Post Doctoral Research Associate in Defence & Security AI

The Centre for Defence & Security AI (CDSAI) at the University of Lincoln is seeking to appoint a Postdoctoral Research Associate (PDRA) in Artificial Intelligence (AI). CDSAI is a new university research and innovation centre launched in 2024, strongly linked to the UK’s defence and security establishment (military, government, industry) at national and regional levels. The growth of the Centre is a university priority and investment is being made in hiring an excellent team to drive its success.

You should hold a PhD and must be able to demonstrate an excellent track record in one or more areas of AI. You will be expected to design, conduct and manage original research and deliver innovation projects in AI applied in defence and security, working directly with industry and sometimes governmental or military collaborators.

You are expected to have strong mathematical and programming skills, knowledge of computer vision and data mining tools, and be able to work on group software projects using modern tools and environments. Interest in applying AI within the defence and security sectors is essential, but experience in these domains is not required. Evidence of authorship of research outputs of international standing is essential, as is the ability to work collaboratively as part of a team, including excellent written and spoken communication skills.

The position offers the opportunity to engage in collaboration within an ambitious team, to work with state-of-the-art equipment, and to benefit from excellent support to produce and disseminate original research contributions and otherwise make a meaningful impact. Involvement in securing additional funding for CDSAI will be encouraged, and centre members will be happy to support any such activity.

Please note that we are also advertising for a Research Software Engineer and there are 2 posts available in total at this level.

You must be willing to go through UK national security vetting processes.

For informal enquiries and more information about this exciting opportunity, please contact Professor Fiona Strens, Director of the Centre for Defence & Security AI, at fstrens@lincoln.ac.uk.

Closing Date: 20 Aug 2025

Department: Research

Salary: £38,249 per annum Please note, this post is fixed-term for 18 months and full-time at 1 FTE.