University Academic Fellow in Urban Analytics (ENVGE1086)

Are you an academic with proven abilities to carry out research and teaching in topics related to Urban Analytics? Do you have an excellent emerging research record and proven success in obtaining funding? Are you passionate about delivering an exceptional student experience in a research-intensive international university? Do you aspire to become an academic leader in your field? 

Cities have emerged as the dominant form of economic and social organisation at a global scale. The new science of urban analytics envisions step changes in the health, prosperity, welfare and quality of life of city inhabitants, through the extraction of value from new and emerging forms of data, and by the development and deployment of methods in artificial intelligence and data science.

As a long-established global peak of excellence for spatial analysis and geocomputation, Leeds is taking a leading role in driving the international research agenda for urban analytics. We are looking for a future research leader with the capability, inventiveness and initiative to work alongside our established team in driving this activity to higher levels.Whilst your research interests may be entirely novel, it is likely that they will be complementary to one or more of the challenge areas in which our research is currently focused, including methods related to:

modelling and simulation of individual behaviour;

urban dynamics, e.g. mobility in real-time or migration over longer time periods;

using and adapting approaches from artificial intelligence and machine learning to understand cities;

a concern for practical applications of the science with real world impact for policy and urban living, in domains including but not limited to health, transport, crime and retailing;

The School of Geography at Leeds has established national leadership in Urban Analytics through RCUK recognition of the Consumer Data Research Centre (cdrc.ac.uk). Further investment from the University has allowed the establishment of the Leeds Institute for Data Analytics (LIDA) for the co-location and co-development of multidisciplinary research with real world impact. LIDA currently hosts 36 major programmes with research funding in the order of £50 million (www.lida.ac.uk).As a partner of the Alan Turing Institute, Leeds has direct influence on the development and delivery of research programmes – including Urban Analytics – within the UK’s National Centre for Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence. You will also have the opportunity to develop international collaborations and relationships by working with scientists overseas at our partner Universities. This position will therefore provide outstanding new networks for an ambitious individual to deliver an exceptional programme of research innovation. You will also be a member of the School of Geography’s world leading Centre for Spatial Analysis and Policy (CSAP).

With a vision and drive to develop a prestigious internationally competitive research portfolio as well as a passion for undertaking research-led teaching you will make a significant impact on the performance, stature and profile of research and student education at Leeds. You will embark on a structured five year development programme, successful completion of which will lead to your appointment as a Grade 9 Associate Professor.

Your career to date will demonstrate significant research expertise in urban analytics, including a PhD (or equivalent qualification) in computational geography, urban modelling or a relevant field connected to data analytics or machine learning. With a clear and compelling plan that will deliver academic and more general impact at an international level, you will have a clear strategy to connect with different research groups.

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

Professor Alison Heppenstall, Professor of Geocomputation

Tel: +44 (0)113 343 6631, email: a.j.heppenstall@leeds.ac.uk 

Dr Nick Malleson, Associate Professor in Geographical Information Science

Tel: +44(0) 113 343 5248, email: n.s.malleson@leeds.ac.uk

Closing Date: 31 Oct 2018
Category: Academic