AI & Data Science Engineer - KTP Associate

Location: Hybrid – minimum 2 days per week at either of the following company sites: Electronic Arts Limited, EA Studios, Stoneythorpe, Southam, CV47 2DL. Or in central Birmingham, Alpha Tower, Suffolk St Queensway, Birmingham B1 1TT

Salary: £40,000 - £45,000 per annum depending on experience, with an additional £6,000 for the duration of the project for professional and personal development

Contract Type: Fixed Term (36 months)

This Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) project will harness Data Mining, Multi-modal Data Analytics, Machine Learning, and bespoke Generative-AI tools with the aim of automating the process of optimising developer productivity in game software development at Electronic Arts Limited.

Electronic Arts (EA) was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry and is now a global leader in digital interactive entertainment. EA develops and delivers games, content and online services for internet-connected consoles/mobile devices/personal computers and its cutting-edge games are enjoyed by nearly 600 million players worldwide.

Generative AI is impacting every aspect of game creation within EA and the gaming industry overall. This KTP will ultimately improve game development cycle-time, enabling more iterations in the game creation lifecycle that will both improve game quality and allow delivery of more features.

This KTP is a great opportunity for someone who wishes to plan and deliver business change. You will work with senior University academics on a commercial project which puts theory and modelling into practice.

Candidate Profile: Minimum Masters’ level degree in Artificial Intelligence (AI) with relevant practical / work experience in the field. A PhD would be desirable. 

Skills/ experience required include:

Essential

Robust knowledge and demonstrable project experience in machine learning, and Generative AI / Large Language Models (LLMs)Detailed knowledge of the SDLC and models for measuring a software development team’s performance and qualityNatural Language ProcessingGood communication skills at all levels including the ability to train staff and work with diverse user groupsStrong time management skillsAbility to problem solve

Experience in the following would be desirable:

Experience in a research or commercial environment in a similar sector or application domain.Experience of software development and overall understanding of the gaming industry.Experience of performing research in measuring and/or optimising the software development process in an industrial setting.Automated annotation of data assetsAI-enabled data classification and profilingData miningGen-AI prompt engineeringTraining LLMs, such as GPT-4 and Llama 2Gaming software developmentProductivity assessment and optimisation in game developmentProject managementProducing academic publications of the highest standardsTechnical writing and reporting

Main responsibilities: 

Elicit developers’ skills, requirements and preferences to build productivity scores requiring good communication and interpersonal skills.Ensure data is appropriately analysed, semantically annotated, and classified.Data mining to identify correlations between data features and productivity score.Managing ‘hallucination’ responses from the LLM and developing a fully trialled near zero-hallucination end-to-end Smart Productivity Optimisation Platform (SPOP).Conduct user-centric testing to incorporate user feedback into the SPOP.Integrate the developed SPOP into EA’s UI and business pathways for rollout.

Personal attributes:

Strong interpersonal skills.Strong communication and presentation skills. The ability to work within a cross-disciplinary project teamLeadership and maturity of communication and organisation skills to deliver the KTP project and ensure it achieves agreed milestones and objectives Ability to work independently and use initiativeStrong desire to pursue innovative approaches and pathwaysAbility to work closely with all stakeholders and establish an effective knowledge transfer process in the company

Additional Benefits and support:

Up to £6,000 for personal and professional development for the duration of the projectAnnual leave (25 days p/a)Professional support and mentorshipMental Health and wellbeing support: https://www.aston.ac.uk/staff-public/hr/Benefits-and-Rewards/health-wellbeing 

Career prospects: 

60% of our KTP associates are being offered employment by the companies at the end of the KTP.

KTP’s are a proven springboard for Associates who wish to develop careers in consultancy, change management, operations or as University academics.

This is a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) funded by Electronic Arts Limited and Innovate UK.

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs) are collaborative, three-way partnerships creating positive impact and driving innovation by linking various businesses with the UK's world class knowledge bases to deliver innovation projects led by skilled graduates.

It is essential you understand how KTP works and the vital role you will play if you secure this position. To learn more please visit: www.aston.ac.uk/ktp

Aston University: You will work in a project team with Dr Harry Goldingay and Prof Abdul Sadka from Aston University and the Senior Management Team at EA Sports FC with further support of the IUK’s Knowledge Transfer Adviser.

Location: Hybrid – minimum 2 days per week at either of the following company sites: Electronic Arts Limited, EA Studios, Stoneythorpe, Southam, CV47 2DL. Or in central Birmingham, Alpha Tower, Suffolk St Queensway, Birmingham B1 1TT. You will also have access to facilities at Aston University in central Birmingham and some travel to key clients may also be required.

For informal enquiries about this role please contact Dr Harry Goldingay, e-mail: h.j.goldingay1@aston.ac.uk 

 If you think this isn’t the right opportunity for you, please explore other KTP vacancies across the country: https://www.ktp-uk.org/jobs/ 

Aston University is committed to the principles of the Athena SWAN Charter http://www.ecu.ac.uk/equality-charter-marks/athena-swan . We pride ourselves on our vibrant, friendly, supportive working environment and collaborative atmosphere.

Please visit our website https://jobs.aston.ac.uk/Vacancies.aspx for further information and to apply online.  

As users of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy.

This role is likely to meet the criteria for endorsement under the ‘Endorsed Funder’ route of the Global Talent visa. The Global Talent visa route is available for talented and promising academics, researchers and specialists who are working in the fields of science, engineering, medicine, the social sciences or the humanities. Please see the published Home Office guidance: https://www.gov.uk/global-talent.

Closing Date: 09 Jul 2025

Unit: Teaching & Research

Salary: £40,000 to £45,000 per annum