Research Fellow in AI-Driven Automated Chemistry - Grade 7

The vision for AlChemy is to transform the chemistry-AI landscape by conducting world-leading research in open AI, also catalysing its wider adoption in experimental and computational chemistry communities. Driven by AI leaders already working in the chemical domain, but inclusive to those new to this field. Our Hub is designed to be broad, spanning molecules through materials to devices, reflecting the broad cross-sector need for AI in UK chemical and chemical-related industries.

This hub will bring the transformative power of artificial intelligence (AI) to the area of chemistry, and by doing so have a major societal impact. Both AI and chemistry are fastmoving and historically separated research disciplines, and there is huge untapped potential to collaborate at the interface of these two fields. This hub will bring together leading researchers in AI and trailblazers at the interface of AI for chemistry, spanning both university and industry. We will exploit unique established facilities and institutes in the four core partner institutions (Universities of Liverpool, Imperial, Cambridge, and Southampton) where cross-discipline working has already been achieved: this includes the Materials Innovation Factory (MIF), the Institute for Digital Molecular Design and Fabrication (DigiFAB), and the I-X Centre for AI in Science.

We are looking to recruit a Research Fellow to work on one of the Forerunner Projects of AlChemy, namely “Human in the Loop”, which aims at integrating cutting edge AI technologies with mobile robots to accelerating the discovery and synthesis of new materials (*Nature*, **2020**, *583*, 237; *Nature Chem.*, **2024**, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41557-024-01546-5). This project, led overall by Professor. Cooper, will focus on: Design of synthetic workflows that can dynamically integrate human feedback. 

• Design of synthetic workflows that can dynamically integrate human feedback. 
• Develop autonomous robotic platforms and systems that can successfully and safe interact with humans. 
• Design and implement optimisation algorithms and/or machine learning frameworks that can accommodate human feedback along with other forms of external knowledge that will be able to further enrich the search space towards faster and better discoveries.

We are looking for an enthusiastic researcher with a PhD in Chemistry or Materials Science with technical expertise in machine learning technologies and automation. This post would be ideal for a curious scientist who enjoys teamwork, maintains up-to-date knowledge of their field and is keen on sharing knowledge and training other group members.   

All enquiries to Dr Zuzana Oriou, z.oriou@liverpool.ac.uk

Commitment to Diversity

The University of Liverpool is committed to enhancing workforce diversity. We actively seek to attract, develop, and retain colleagues with diverse backgrounds and perspectives. We welcome applications from all genders/gender identities, Black, Asian, or Minority Ethnic backgrounds, individuals living with a disability, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community. 

Job Ref: 087153                                                 

Closing Date: 8 December 2024

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