Senior Knowledge Engineer

UK Atomic Energy Authority UKAEA; Culham; On-site; GBP 57,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading UK research organization based in Culham is seeking a Senior Knowledge Engineer to support data-driven fusion energy research. This full-time role involves developing ontologies and knowledge graphs, applying generative AI tools, and leading projects across knowledge engineering and applied AI. Candidates should possess strong organizational skills and a relevant PhD or equivalent experience. The salary for the position is £56,596, inclusive of a Specialist Allowance.

Qualifications

• Practical expertise in designing modular, standards-aligned ontologies and scalable knowledge graphs.
• Familiarity with semantic standards like Dublin Core, DCAT, PROV.
• Experience with generative AI for ontology enhancement.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain ontologies and knowledge graphs for data-driven research.
• Lead projects from inception to delivery, ensuring milestones are met.
• Identify new research and funding opportunities in semantic data strategy.

Skills

Strong organisational and time-management skills

Excellent written and verbal communication

Experience coordinating scientific or technical events

Demonstrated teamwork

Education

PhD in Computer Science, AI or related field

Tools

Protégé

ROBOT

OWLAPI

Neo4j

GraphDB

Job description

Senior Knowledge Engineer

Abingdon Rd, Culham, UK

Full-time

Salary: £56,596 (inclusive of Specialist Allowance)

We are seeking a Senior Knowledge Engineer to join our team, driving data-driven fusion energy research through advanced semantic technologies. You will develop and maintain ontologies and knowledge graphs that integrate experimental data, simulations, and scientific literature, enabling researchers to efficiently access and interpret complex datasets. The role involves responsibly applying generative AI tools, including large language models, to accelerate ontology development and knowledge graph creation while ensuring transparency, provenance, and quality. You will work across knowledge engineering, data integration, and applied AI, building scalable semantic systems, contributing to research strategy, supervising early-career researchers, leading small projects, and collaborating with scientists and engineers to ensure solutions meet evolving research and industry needs. Strong organisational and time-management skills, experience coordinating scientific or technical events, and excellent written and verbal communication are essential.

You will lead projects from inception to delivery, ensuring milestones, outputs, and budgets are met, while identifying new research and funding opportunities aligned with UKAEA’s semantic data strategy. The role requires practical expertise in designing modular, standards-aligned ontologies and scalable knowledge graphs, applying generative AI to enhance ontology creation, and enabling semantic interoperability through ontology alignment, vocabulary mapping, and automated workflows. You will work closely with scientists, engineers, and software teams, producing clear technical documentation and promoting best practices in knowledge engineering. Candidates should hold a PhD in Computer Science, AI, or a related field, or equivalent experience, with strong engineering skills, familiarity with semantic standards (e.g., Dublin Core, DCAT, PROV), and experience with tools such as Protégé, ROBOT, OWLAPI, Neo4j, or GraphDB. Demonstrated teamwork through projects, events, or co-authored outputs is also required.

£56,596 (inclusive of Specialist Allowance)