This role is only open to internal applicants employed at the University of Leeds holding at grade 9 or 10

The successful candidate will be bought out at 20% FTE on their existing grade and salary level. 

Do you have a vision for the future direction of interdisciplinary data science and artificial intelligence research at the University of Leeds? Do you have senior leadership experience to develop and implement this vision? 

We are particularly encouraging female and Global Majority candidates to apply for this post as part of LIDA’s strategic commitment to addressing underrepresentation of these groups in senior leadership roles in LIDA and in STEM leadership more broadly.  

Background to LIDA 

LIDA’s vision is to generate societal impact and improve global wellbeing and prosperity through internationally outstanding research, education and training, in interdisciplinary data science and artificial intelligence (AI). To achieve this, LIDA aims to build upon existing strengths across the University so that:  

• UoL’s Data Science and AI ecosystem is more than the sum of its parts
• UoL offers a coherent and distinct proposition in data science and AI to compete nationally and internationally.
• UoL provides a home for capacity building and the development of future leaders in the field.

LIDA’s strategic research priorities, as detailed in our latest 5-year strategy   are to: 

• Produce world-class cross disciplinary research
• Diversify & increase data science & AI research income
• Deliver impactful research & innovation
• Develop, support & retain inclusive research community.

To date, in the current Research Excellence Framework (REF2029) period, LIDA’s research portfolio comprises 131 projects supported by £127 million of external awards from 43 funders. Our projects involve 340 PIs/COIs from 69 schools/institutes across all seven Faculties at the University of Leeds. Two thirds of the projects are interdisciplinary.  

Our current live portfolio of data analytics research and innovation projects is worth over £90 million, driven by LIDA’s research Communities focused on Health; Food; Artificial Intelligence; Data Visualisation; Immersive Technologies; and Data Science Infrastructures. You can find more about them here: ; 

Contact information 

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

Professor Chris P Gale, Email:  

Professor Susan Grant Muller, Email:  

How to apply  

Please submit your curriculum vitae together with a written statement (maximum 1 page of A4) outlining : 

• How you will deliver the role of LIDA Director of Research & Innovation
• How your experience meets the requirements for this role (as set out in the ‘What will you bring to the role’ section)

 and separately a list of: 

•  Research grants you have led 
•  Publications. 

The role requires the agreement of your Head of School/Institute.