Alan Turing Institute Fellowships – Targeted Call
This is a unique opportunity for early career researchers to join The Alan Turing
Institute. The Alan Turing Institute (ATI) is the UK’s new national institute for data
science, established to bring together world-leading expertise to provide leadership
in the emerging field of data science. The Institute has been founded by the
universities of Cambridge, Edinburgh, Oxford, UCL and Warwick and the EPSRC.
This is a targeted call, by which we intend to recruit researchers in subjects currently
underrepresented by our fellowship cohort. Fellowships are available for 3 years with
the potential for an additional 2 years of support following interim review. Fellows will
pursue research based at the Institute hub in the British Library, London. Fellowships
will be awarded to individual candidates and fellows will be employed by a joint
venture partner university (Cambridge, Edinburgh, Oxford, UCL or Warwick).
Key eligibility requirements: Successful candidates are expected to have i) a PhD
in a relevant subject (or to have submitted their doctorate before taking up the post),
ii) an excellent publication record and/or demonstrated excellent research potential
such as via preprints, iii) a novel and challenging research agenda that will advance
the strategic objectives of the Institute, and iv) leadership potential. Fellowships are
open to all qualified applicants regardless of background.
This call is open to applicants with research proposals in the following areas:
1) Computational social data science and social data science (including for example
sociology, political science, anthropology, geography, development studies,
economics, public policy, management);
2) Data science and ethics;
3) Data science in the digital humanities, culture and heritage;
4) Data science challenges in key sectors, including engineering systems, securing
cyberspace, culture & media, smart cities, health & wellbeing, and online &
distributed systems;
5) All subfields of security and privacy (including for example applications to
distributed ledger technologies and digital currencies)
Further details:
Informal enquiries about the application process should be directed to
fellowship@turing.ac.uk
Please see the end of this advert for details of how to apply.
Diversity and equality are promoted in all aspects of the recruitment and career
management of our researchers. In keeping with the principles of the Institute, we
especially encourage applications from female researchers.
Fellowship descriptor:
Role: Alan Turing Institute Research Fellow based at the Alan Turing Institute hub at
the British Library, London and employed by a partner university in a
supernumerary research position. A partner university allocation will be made for
successful applicants, taking applicant choice (if expressed) and mentoring
requirements into consideration.
Remuneration: Competitive with research fellowship pay scales and dependent on
level of skills and experience. The range for starting salaries is £30,000 to £50,000
pa and an additional allowance is payable to assist with London living expenses.
Main purpose of the fellowship:
 To develop a research programme at the new Alan Turing Institute and
conduct outstanding, creative and innovative research in data science, in
order to develop internationally-significant outcomes through high-impact
publications.
 To collaborate with others across the Institute and its partners towards
outputs and outcomes that yield significant academic, societal or economic
impact.
 To play a role in advancing the research programmes of the Institute.
 To achieve research excellence as appropriate to the applicant’s discipline.
Main expectations and responsibilities: It is anticipated that the fellow will:
 Generate and pursue original research ideas, designing and conducting a
successful programme of investigation and developing innovative, world-class
research.
 Build research collaborations within the broad spectrum of activity of the
Institute.
 Develop research collaborations nationally and internationally to support the
research programme, facilitating and participating in crosscutting research
collaborations as appropriate.
 Support and contribute to the development of research links between the
Alan Turing Institute and its partners.
 Publish in high quality peer-reviewed national and international journals and
conferences. Present their research results at national and international
meetings, conferences, seminars and workshops.
 Take part in knowledge exchange and/or translation activities as appropriate;
e.g., collaborative working with the Institute’s partners, or with government
departments/policy-makers, and on public engagement, policy events, etc.
 Maintain their own professional development, with the help of others in the
Institute and the partner university.
Fellowship person specification:
E = Essential and D = Desirable
Qualification
PhD in appropriate discipline, or a nearly completed PhD
E
Skills and aptitude
 Excellence in research in data science
E
 An outstanding approach to identifying future research directions in data
science
E
 Ability to plan a creative and collaborative research programme E


Potential to lead and inspire others, for example, through mentoring and/or
self-organisation of peers
E
Good communications and interpersonal skills and an aspiration to develop
these across a broad audience
D
Basic Terms and Conditions of Grant: (further particular terms and conditions are
available on request)
1. Competitive salary within the appropriate research fellowship pay scales.
Salary will be offered dependent on level of experience. An additional
allowance is payable to assist with London living expenses. Salaries and any
relevant allowance will be paid through the partner university.
2. Duration of appointment: Fellowship funding is available for 3 years in the first
instance, with the potential for an additional 2 years of support following
interim review. Full terms and conditions of the grant are available on request.
3. Mentoring: fellows will be mentored by one or more senior academics, at the
Alan Turing Institute hub and the relevant partner university.
4. The partner university will be allocated to each candidate by the Institute,
taking the candidate’s preference (if expressed) and mentoring requirements
into consideration. Successful fellows will be employed by a partner
university, however, all fellows will be based at the ATI offices in the British
Library in London.
Application procedure:
Applications for the fellowship should be made by submitting an application form at
https://ati.flexigrant.com/
You will be asked to complete the application form online and provide in pdf format


Your Curriculum Vitae including publications and previous degrees
A research proposal with emphasis on your vision and ambitions (maximum
of 3 x A4 sides)
References must be received in order to submit your application. You will be asked
to fill in the contact details of three references who must login and submit a pdf letter
of recommendation before the closing date for applications, it is advised you request
this from your references as soon as possible as incomplete applications will not be
accepted.
CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS IS 21:59 13th JULY 2016 (GMT)
Assessment process:
Assessment of applications for Alan Turing Institute Fellowships will be carried out in
two stages.
Stage 1- Person specification, Research Quality and Visions
This stage will primarily assess the qualities of the applicant against the fellowship
person specification above; and the applicant’s proposed research agenda,
specifically its quality and ambition. However, all elements of the application will be
considered.
Guidance for applicants – Person Specification:
This phase of the process will focus predominantly on the applicant’s CV and track
record, although other sections of the application will also be reviewed. Candidates
are advised to approach these materials as would be the case with any academic job
application.
Guidance for applicants – Research Quality:
Please ensure that your research proposal includes the following criteria:
1. General summary - this should be a short paragraph explaining the focus
of your research in a non-technical manner, suitable for a non-specialist.
2. Scientific aims and objectives.
3. Vision and ambition - a short paragraph outlining the vision and ambition
of your research program, identifying individual research challenges.
Innovative and ambitious approaches to challenges from across data
science are strongly encouraged, and collaborative aspects will be highly
valued.
Stage 2 - Interview
At this stage of the process, successful candidates will be invited to interview. This
will involve a short presentation from the candidate on their application, which will
then be followed by discussion with the interview panel.
Guidance for applicants- Further advice on specific requirements and guidance will
be provided to candidates when invited to interview.
Eligibility
As this scheme is predominantly aimed at early-career researchers applicants must
hold a PhD with Viva date within 5 years of the anticipated starting date window (1st
October 2016 – 1st May 2017). Consideration will additionally be given to applicants
who have taken a non-standard career path after their PhD, or where the applicant
has lost time in their careers through extenuating circumstances.
Applicants must have at least one preprint and should not have applied for an Alan
Turing Institute fellowship in the last 12 months.
The Alan Turing Institute reserves the right to reject, at any stage, applications that
do not fit the remit, eligibility or ethos of this scheme.
Any Fellowship awarded by ATI is not transferrable.