AI Research Engineer / Senior AI Research Engineer

The University of Sheffield is a remarkable place to work. Our people are at the heart of everything we do. Their diverse backgrounds, abilities and beliefs make Sheffield a world-class university.

We offer a fantastic range of benefits including a highly competitive annual leave entitlement (with the ability to purchase more), a generous pensions scheme, flexible working opportunities, a commitment to your development and wellbeing, a wide range of retail discounts, and much more.

• 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.

• Design AI / machine learning software architecture and prototypes.
• Lead the writing of high-quality AI-related papers/reports and the dissemination of AI research outcomes.
• Lead AI-related training and interactions with collaborators and partners.
• Organise project meetings and supervise junior members of the team.
• Share management responsibilities delegated from the head of the team.

• 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 (for example, Race Equality, LGBT+, Women’s and Parent’s networks).
• Recognition Awards to reward staff who go above and beyond in their role.
• A commitment to your development access to learning and mentoring schemes; integrated with our Academic Career Pathways.
• A range of generous family-friendly policies
  • paid time off for parenting and caring emergencies
  • support for those going through the menopause
  • paid time off and support for fertility treatment
  • and more

We are a research university with a global reputation for excellence. Our ideas and expertise change the world for the better, making a real difference to society. We know that when people come together with different views, approaches and insights it can lead to richer, more creative and innovative teaching and research and the highest levels of student experience. Our University Vision (www.sheffield.ac.uk/vision) outlines our commitment to building a diverse community of staff and students that recognises and values the abilities, backgrounds, beliefs and ways of living for everyone.