Job Purpose
You will contribute to/make a leading contribution to the new EPSRC-funded project “Casper: Carbon-Aware Scalable Processing in Elastic Clusters”, working with Dr Lauritz Thamsen (University of Glasgow) and the project's industrial/academic partners (AWS, BBC R&D, Humboldt-University of Berlin).
The main focus of the project will be to investigate how the execution of scalable batch processing applications can be aligned with the availability of low-carbon energy. More specifically, the project sets out to pioneer how individual processing steps of large-scale cluster applications can be managed dynamically based on continuously updated estimates of application performance, cloud resource availability, and energy carbon intensity. For this, the project will research and develop new methods for (i) performance profiling and prediction and (ii) carbon-aware scheduling and scaling. The work will involve designing and implementing prototypes for popular open- source cluster computing systems (such as Nextflow and Spark) and conducting empirical experiments on elastic Kubernetes clusters on public and private cloud infrastructure.
The successful candidate will be part of Dr Thamsen's Carbon-Conscious Computing lab and a member of the Systems Research Section and contribute to the Low-Carbon and Sustainable Computing theme of the School of Computing Science at the University of Glasgow.
The 30-month Grade 6/7 position will be expected to contribute to/make a leading contribution to research publications, project presentations, and research proposals as well as help manage and direct this complex and challenging research project.
The post comes with secured funding for travel to partners and conferences as well as computer equipment.
Main Duties and Responsibilities
Perform the following activities in conjunction with and under the guidance of the project lead:
1. Plan and conduct assigned research individually or jointly in accordance with the project deliverables and project research strategy.
2. Document research output including analysis and interpretation of all data, maintaining records and databases, drafting technical/progress reports and papers as appropriate.
3. Develop and enhance your research profile and reputation and that of The University of Glasgow/ School/ Research Group, including contributing to publications of international quality in high profile/quality refereed journals, enhancing the research impact in terms of economic/societal benefit, and gathering indicators of esteem.
4. Contribute to the presentation of work at international and national conferences, at internal and external seminars, colloquia and workshops to develop and enhance our research profile.
5. Contribute to the identification of potential funding sources and to assist in the development of proposals to secure funding from internal and external bodies to support future research.
6. Collaborate with colleagues and participate in team/group meetings/seminars/workshops across the research Group/School/College/University and wider community.
7. Contribute to the organisation, supervision, mentoring and training of undergraduate and/or postgraduate students and less experienced members of the project team to ensure their effective development.
8. Perform administrative tasks related to the activities of the research group and School, including budgets/expenditure.
9. Carry out modest teaching activities (e.g. demonstrating etc) and associated admin as assigned by the Head of School and in consultation with the project lead.
10. Keep up to date with current knowledge and recent advances in the field/discipline.
11. Engage in continuing professional development activities as appropriate.
12. Undertake any other duties of equivalent standing as assigned by the Head of School.
13. Contribute to the enhancement of the University's international profile in line with the University's Strategic Plan, World Changers Together.
For appointment at Grade 7:
12. Perform the above duties with a higher degree of independence, leadership and responsibility, particularly in relation to planning, funding, conducting and publishing research, and mentoring colleagues.
13. Establish and sustain a track record of independent and joint published research to establish and maintain your expert reputation in the subject area.
14. Survey the research literature and environment, understand the research challenges associated with the project and subject area, and develop/implement a suitable research strategy.
Knowledge, Qualifications, Skills and Experience
Qualifications
Essential:
A1 SCQF Level 10 (Honours degree) in a relevant subject (Computer Science, Software Engineering, Data Science); or a cognate discipline, or equivalent.
For appointment at Grade 7:
A2 Normally SCQF Level 12 (PhD) or alternatively possess the equivalent in professional qualifications and experience, with experience of personal development in a similar or related role(s).
Desirable:
B1 Specialisation in computer systems (e.g. distributed systems, operating systems, parallel systems, big data systems, machine learning systems)
B2 An awarded (or recently submitted or near completion) PhD in subject specialism or equivalent
Knowledge and Skills
Essential:
C1 Good programming skills in Python and Java (or another mainstream programming language)
C2 Knowledge of cloud system technologies, especially system virtualisation and containerisation (e.g. using Docker)
C3 Knowledge of cluster resource management systems (e.g. Kubernetes)
C4 Knowledge of data analysis, machine learning, and optimisation methods
C5 Research creativity and cross-discipline collaborative ability as appropriate
C6 Excellent communication and presentation skills (oral and written), and the ability to communicate complex data/concepts clearly and concisely
C7 Excellent interpersonal skills including team working and a collegiate approach
C8 Self-motivation, initiative and independent thought/working
Desirable:
D1 Knowledge of administrating Linux servers and managing clusters
D2 Knowledge of a scalable batch data processing system, e.g. for data analytics (such as Spark), scientific workflows (such as Nextflow), or AI/ML (such as PyTorch)
D3 Knowledge of distributed file/storage systems (such as Ceph or HDFS)
D4 Knowledge of carbon-aware or other low-carbon computing methods
D5 Knowledge of energy system or smart grid (co-)simulation
Experience
Essential :
E1 Sufficient depth of relevant research experience, appropriate to an early career researcher
E2 Experience in empirical computer systems research (or equivalent)
E3 Experience in scientific writing
E4 Evidence of an emerging track record of publications in a relevant field
For appointment at Grade 7:
E5 Sufficient depth of relevant research experience including sufficient postdoctoral experience.
E6 A track record of presentation and publication of research results in quality journals/conferences
E7 Experience of making a leading contribution to academic activities
E8 Experience in undertaking independent research
Desirable :
F1 Experience in researching performance estimation and compute resource management techniques for a distributed computing or batch processing system
F2 Experience in conducting empirical experiments with real-world open-source cluster computing frameworks
Closing date: 21 November 2024
Terms and Conditions
Salary will be Grade 6/7, £33,232 - £36,924 / £40,247 - £45,163 per annum.
This post is full time and fixed term for up to 30 months from start date.
The University of Glasgow has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK. If you require a Skilled Worker visa to work in the UK, you will be required to meet the eligibility requirements of the visa route to be assigned a Certificate of Sponsorship.
Please note that this post may be eligible to be sponsored under the Skilled Worker visa route if tradeable points can be used under the Skilled Worker visa rules. For more information please visit: https: // www. gov.uk/skilled- worker-visa
As part of Team UofG you will be a member of a world changing, inclusive community, which values ambition, excellence, integrity and curiosity.
The University of Glasgow has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK. If you require a Skilled Worker visa to work in the UK, you will be required to meet the eligibility requirements of the visa route to be assigned a Certificate of Sponsorship.
Please note that this post may be eligible to be sponsored under the Skilled Worker visa route if tradeable points can be used under the Skilled Worker visa rules. For more information please visit: https: // www. gov.uk/skilled- worker-visa.
As a valued member of our team, you can expect:
1 A warm welcoming and engaging organisational culture, where your talents are developed and nurtured, and success is celebrated and shared.
2 An excellent employment package with generous terms and conditions including 41 days of leave for full time staff, pension - pensions handbook https: // www. gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/payandpensions/pensions/, benefits and discount packages.
3 A flexible approach to working.
4 A commitment to support your health and wellbeing, including a free 6-month UofG Sport membership for all new staff joining the University https: // www. gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/staff/healthwellbeing/.
We believe that we can only reach our full potential through the talents of all. Equality, diversity and inclusion are at the heart of our values. Applications are particularly welcome from across our communities and in particular people from the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) community, and other protected characteristics who are under-represented within the University. Read more on how the University promotes and embeds all aspects of equality and diversity within our community https: // www. gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/humanresources/equalitydiversity/.
We endorse the principles of Athena Swan https: // www. gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/humanresources/equalitydiversity/athenaswan/ and hold bronze, silver and gold awards across the University.
We are investing in our organisation, and we will invest in you too. Please visit our website https: // www. gla.ac.uk/explore/jobs/ for more information.
Vacancy Ref : 157431 Close Date : 21-Nov-2024 23:45