Research Assistant in Machine Learning for Urban Data Science

Location: Leeds - Main Campus

Contract type: Fixed Term (12 months to complete specific time limited work)

This role will be based on the university campus, with scope for it to be undertaken in a hybrid manner. We are also open to discussing flexible working arrangements.

Are you an ambitious researcher interested in data analysis, urban dynamics and neighbourhood change? Do you want to further your career in one of the UK's leading research-intensive Universities?

You will work on a project, funded by the UKRI’s Economic and Social Research Council, called Integrated Analysis of Social Media and Hedonic House Prices for

Neighbourhood Change (INTEGRATE). The project is conducting advanced data analysis and modelling to quantify neighbourhood changes over time by linking social media data (SMD) and other text-based sources with house price models.

The aim is the establish innovative methods for analysing neighbourhood spatio-temporal dynamics, with a focus on identifying gentrification patterns and their impact on local housing markets. Specifically, the project will capture perceived neighbourhood characteristics from SMD using advanced text engineering and natural language processing methods. It is doing this using 3 global parallel case studies in the UK, New Zealand, and Vietnam, and collaborating with researchers in those countries.

The project needs a data scientist to support the extraction and analysis of gentrification related concepts from text sources and to link these to classic hedonic house price model data to inform on social dynamics, patterns and processes within cities. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to join the investigators on a research visit to Vietnam as part of the project.

The research team is led by Professor Lex Comber and will be located within the School of Geography and the Leeds Institute for Data Analytics (LIDA), both of which are emerging as international centres of excellence in agent-based modelling. The city of Leeds is already recognised as a hub for big data analytics in business, health care and academic research. In addition, the University is a partner in the Alan Turing Institute, which is the UK’s national institute for artificial intelligence and data science, offering exciting opportunities to for researchers to engage with scientific leaders from a range of fields.

Please note that due to Home Office visa requirements, this role may only be suitable for first-time Skilled Worker visa applicants if they are eligible for salary concessions. For more information please visit: www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa

For research and academic posts, we will consider eligibility under the Global Talent visa. For more information please visit: www.gov.uk/global-talent

What we offer in return

• 26 days holiday plus approx.16 Bank Holidays/days that the University is closed by custom (including Christmas) – That’s 42 days a year!
• Generous pension scheme plus life assurance– the University contributes 14.5% of salary
• Health and Wellbeing: Discounted staff membership options at The Edge, our state-of-the-art Campus gym, with a pool, sauna, climbing wall, cycle circuit, and sports halls.
• Personal Development: Access to courses run by our Organisational Development & Professional Learning team.
• Access to on-site childcare, shopping discounts and travel schemes are also available.

And much more!  

To explore the post further or for any queries you may have, please contact:

Dr Nicolas Malleson

Email: n.s.malleson@leeds.ac.uk

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