Research Fellow in Radar Imaging - College of Engineering and Physical Sciences - 103886 - Grade 7

Position Details

College of Life and Environmental Sciences

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £34,980 to £44,263 with potential progression once in post to £46,974

Grade: 7

Full Time, Fixed Term contract up to February 2025 

Closing date: 12th May 2024 

This role is also open as an internal secondment opportunity which would need to be agreed by your current line manager.

Background

To create and contribute to the creation of knowledge by undertaking a specified range of  activities within an established research programme and/or specific research project.

The purpose of the research project is to conduct research in the field of small air target surveillance (drones and birds) with distributed, low-frequency radar systems. The Research Fellow in this post will contribute to the design and execution of appropriate research trials, collect experimental radar data, develop novel radar signal processing algorithms for target detection and identification, convert them into software, and test their feasibility and performance.

Role Summary

• Work within specified research grants and projects and contribute to writing bids 
• Operate within area of specialism
• Analyse and interpret research findings and results 
• Contribute to generating funding 
• Contribute to licensing or spin out deals with demonstrated commercial success (such as revenues, asset or company sales, IP generated) and/or public understanding of the discipline or similar

Main Duties

The responsibilities may include some but not all of the responsibilities outlined below.

• Develop research objectives and proposals for own or joint research on small target detection and identification with distributed, low-frequency radar systems
• Contribute to writing bids for research funding
• Analyse and interpret distributed, low-frequency radar data collected from drones and birds
• Apply knowledge in a way which develops new intellectual understanding on drone and bird detection and identification
• Development of appropriate software for radar echo visualisation, detection and identification
• Disseminate research findings for publication, research seminars etc
• Supervise students on research related work and provide guidance to PhD students where appropriate to the discipline
• Contribute to developing new models, techniques and methods on drone detection and classification using low-frequency distributed radar systems 
• Undertake management/administration arising from research
• Contribute to Departmental/School research-related activities and research-related administration
• Contribute to enterprise, business development and/or public engagement activities of manifest benefit to the College and the University, often under supervision of a project leader
• Collect drone and bird radar data; this will be through a variety of research methods, such as scientific experimentation and literature reviews 
• Present research outputs, including drafting academic publications or parts thereof, for example at seminars and as posters 
• Provide guidance, as required, to support staff and any students who may be assisting with the research 
• Deal with problems that may affect the achievement of research objectives and deadlines
• Promotes equality and values diversity acting as a role model and fostering an inclusive working culture.

Person Specification

• First degree in Physics or Engineering. The ideal candidate is a scientist with research experience on the analysis of bird and drone echoes with low-frequency radar systems. Experience with passive radar is a welcome bonus.
• High level analytical capability
• Ability to communicate complex information clearly, evidenced by relevant publications
• Fluency in MATLAB, drone and bird echo processing (spectrograms), as well as their detection and classification (including deep learning), and ability to contribute to developing new ones
• Ability to assess resource requirements and use resources effectively 
• Understanding of and ability to contribute to broader management/administration processes
• Contribute to the planning and organising of the research programme and/or specific research project
• Co-ordinate own work with others to avoid conflict or duplication of effort
• Knowledge of the protected characteristics of the Equality Act 2010, and how to actively ensure in day to day activity in own area that those with protected characteristics are treated equally and fairly

Informal enquiries to Michail Antoniou, email: m.antoniou@bham.ac.uk 

We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone on our website.