Computer Science. Research

Transcription

1 CANDIDATE BRIEF: Job Title: Laboratory Tutor (2 posts) Reference: R Salary: Grade 7, 25,728 to 30,688 per annum Close Date: hours GMT on Sunday 07 January 2018 Interview Date: To be confirmed

2 Computer Science The Computer Science group at Aston is part of the School of Engineering and Applied Science and is undergoing a period of expansion. The group currently comprises 34 members of academic staff. Of these, 12 are women; one of the highest proportions of women academic staff in UK CS departments. Research Our research strategy is to do impactful research. We value both impact on the international research communities within Computer Science and impact on our industry partners and problem stakeholders. There is a range of research interest and expertise within the group, including computational intelligence, agent-based systems, robotics, machine learning, data analytics, HCI, software engineering, and computing education. Our research often crosses discipline and sub-discipline boundaries and includes digital health and bio-inspired computing. The group has a number of broad-based research groups that reflect these interests. A recent development within EAS is the establishment of the Systems Analytics Research Institute (SARI). SARI provides an organisation focus for a range of research in Computer Science and acts as an umbrella for the Aston Laboratory for Intelligent Collectives Engineering (ALICE); the Nonlinearity and Complexity Research Group (NCRG) and the Semantics, Knowledge and Data Lab. HCI research is focused around the Human Computer Interaction (HCI) Research Group and the Aston Interactive Media (AIM) Lab. We currently hold over 2m in research grants, and an active and growing community of PhD students and research associates/fellows across all of our research themes. In the 2014 Research Excellence Framework, 100% of our research was rated world leading or internationally excellent for impact. Our strategic aim is to increase the volume of our impactful research by building critical mass of expertise in our key research areas. Teaching The Computer Science group delivers a range of single and joint major programmes at bachelors and masters level, both conventional programmes and degree apprenticeships aimed at students who are in employment. In July 2017, ours were the first degree apprenticeships in the whole of the UK to graduate students. Our programmes score consistently highly for student satisfaction; over 90% overall satisfaction in the NSS for 3 of the past 4 years. Many of our students proceed to an industrial placement in their third year, and the rate of graduate employment is amongst the highest in the UK. As a direct result of demand in industry for our graduates, we have established a Computer Science Industry Club (CSIC) with a current membership of around a dozen companies, enhancing our knowledge of what industry wants from our graduates and further enhancing our graduates employability. Our student-run software enterprise Beautiful Canoe ( gives students the opportunity to carry out consultancy and software development projects for real clients. Beautiful Canoe, the CSIC and our degree apprenticeship programmes are examples the kind of innovation for which we are widely recognised. The focus of all of our programmes is on the engineering of software systems using scientific principles, but with an emphasis on design and practical projects. The British Computer Society has given full accreditation (CITP) to four of our programmes.

3 Accommodation and Facilities Computer Science is located in the iconic main building of Aston University in dedicated office and laboratory space that was completely refurbished in The computer laboratories (PC, Unix and zspace) are designed predominantly to accommodate students in groups of either 30 or 50 students at a time. A partitionable, 120-seater lab with high-specification audio-visual facilities is used for the majority of the practical teaching. Some smaller higher-specification labs with restricted access are available for finalyear and postgraduate project work, and there are specialist labs for HCI (Aston Interactive Media (AIM) Lab) and computational intelligence (the Aston Lab for Intelligent Collectives Engineering (ALICE) which includes robots ranging from kilobots to Nao). Computer Science also participates in a cross-school lab ALIVE which combines virtual reality and motion capture facilities in a state-of-the-art research space. All equipment is maintained to up-to-date and high-quality specifications following a regular replacement policy. Wireless network access is available throughout the core areas run by the Subject Group. Teaching is carried out in flat rooms or raked lecture theatres as appropriate. Job description Job Purpose: This is a new position to lead the delivery and coordination and of laboratory classes and teaching assistants in computer science degree programmes. Main Duties/Responsibilities: To both lead and assist with the delivery of laboratory sessions, providing help and advice to students during the sessions. To develop and or configure supplementary resources (for example software packages) in support of module tutors' planned sessions. Assist with the maintenance and development of the subject group s servers, robots and other laboratory resources. Analyse the requirements for teaching assistants across the Computer subject group on a per module basis by liaising with the module tutors and the programme directors. Coordinate recruitment of Teaching Assistants including their allocation to modules. Train and support Teaching Assistants including the production of any necessary training materials and leadership of training sessions. Additional responsibilities Engage in continuous personal and professional development in line with the demands of the role, including undertaking relevant training and development activities to develop themselves and support the development of others. Ensure and promote the personal health, safety and wellbeing of staff and students. Carry out duties in a way which promotes fairness in all matters and which engenders trust. Promote equality of opportunity and support diversity and inclusion as well as working to support the University s environmental sustainability agenda and practices.

4 Person specification Education and qualifications Experience Aptitude and skills Essential Hold a Bachelor s degree (or equivalent) in Computer Science or related subject area, with a 2:1 or 1st class honours. Experience of developing software using a modern object oriented methodology. Experience of supervising laboratory or tutorial sessions in computer science. Experience of resource planning in a context involving multiple stakeholders. Experience of managing Linux-based systems. High level of proficiency in object oriented programming Self-starter with the ability to show high levels of initiative and motivation. Personable, empathetic, confident and credible to work with students and academic staff. Ability to work autonomously to agreed targets and goals. Ability to foster a positive, collaborative and fun team culture among teaching assistants. Proactive with a willingness and aptitude to take ownership of aspects of the teaching delivery as described in the list of tasks above. Excellent presentation and communication skills. Ability to articulate ideas and correctly interpret user requirements. Willingness to undertake further training as appropriate and to adopt new procedures as and when required. Commitment to observing the University s Equal Opportunity policy at all times Willingness to work at Aston University s main campus during standard working hours. Method of assessment Application form Application form, interview and evidence of student feedback relating to supervision experience. Interview

5 Education and qualifications Experience Desirable First class grades on modules relating to practical aspects of computer science. Experience of developing and delivering training session. Experience of mentoring less experienced colleagues. Experience of carrying out software development. Experience of working in a fast moving professional / commercial environment at least as a placement or intern. Experience of developing and/or delivering lectures and/or tutorials Experience of configuring and deploying software. Experience of Linux server administration, devops and/or containerisation technologies. Method of assessment Application form Application form and interview How to apply You can apply for this role online via our website Applications should be submitted by 23.59pm on the advertised closing date. All applicants must complete an application form, any CV s sent direct to the Recruitment Team and Recruiting Manager will not be accepted. If you require a manual application form then please contact the Recruitment Team via recruitment@aston.ac.uk. Contact Information Enquiries about the vacancy: Name: Professor Peter Sawyer Job Title: Head of Group Tel: p.sawyer@aston.ac.uk Enquiries about the application process, shortlisting or interviews: Recruitment Team via recruitment@aston.ac.uk or

6 Additional Information Visit our website for full details of our salary scales and benefits Aston University staff enjoy Salary Scales: Benefits: Working at Birmingham: Employment of Ex-Offenders: Under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, a person with a criminal record is not required to disclose any spent convictions unless the positions they applying for is listed an exception under the act. Eligibility to work in the UK: Candidates who are not citizens of the United Kingdom, or another EEA member country, should check their eligibility to enter or remain the UK in advance of making any job application via the UKVI website Before applying you should ensure that you meet the requirements, including meeting the English language standards. If you do not meet the eligibility criteria, any application for a work visa would be unsuccessful Equal Opportunities: Aston University promotes equality and diversity in all aspects of its work. We aim to ensure, through our admissions policies for students, and our staff recruitment and selection processes that we encourage applications from all groups represented in the wider community at a local, national and international level. The University will endeavour not to discriminate unfairly or illegally, directly or indirectly, against student or potential students, staff or potential staff. This commitment applies to all functions of the University and to any stage of an individual s career. An Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form is included within the application form. Data Protection Act 1998: Your application will only be used to inform the selection process, unless you are successful, in which case it will form the basis of your personal record with the University which will be stored in manual and/or electronic files. Information in statistical form on present and former employees is given to appropriate outside bodies. Data you provide on the Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form will be included in a general database, for statistical monitoring purposes, enabling the University to monitor the effectiveness of its Policy, Codes of Practice and Guidelines on Equal Opportunities in Employment. Individuals will not be identified by nam

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