Job description
Role: Research Associate in Coastal Dynamic Management
Department: Belfast School of Architecture and the Built Environment
Grade: 6/7 (£33,680 – £36,341 per annum)
Responsible to: Principal Investigator
Campus: Belfast
Fixed-Term for 12 months / Full-time
Job Purpose:
The postholder will support the project “Coastal-Twin AI for Dynamic shorelinEs Management” (C-TIDE), funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), UKRI to develop an AI-enabled digital twin for coastal shoreline management in Northern Ireland.
The Research Associate will be working on the technical pipeline: acquiring and harmonising the project’s coastal datasets, contributing to the development and validation of the proposed AI models for shoreline detection and morphodynamics, integrating these into the decision-support digital twin, and supporting the human-in-the-loop and reporting workstreams.
C-TIDE is addressing the lack of a strategic Shoreline Management Plan for Northern Ireland’s coastline, which faces increasing storm frequency, wave action and sea-level rise. Led by Ulster University, the project is building a unified AI-ready coastal data platform, label-efficient machine learning models for shoreline and morphodynamic prediction, and a geospatial digital twin with human-in-the-loop decision support – transforming how the region observes, forecasts and manages its dynamic coastline. C-TIDE vision is to create the first dynamic, AI enabled coastal Digital Twins for NI, delivering real-time shoreline intelligence and transparent, auditable decision-support for adaptive coastal management. C-TIDE will further establish a multidisciplinary community of oceanographers, climate scientists, engineers, AI specialists, policymakers, and local authorities, ensuring that the platform is user-informed, scientifically robust, and scalable across the UK and internationally.
Closing Date: 23rd November 2026 at 23.30
Guidance regarding applications can be found here: https://recruitment.ulster.ac.uk/information-for-applicants/what-to-expect-from-the-application-and-interview-process. If you are still having issues, please contact Suzanne McFarlane on sj.mcfarlane@ulster.ac.uk stating the vacancy reference number.
Please be advised that due to the minimum salary thresholds imposed by the UKVI, this post will not qualify for university sponsorship under the Skilled Worker visa route. Please check your options here: https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa
If you have any specific queries regarding eligibility to work in the UK, the Resourcing Compliance team may be able to assist: Resourcing-compliance@ulster.ac.uk
Please note that Ulster University does not currently offer reimbursement for any costs associated with visa applications, including the Immigration Health Surcharge.
If you have any specific queries regarding this post, please contact the named email address for the vacancy, as listed on the main current vacancies landing page.
We may create a 12-month waiting list for same or similar roles within the Department / Faculty. The University reserves the right to extend the waiting list across the University if required for certain posts.
Ulster University recognises the potential benefits that Generative AI tools (for example Chat GPT) may bring to some candidates during the application process. In particular, we recognise the positive impact such tools may have with regard to equality, diversity and inclusion. When using AI, however, we encourage candidates to use the technology responsibly, ensuring that submitted applications provide an accurate representation of your skills, abilities and experience. Our selection activities are designed to robustly test and evaluate the extent to which candidates meet the selection criteria outlined for each role. This includes the use of interviews, presentations, written exercises and other additional selection activities as appropriate for each role.
The Belfast School of Architecture and the Built Environment holds a Silver Athena SWAN Award in recognition of our commitment to advancing Gender equality in higher education. You can read more about what this means at https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/equality-charters/transformed-uk-athena-swan-charter and on our University website https://www.ulster.ac.uk/peopleandculture/employee-benefits/equality-diversity/athena-swan. The University has a range of initiatives to support a family friendly working environment, including flexible working.
