AI Research Engineer / Senior AI Research Engineer

Overview

You will join the AI Research Engineering team within the University of Sheffield’s Centre for Machine Intelligence, supporting the UKRI-EPSRC funded UK Open Multimodal AI Network’s flagship Open Multimodal AI Benchmark (OMAIB) initiative. OMAIB develops open, community-driven datasets, evaluation protocols, baseline models, and deployment-centric tasks to accelerate multimodal AI solutions for Tomorrow’s Engineering Research Challenges.

As an AI Research Engineer, you will work on cross-cutting technologies that support a portfolio of short, high-impact projects funded through OMAIB calls. These span domains such as healthcare, materials discovery, and transportation systems. You will collaborate with Principal Investigators, industry partners, and end-user stakeholders to provide the research and software engineering expertise needed to deliver robust, reproducible, and openly accessible outputs.

Your role will include working with other teams to implement multimodal AI solutions using best-practice software engineering and open science principles, maintaining OMAIB infrastructure such as repositories, documentation, and leaderboards on GitHub, developing models in PyTorch or related frameworks, and supporting project teams to prepare datasets, code, and evaluation protocols.

The role offers variety and opportunities to shape national-scale open research infrastructure. You will be part of a collaborative team of AI Research Engineers enabling interdisciplinary research and engaging widely with researchers, industry, and policymakers.

A CV and cover letter are required with your application. In your cover letter, please include: 1) a link to a representative piece of your writing; 2) a link to a code sample (e.g. GitHub or a downloadable zip); and 3) a short description of a collaboration experience.

Main Duties And Responsibilities

• Develop findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR) AI / machine learning software, tools, and workflows to support multiple exploratory, high-impact OMAIB-funded projects across diverse domains.
• Build, deploy, and maintain multimodal AI prototypes and models using frameworks such as PyTorch, ensuring reproducibility and robustness.
• Build, maintain and enhance central OMAIB technical infrastructure, including open-source repositories, documentation platforms, and benchmarking leaderboards on GitHub.
• Work closely with project teams to advise on AI / machine learning approaches, data integration, and evaluation protocols, ensuring alignment with OMAIB’s open research principles and deployment-centric focus.
• Contribute to the creation, curation, and release of open datasets, baseline models, and evaluation protocols for OMAIB benchmarks.
• Collaborate with Principal Investigators, industry partners, and end-user stakeholders to gather requirements, address technical challenges, and ensure practical, real-world relevance of outputs.
• Disseminate research outcomes through multiple channels, including software packaging and release, technical documentation, and contributions to academic papers, conference presentations, tutorials, and hackathons.
• As a member of staff, make ethical decisions in your role, embedding the University’s sustainability strategy into your working activities wherever possible.
• Carry out other duties, commensurate with the grade and remit of the post.

Person Specification

Our diverse community recognises unique abilities, backgrounds, and beliefs. We foster a culture where everyone belongs and is respected. Please reference the application criteria in your application statement.

Criteria

• Essential – Stage: Application. Bachelor’s or master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Applied Mathematics, Data Science, or a related area (or equivalent experience).
• Essential – Stage: Application. Ability to work effectively as part of a team, with good time and project management skills.
• Essential – Stage: Application/interview. In-depth knowledge and solid practical skills in AI, machine learning, and data analysis.
• Essential – Stage: Application/interview. Ability to carry out evidence-based assessment and decision making, and to develop end-user-targeted software and disseminate research outcomes.
• Essential – Stage: Application/interview. Effective communication skills, both written and verbal, including report and paper writing.
• Essential – Stage: Application/interview. Ability to work in an interdisciplinary environment and collaborate with researchers from other disciplines to deliver research software.
• Essential – Stage: Application/interview. Familiarity with reproducible software development using best software engineering practices, including testing, documentation, and version control.
• Desirable – Stage: Application/interview. Experience with PyTorch and related machine learning frameworks.
• Desirable – Stage: Application/interview. Experience with collaborative software development on GitHub or equivalent platforms.

Further Information

• Grade – Grade 6 (AI Research Engineer) / Grade 7 (Senior AI Research Engineer)
• Salary – AI Research Engineer: £32,080 per annum; Senior AI Research Engineer: £38,784 per annum
• Work arrangement – Full-time
• Duration – Until 31st December 2027
• Line manager – Head of AI Research Engineering
• Direct reports – N/A

Our Benefits

• A minimum of 38 days annual leave (41 for Senior AI Research Engineer) including bank holiday and closure days (pro rata) with the ability to purchase more.
• Flexible working opportunities, including hybrid working for some roles.
• Generous pension scheme.
• A wide range of discounts and rewards on shopping, eating out and travel.
• A variety of staff networks, providing opportunities for social interaction, peer support and personal development.
• Recognition Awards to reward staff who go above and beyond in their role.
• A commitment to your development with access to learning and mentoring schemes; integrated with our Academic Career Pathways.
• A range of generous family-friendly policies, including paid time off for parenting and caring emergencies, menopause support, fertility treatment support, and more.

Our website: sheffield.ac.uk

We are a Disability Confident Employer. If you have a disability and meet the essential criteria for this job you will be invited to participate in the next stage of the selection process.

We are a research university with a global reputation for excellence. Our ideas and expertise change the world for the better. Our University Vision outlines our commitment to building a diverse community of staff and students that values the abilities, backgrounds, beliefs and ways of living for everyone.