Senior Research Fellow (Control Engineering)

Overview

The Department of Engineering Science at the University of Oxford intends to appoint a full-time Senior Research Fellow in Control Engineering from 1 January 2027, or as soon as possible afterwards. It is a permanent academic post based in central Oxford, on Parks Road. There is a procedure to apply for the title of Associate Professor, and later for the title of Full Professor.

The appointment will strengthen research in control engineering. The group's expertise includes optimal, data-based, robust and model predictive control, large-scale, embedded, robust and distributed optimisation, and polynomial and sum-of-squares methods, with applications in biology, battery and energy management systems, transportation, aerospace manufacturing systems and agriculture. Candidates from any of these areas are equally welcome, whether complementing existing work or bringing a new dimension to the group.

The postholder will carry out original research, secure external funding to build a new and independent research programme, and lead a research group, reporting to the Head of Department, setting task objectives and line-managing team members. They will also help teach at undergraduate and graduate level through lectures, practical classes, demonstrations and design or project work, in control engineering, mathematics and other areas of engineering. The department is developing a new MSc in Artificial Intelligence for Engineering Biology, to which the appointee could contribute, and graduate teaching includes supervising Master's and doctoral students.

Requirements

The successful candidate will hold a doctorate with significant post-qualification research experience in control engineering or a similar field.

What you get

The full-time permanent post pays £56,623 to £73,296 per annum. Applications are particularly welcome from women and black and minority ethnic candidates, who are under-represented in academic posts at Oxford. Candidates invited to in-person interview can have accommodation and reasonable travel and caring costs covered within agreed limits.

How to apply

Applicants submit a supporting statement, a CV including details of their most relevant publications and a research proposal, combined in a single PDF of no more than six pages. Overlength applications will not be considered.

Key dates

The closing date is 12:00 noon on Monday 19 October 2026. Initial online interviews are expected in December, with in-person interviews for shortlisted candidates in January.