Research Assistant in Urban AI

The Bartlett Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis (CASA) is globally recognised as a leading academic department, researching and teaching the science of cities. A truly interdisciplinary centre, with staff hailing from backgrounds in subjects as diverse as Geography, Transport Studies, Mathematics, Physics, Computer Science, Statistics, Planning, Architecture, the Humanities and the Social Sciences, for more than 20 years we have been combining theory with novel data, sensors, computational models, analysis and cutting edge visualisation to generate new knowledge and insights addressing problems with a spatial dimension and an urban and regional focus. Our work is inherently applied and looks to influence urban planning, policy and design in both the public and private spheres. Educating only postgraduates, our degree programmes have gained a reputation for excellence and inclusivity, with student cohorts also reflecting a hugely diverse range of academic backgrounds.

About the role: This Research Assistant position is associated with the ERC-funded project, "Redefining Variability: EvALuating Land Use and TRansport Impacts on Urban Mobility PatternS (realTRIPS)". The project aims to open a new avenue of research in urban mobility analysis using emerging automated data sources by developing an analytical and modelling framework that addresses variability across spatio-temporal scales and population groups. Within this theoretical framework, new variability measures will be developed and integrated into operational urban models as functions of space and time. These models will support more accurate evaluation of land-use and transport impacts on people's mobility patterns, including the affected area and duration of impact.

The advertised post will contribute to Work Package 3, which focuses on developing operational urban models, and to Work Package 4, which applies these models through case studies in a range of urban scenarios in developed and developing countries. The postholder will develop robust data infrastructure, reusable code, and application demos using data, methods, and models developed on the realTRIPS project. They will process and analyse large-scale human mobility and spatial datasets, support the generation and dissemination of synthetic data, and contribute to high-quality research outputs, open resources, and training materials for academic, policy, and professional audiences.

Duties and responsibilities will include:

• Set up infrastructure and a research environment for collaborative work on large-scale geospatial datasets, in particular, mobility data, and upgrade technical solutions in line with current best practices.
• Clean and process large-scale mobile data with clear documentation, and compile the data into accessible, reusable formats.
• Support research on synthetic data generation and contribute to the production of an open-access synthetic dataset.
• Produce reusable code and metadata for the wider research community.
• Develop training materials, including Python notebooks, for applications using large-scale data.
• Support research data security, storage, management, and protection.
• Co-author journal articles and conference papers to disseminate research to academic and professional audiences.
• Present research progress at conferences and project meetings.
• Meet with project and university partners as required, maintaining close and effective collaborative relationships.

The post is offered on a part-time basis at 18.25 hours per week, available from 1 July 2026 and is funded until 31st December 2026 in the first instance. Starting salary offered will be £39,148 per annum pro rata, inclusive of London Allowance, due to limited amount of funding available. Please note: this Grade 6B Research Assistant role is aimed at early career researchers – we are unfortunately unable to consider applicants who already hold a PhD or are due to complete their PhD during the period of the contract. This appointment is subject to UCL Terms and Conditions of Service for Research and Professional Services Staff.

About you: The postholder will have a Master's degree (awarded) in Urban Informatics, Spatial Data Science, Social Computing or a related discipline with a significant component of programming and/or data science. Other essential criteria include:

• Strong knowledge of a programming language for reproducible spatial data analysis and modelling (for example, Python).
• Strong knowledge and experience of handling large-scale mobile app data, including setting up cloud-based data storage and data-sharing solutions.
• Experience of visualising geospatial data and experience of developing training materials to a professional standard.

What we offer: As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents, we also offer some great benefits:

• 41 Days holiday (27 days annual leave, 8 bank holidays, and 6 closure days).
• Additional 5 days’ annual leave purchase scheme.
• Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE).
• Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan.
• Immigration loan.
• Relocation scheme for certain posts.
• On-site nursery.
• Onsite gym.
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay.
• Employee assistance programme: Staff Support Service.
• Discounted medical insurance.

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: As London’s Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world’s talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL’s workforce. These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; LGBTQI+ people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women.