Reader in Artificial Intelligence

Job Description

UE09: £63,606 - £78,469 per annum

College of Science and Engineering / School of Informatics

Full-Time: 35 hours per week

Open-Ended (permanent)

We are seeking current and emerging leading researchers in the field. The successful candidate will have a PhD (or be close to completing one), a strong research agenda, and the enthusiasm and ability to undertake original research, teach courses, and supervise student projects.

We seek candidates with research interests in the development of cutting‑edge Artificial Intelligence methods and models, particularly in the joint space of perception (e.g., computer vision) and action (e.g., interactive decision‑making systems). We are interested in candidates motivated to establish and expand the principles underlying such methods and models in the context of high‑impact application domains (e.g., robotics, health, environment, society, etc.).

The candidate's research focus may align with the following, non‑exhaustive, list of topics (in no particular order):

• Continual, open-ended, self‑improving AI
• Agentic AI, world models, and generative models
• Embodied perception and action
• Learning from interaction and reinforcement
• Decision‑making under uncertainty
• Long‑duration autonomy

Candidates should have a strong research track record. They should also demonstrate interest and ability to teach undergraduate (UG) and master's (MSc) level courses, and to supervise projects for UG, MSc, and PhD in areas related to their research.

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• A competitive salary.
• An exciting, positive, creative, challenging and rewarding place to work.
• To be part of a diverse and vibrant international community.
• Comprehensive Staff Benefits, including generous annual leave entitlement, a defined benefits pension scheme, a wide range of staff discounts, family‑friendly initiatives, and flexible work options. Check out the full list on our staff benefits page (opens in a new tab) and use our reward calculator to discover the value of your pay and benefits.

The University of Edinburgh holds a Silver Athena SWAN award in recognition of our commitment to advance gender equality in higher education. We are members of the Race Equality Charter, and we are also a Stonewall Proud Employer, actively promoting LGBTQ+ equality.

Prior to any employment commencing with the University, you will be required to evidence your right to work in the UK. Further information is available on our right to work webpages (opens new browser tab)

The University is able to sponsor the employment of international workers in this role. If successful, an international applicant requiring sponsorship to work in the UK will need to satisfy the UK Home Office's English Language requirements and apply for and secure a Skilled Worker Visa.

The closing date for applications is 20 October 2026.

Unless stated otherwise the closing time for applications is 11:59pm UK time. If you are applying outside the UK the closing time on our adverts automatically adjusts to your browsers local time zone.

As a world‑leading research‑intensive University, we are here to address tomorrow's greatest challenges. Between now and 2030 we will do that with a values‑led approach to teaching, research and innovation, and through the strength of our relationships, both locally and globally.

Informatics is the study of how natural and artificial systems store, process and communicate information. Research in Informatics promises to take information technology to a new level, and to place information at the heart of 21st century science, technology and…