Job title: Assistant Professor in Signal and Image Processing or Robotics
School: School of Engineering & Physical Sciences
Institute: Institute of Sensors, Signal and Systems
Grade and Salary: Grade 8 (£46,735 - £57,422)
Contract Type: Full Time, Open Ended
Working Hours: As required to fulfil duties
Rewards and Benefits: 33 days annual leave, plus 9 buildings closed days (and Christmas Eve when it falls on a weekday) for all full time staff. Use our total rewards calculator: https://www.hw.ac.uk/about/work/total-rewards-calculator.htm to see the value of benefits provided by Heriot-Watt University.
Job Description
We welcome applications for one position at Assistant Professor level to join either the Robotics and AI Laboratory (RAILAB) or the Signal and Image processing Laboratory (SIPLab) at the Institute of Sensors, Signals, and Systems (ISSS) of Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh. We seek outstanding self-motivated individuals developing world-leading research in either of the following areas:
There will be a requirement to demonstrate leadership and initiative, with a view to building a research team and becoming internationally recognised. The successful candidate will be required to contribute to teaching within the Electrical, Electronic & Computer Engineering discipline. Of particular relevance are Heriot-Watt's highly successful MSc in Robotics, and the new flagship MSc in Imaging, Vision and High Performance Computing, joint with the University of Edinburgh.
About Us
Heriot-Watt is an internationally-leading University, recognised for its world-class research, emerging from a strong collaborative and multi-disciplinary research culture. The University is a global institution delivering high-quality international teaching programmes, not only at its lead campus in Edinburgh, but also at its Malaysia and Dubai campuses. The present opening is for a research and teaching position in Edinburgh, in the School of Engineering and Physical Sciences (EPS).
EPS is one of the most successful faculties of its kind in the UK, with over £25 million annual research income. It is a recognised research leader in both Physics and Engineering, consistently rated among the best in the UK, in particular in the context of the Research Excellence Framework.
As one of the main research units of EPS’s Institute of Sensors, Signals, and Systems, SIPLab is a leading laboratory for signal an image processing theory and applications, recognised both nationally and internationally. The laboratory gathers more than 10 academics and their research groups. We maintain strong collaborations with colleagues at EPS’s Institute for Physics and Quantum Sciences, and with the School of Mathematical and Computer Sciences. Our research is deeply embedded into three of Edinburgh’s Data-Driven Innovation hubs: the Bayes Centre, the National Robotarium, and the Edinburgh International Data Facility.
Key Duties and Responsibilities
The successful candidate will be based at our Edinburgh UK campus. Reporting to the Head of ISSS, responsibilities include:
(i) carrying out and publishing world-class research;
(ii) establishing, leading, sustaining and managing a research team;
(iii) delivering undergraduate and postgraduate teaching (incl. project supervision);
(iv) developing innovative teaching in line with the university’s global nature;
(v) engaging in administrative tasks within the School’s research and teaching ambitions and initiatives.
Education, Qualifications and Experience
Essential criteria
Desirable criteria
How to Apply
Formal applications should consist of a single PDF including a motivation letter, CV, publication list, and names of 3 references, to be submitted as single document via the Heriot-Watt Job Portal.
Applications can be submitted up to midnight (UK time) on Friday 8th August 2025.
We welcome and will consider flexible working patterns e.g., part-time working and job share options.
Shortlisting and interviews will take place in Autumn 2025, with an aim for the postholder to join Heriot-Watt in Spring or Summer 2026.
Any queries on the post should be sent to the Head of Institute (Prof. Wiaux, y.wiaux@hw.ac.uk).
At Heriot Watt we are passionate about our values and look to them to connect our people globally and to help us collaborate and celebrate our success through working together. Our research programmes can deliver real world impact which is achieved through the diversity of our international community and the recognition of creative talent that connects our global team.
Our flourishing community will give you the freedom to challenge and to bring your enterprising mind and to help our partners with solutions that can be applied now and in the future. Join us and Heriot Watt will provide you with a platform to thrive and work in a way that also helps you live your life in balance with well-being and inclusiveness at the heart of our global community.
Heriot-Watt University is committed to securing equality of opportunity in employment and to the creation of an environment in which individuals are selected, trained, promoted, appraised and otherwise treated on the sole basis of their relevant merits and abilities. Equality and diversity are all about maximising potential and creating a culture of inclusion for all.
Heriot-Watt University values diversity across our University community and welcomes applications from all sectors of society, particularly from underrepresented groups. For more information, please see our website https://www.hw.ac.uk/uk/services/equality-diversity.htm and also our award-winning work in Disability Inclusive Science Careers https://disc.hw.ac.uk/ .
Use our total rewards calculator: https://www.hw.ac.uk/about/work/total-rewards-calculator.htm to see the value of benefits provided by Heriot-Watt University.
Edinburgh is regularly voted the best city to live in the UK and is renowned for its unique architecture, its international festival and its vibrant academic and cultural life. It is also a family friendly city with very good schools, affordable housing and a very safe environment.
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