of working with an external client/ stakeholder(s)/ commercial body;
• Knowledge of data science using data analytic techniques: data visualisation, machine learning, deep learning, statistical modelling, or data mining.

Our 2024-25 cohort registration window is now open.

Apply now

Contact us

To explore the post further or ask ay questions contact: Kylie Norman, Programme Co-ordinator k.r.norman@leeds.ac.uk or enquire at lida@leeds.ac.uk

Additional information

Working at Leeds
Find out more about the benefits of working at the University and what it is like to live and work in the Leeds area on our Working at Leeds information page.

Candidates with disabilities
Information for candidates with disabilities, impairments or health conditions, including requesting alternative formats, can be found on our How to Apply page or by getting in touch with us at disclosure@leeds.ac.uk

Criminal record information
Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 - A criminal record check is not required for this position. However, all applicants will be required to declare if they have any ‘unspent’ criminal offences, including those pending.
Any offer of appointment will be in accordance with our Criminal Records policy. You can find out more about required checks and declarations in our Criminal Records information page.