Assistant Professor in Theoretical Computer Science

Assistant Professor in Theoretical Computer Science

Grade and Salary: Grade 7 - £37,694 - £47,389 per annum

You will join the School of Mathematical & Computer Sciences at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland. The department of Computer Science within the School is internationally renowned for its world‑class research across a number of areas including theoretical computer science, robotics, natural language processing, programming languages, AI, data science and machine learning.

The department has an extensive portfolio of taught programmes, with many programmes taught on three campuses, Edinburgh, Dubai and Malaysia, with global course teams in charge of teaching courses. We also have teaching partnerships with organisations in China and Kazakhstan.

We are looking for an assistant professor in theoretical computer science for our Edinburgh campus of Heriot-Watt University. This is a role where you are expected to spend 40% of your time on teaching and 40% on research, and 20% on administrative/leadership roles. Within your teaching duties you will be expected to be able to cover teaching in a range of topics, including courses on programming, logic, algorithms, and theoretical computer science.

The ability to teach courses on databases is not a prerequisite, but would be very welcome.

• Engaging in high-quality research in your area of expertise and in collaborative research aligned with the School and University Strategy
• Writing and submitting grant proposals and securing research funding initially as Co‑Investigator and then as a Principal Investigator and Co‑Investigator
• Managing and executing research projects with academic and industrial or public sector collaborators, including School and wider University research programmes
• Disseminating research findings in top‑level conferences and journals, building an international reputation through reviewing, chairing, or serving on editorial boards
• Participating in supervision and guidance of undergraduate, postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers
• Teaching undergraduate, masters, and doctoral level courses

• PhD in computer science or closely related field
• Track record of high-quality publications within theoretical computer science
• Enthusiasm and ambition to contribute to a world‑class academic community, including attracting external funding
• Evidence of the ability to deliver excellent teaching in computer science across a wide range of topics
• Good interpersonal and teamwork skills
• Credible plans for the active pursuit of external funding
• Skills to supervise undergraduate and MSc projects
• A track record of teaching computer science courses well and enthusiastically

We welcome and will consider flexible working patterns, such as part‑time working and job share options.

Heriot‑Watt University is committed to securing equality of opportunity in employment and to creating an environment in which individuals are selected, trained, promoted, appraised and otherwise treated on the basis of relevant merits and abilities. Equality and diversity are all about maximising potential and creating a culture of inclusion for all.

• Job Identification: 4876
• Posting Date: 06/16/2026, 02:35 PM