Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) - Bird Flights: Flying Probes of Atmospheric Turbulence

targetjobs UK; Reading; On-site; GBP 8,000 - 25,000; Part time

Job summary

A leading university is hiring a Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) for a funded PhD program in Computer Science. This position includes substantial teaching experience and research, focusing on the impact of atmospheric turbulence on animal movements, offering an attractive salary and benefits package.

Benefits

PhD fees waived for Home/RoI students

Training for teaching and pedagogical skills

Access to MSc courses for professional development

Qualifications

• Meet academic requirements for a PhD from the University of Reading.
• Able to demonstrate scholarship with a publication record.
• Able to clearly communicate scientific concepts.

Responsibilities

• Balance PhD studies with GTA responsibilities including teaching.
• Conduct high-quality PhD research.
• Develop pedagogical skills through provided training.

Skills

Time Management

Communication

Interpersonal Skills

Education

MSc degree in Computer Science or related discipline

Job description

Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) - Bird Flights: Flying Probes of Atmospheric Turbulence

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Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) - Bird Flights: Flying Probes of Atmospheric Turbulence

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Join to apply for the Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) - Bird Flights: Flying Probes of Atmospheric Turbulence role at targetjobs UK

We are pleased to announce a fantastic opportunity for ambitious computer scientists to join our Computer Science Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) Programme!

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Candidates will study for a four-year, full-time funded PhD (3 quarters of your time) whilst working and receiving a salary to gain valuable teaching experience (1 quarter of your time). Candidates will receive a salary and stipend package that exceeds the standard UKRI stipend for a full-time PhD.

Home/RoI Students will have their PhD fees waived. International students will receive a fee waiver equivalent to the Home/RoI fee and will be expected to fund the difference between the international fee and the Home/RoI fee. There will be a package of support to enable you to develop a research career in this exciting field.

PhD Topic: Bird Flights: Flying Probes of Atmospheric Turbulence

Vast amounts of animal tracking data are now being collected at global scales. Recent work has shown that the fine-scale movements of birds vary in relation to atmospheric turbulence. Animal-attached sensors could therefore be used to probe atmospheric conditions, providing measurements in locations and scenarios that are inaccessible to traditional meteorological probes. It can also teach us about their physiological state. This project will use a range of methods including causal inference, signal processing and machine learning to investigate whether and how acceleration data from flying birds can be used to characterise changing levels of atmospheric turbulence.

OBJECTIVES

• Assess the influence of gusts on fine-scale movements of homing pigeons. Data from accelerometers attached to pigeons exposed to experimentally generated gusts in wind tunnel trials are available (varying in magnitude and period). A suitable combination of signal processing and causal inference methods will be designed to examine the use of tracking data in predicting the gusts. If successful, methods will be extended to pigeons homing in the wild.
• Examine the relation between sustained turbulence and fine-scale movements of birds. Data from gannets flying within and outside the wakes of offshore wind farms will be used to study signatures of turbulence in acceleration data. A combination of Computational Fluid Dynamics models with machine learning (e.g., classification) and statistical techniques will be applied to characterise turbulence patterns experienced in wind farm wakes.
  
  

Qualifications & Skills

• Meet the academic requirements for a PhD offer from the University of Reading
• Have a MSc degree in Computer Science or a related discipline
• Able to effectively organise your time and prioritise tasks to balance PhD studies with GTA responsibilities
• Able to demonstrate scholarship in developing a publication record in your area of specialist expertise and conduct high quality PhD research
• Able to communicate scientific concepts clearly and with enthusiasm in a way that engages students
• Have good interpersonal skills and be able to work as part of a team
  
  

Candidates will be provided with training to develop teaching and pedagogical skills. No prior experience of teaching is necessary. On the research side, our package of support includes access to MSc courses and bespoke training through our Postgraduate and Researcher College to help you in developing your professional skills as a researcher.

WORKING HOURS

Working hours for the teaching portion will be variable during the academic year but will be no more than 20 hours per week. The terms of the offer of funding for the PhD and the offer of employment will rely upon the postholder being registered as a full-time doctoral student.

FINANCIAL DETAILS

Successful candidates will be paid an annual salary (£8745) and stipend (£15585 per annum) over the 4-year period and will have PhD fees waived at the Home level. Please note that students liable for international fees will need to pay the difference between these and the home fee rate. Fees for 2025/26 (amount payable each year) can be found on our website.

How To Apply

You must upload a combined CV and Proposal in PDF format (max size 1 MB) and complete the supporting statement.

We look forward to hearing from you!

The University is committed to having a diverse and inclusive workforce, supports the gender equality Athena SWAN Charter and the Race Equality Charter, and champions LGBT+ equality. Applications for job-share, part-time and flexible working arrangements are welcomed and will be considered in line with business needs.

Seniority level

• Seniority level

  Internship

Employment type

• Employment type

  Part-time

Job function

• Job function

  Education and Training

• Industries

  Technology, Information and Internet

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