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British Geological Survey

DATA SCIENTIST

Grade: UKRI Pay Band C/S1 (or potentially Pay Band D/S1 depending on skills and experience)

Salary: C/S1 salary is £31,212 per annum (D/S1 salary, which is £42,840 per annum, may be payable to applicants who can also meet the Band D criteria set out in this advert)

A great benefits package is offered!, including an outstanding pension scheme (with an extremely generous employer contribution – on average 27% of your pay), 30 days annual leave plus bank holidays

Contract Type: Permanent

Hours: Full-time – 37 hours a week (some flexible working options may be available, including a small amount of remote working, in line with BGS policy)

Location: BGS headquarters in Keyworth in Nottingham or BGS offices in Edinburgh

Closing date: Monday 25 November 2024

About the role

The BGS Informatics Research Team are looking for a highly motivated and enthusiastic Data Scientist to join their Data Science and Statistics Team.

This exciting role focusses on the development and application of data science and statistical tools within multidisciplinary teams to tackle global, environmental, and sustainability geoscience challenges. These include the development of approaches to reduce emissions from energy production by decarbonisation, to adapt to environmental change, and to build resilience to natural hazards.

You will assist with a range of statistical and data science projects relating to Informatics in BGS and work alongside researchers addressing science challenges and with external collaborators. The projects will include methodological research to build capability, the analysis of specific earth science and environmental data sets in the context of wider studies and the development of workflows to automate these analyses and to apply them at scale. We will encourage you to disseminate your work via peer-reviewed publications and open-source software tools.

This is a growing team who are undertaking environmental science research utilising innovative data science and statistical techniques, developing open-source software and assisting with open datasets. Current research expertise within the team includes machine learning, deep learning, geostatistics and time series analyses.

You will work across varied and often multi-disciplinary project teams and provide the expertise required to develop, apply and advise on the use of data science and statistical methods, and other mathematical and analysis techniques.

You will be expected to have a role in the development of data analysis capability more generally within the organisation, and in collaboration with other academic and industrial partners. Other key duties/responsibilities will include:

• Development and application of software code for data science technologies (AI, Machine Learning, Deep Learning) and /or statistical modelling to scientific problems.
• To develop BGS expertise in high performance computing.
• Assist with the development of funding proposals in collaboration with other BGS staff.

About you

Have you graduated with a master’s degree or PhD with a relevant applied data science or statistics focus or have the equivalent research work experience? You will be enthusiastic to apply your technical skills within varied projects addressing earth science and environmental questions.

We are looking for an excellent communicator, both verbally and in writing and be able to communicate statistical concepts to non-scientists. The post will involve multidisciplinary team working and you will therefore be able to work optimally with scientists in different fields. As part of the community of data scientists and statisticians in BGS, you will be expected to share your knowledge and input to the development of new research ideas and projects.

The work will be mostly UK based but you may be required to work overseas for short periods of time. You will also occasionally need to be able to travel between the BGS offices in the UK.

You will be motivated to develop your career and your reputation as an applied data scientist through the publication of papers and software, presentation of your work at international conferences and in the development of proposals for research projects.

Please note – you will be required to have the appropriate level of security screening/vetting required for the role. UKRI reserves the right to run or re-run security clearance as required during your employment.

Essential

• A postgraduate qualification with major applied data science or statistics component or equivalent research experience (S) (for Band C)
• OR
• In addition to the Band C criteria, a PhD with major applied data science or statistics component or equivalent research experience (S) (for Band D)
• Experience of performing scientific research, computation and interpreting data in a repeatable manner to deliver new knowledge, solve problems or make products. (S&I) (for Band C/D)
• Broad knowledge and experience of a range of data science and/or statistical methodologies relevant to the analysis of earth science data and can demonstrate ability to identify, adapt and extend them to address specific scientific questions (S&I) (for Band C)
• OR
• In addition to the Band C criteria, advanced expertise in application of a specific statistical and/or data science methodology relevant to the analysis of earth science data and can demonstrate ability to identify, adapt and extend it to address specific scientific questions (S&I) (for Band D)
• Skilled in programming and performing data analyses in R, Python, (or similar), including an appreciation of data management/versioning procedures to deliver repeatable research (S&I) (for Band C/D)
• Demonstrates curiosity in the work of BGS and environmental sciences and can show how their expertise is applicable to solving problem in these fields (S&I) (for Band C/D)
• Flexibility, and a willingness/ability to travel between BGS sites as required (I) (for Band C/D)
• You will be committed to a diverse and inclusive approach to work in the geosciences (I) (for Band C/D)

Desirable

• Authorship of peer-reviewed publications (S) (for Band D)
• Demonstrates the ability to work in a team and to participate effectively across subject areas (I) (for Band C/D)
• Experience of using high performance computing facilities (I) (for Band C/D)

About us

The British Geological Survey (BGS) is an applied geoscience research centre that belongs to UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and is affiliated to the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). It is a world leading geological survey whose core mission is to advise government of science related to the subsurface and to undertake applied research to solve earth and environmental issues, both in the UK and globally. It is funded directly by UKRI, as well as through research grants and private sector contracts.

We strive to promote equality and diversity across our organisation in order to continuously improve our scientific and organisational efficiency! As such, we aim to have a workforce with employees from all backgrounds with people who are passionate about earth science and who share our dedication to work for the good of the environment and the benefit of society. BGS became a signatory of the Technician Commitment in July 2022.

How to apply

If you experience any issues applying for this role, please contact Recruitment@ukri.org.

The closing date for receipt of applications is Monday 25 November 2024. Interviews are expected to be held in early December 2024 in Nottingham.