We have one simple promise – to make a positive impact. Through our ground-breaking research, teaching excellence and commitment to sustainable living, we are changing lives for the better.

The University of Derby is a modern university with a modern outlook. Everything we do is driven by delivering excellence and opportunities for our students, our staff and our region.

We have some of the best university facilities in the UK and achieve outstanding results for our teaching and research and have been awarded Gold in the prestigious Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) 2023 – making it one of the top universities in the country recognised for its outstanding student experience and student outcomes. 

Financially strong and seriously ambitious we offer our employees an inclusive culture that centres itself around staff wellbeing, where you can be confident you will receive all the help and encouragement you need to build a rewarding career with lots of opportunities to enhance your skills.

About the College/Department

Here at the University of Derby, the College of Science and Engineering is the home STEM, the skills that are essential to the UK’s Industrial Strategy. From digitisation to decarbonisation, we have an important role to play in shaping the future. And by researching or collaborating with us, you can too. 

The College brings together a powerful combination of scientific expertise, technological innovation, and creative practice. With disciplines spanning computing, AI, Data Science, engineering, environmental sciences, built environments and Psychology. We are uniquely positioned to solve real-world challenges through interdisciplinary collaboration. 

Our courses are designed with employability and future industry needs in mind, supported by cutting-edge facilities, strong employer partnerships, and a commitment to sustainability. Through applied research and hands-on learning, we equip students and staff to drive progress in areas that matter most; from smart technology to clean energy, advanced manufacturing to immersive design. 

School of Computing 

This is an exciting time in Computing, Artificial Intelligence and Data Science at the University of Derby. Building on recent Research Excellence Framework (REF) success, our school has ambitions to become leaders in these areas. In the last ten years, we’ve invested heavily in our facilities, including a £13m STEM centre. We aspire to be at the forefront of teaching and research around topics such as machine learning, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things and complex networks. Our Data Science Research Centre will play a key role in this. 

Our engagement with global industries based in the Derby region, for example through our East Midlands Institute of Technology, helps ensure that our research and teaching are at the forefront of emerging industry needs and opportunities. Our links with companies in our region including Bloc Digital, Rolls-Royce and Alstom, also mean our students benefit from placement years and live briefs.  

About Richard Lang & Son Ltd 

Founded in 1949, Richard Lang & Son Ltd is a third-generation, family-owned giftware importer and wholesaler based in Derby, supplying independent retailers and national chains across the UK, with expansion into Europe underway. As a heritage business undergoing significant digital and operational transformation, the company has invested heavily in warehouse modernisation, systems integration, automation, and enterprise data infrastructure.

Now entering its next phase of growth, Richard Lang & Son is embedding enterprise-grade AI-driven decision intelligence at the heart of its commercial strategy. The ambition is to architect and deploy scalable, production-ready AI and digital twin systems that transform sales forecasting, inventory optimisation, supply chain performance, SKU profitability, and working capital efficiency, moving decisively from reactive management to predictive, data-led operations.

Despite its pace of change, the business remains proudly family-owned and people-first. Leadership is accessible, bureaucracy is minimal, and ideas are actively encouraged. This is a rare opportunity to build and deploy intelligent systems in a live commercial environment where your work directly shapes strategic decisions and supports an ambitious £10m+ growth trajectory.

About the Role

University of Derby’s College of Science and Engineering in partnership with Richard Land & Son Ltd are offering an exciting career-development opportunity to manage and deliver a challenging strategic Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) project. Based at Richard Lang & Son’s premises in Derby, you will be employed by the University as a KTP Associate but work under the terms and conditions of the company.

You will be responsible for the development a novel, scalable, and customised AI-driven system that will transform the company's strategic decision intelligence and optimise its business operation through predictive analytics, intelligent automation and real-time data synchronisation. You will lead the end-to-end design, development, and deployment of a scalable AI forecasting engine and digital twin platform, integrating advanced machine learning, simulation modelling, business intelligence, and real-time data pipelines into RL’s operational environment.  

This is a dynamic role that presents an opportunity for an ambitious candidate to play an influential role in supporting the design and launch of a scalable, integrated AI-driven forecasting engine and operational digital twin platform for predictive business optimisation, supporting data-informed decisions in supply chain efficiency, resource allocation, and strategic investment while minimising operational risk.

Using your knowledge and skills to support the business and achieve specific project aims, you will receive on-going support by a Supervisor at Richard Lang & Son, an Academic Supervisor and Academic Lead from the University of Derby to help you deliver.  A personal training and development budget will also be available for you to access, as well as receiving access to the same training opportunities and facilities as University staff. 

This is an exciting opportunity to manage and deliver a challenging strategically important project working with academic mentors and key support from the company to transfer academic expertise into a real-world business environment. This role offers strategic responsibility for enterprise AI system development, direct engagement with senior decision-makers, and the opportunity to lead digital transformation at scale within a real-world operational environment.

Anticipated interview date: 11^th June 2026

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships 

This full-time post is part-funded by the UK Government’s KTP programme. A KTP is a three-way project between a graduate, an organisation and a university. KTP is one of the UK’s largest graduate recruitment programmes and has been placing graduates on challenging, high profile projects for 50 years. In addition to a competitive salary and core KTP development training, you will have a dedicated budget of £4,600 further training and career development. To find out more about the scheme visit: ktp-uk.org/graduates 

Please note by completing an application form for this role, you are giving your consent for us to share your personal data with the KTP partner.

About You

This role requires proven experience designing and building robust data engineering pipelines and delivering end to end AI or advanced analytics solutions. You will have experience applying digital twin modelling and simulation techniques to analyse, model, and optimise real world systems, and you’ll be confident using Python programming and SQL based relational databases to develop data workflows or machine learning applications. 

You will be comfortable working both independently and as part of multidisciplinary teams, tackling complex problems and translating innovative ideas into practical outcomes. Strong communication skills are essential, with the ability to clearly explain complex technical or analytical concepts to both technical and non technical stakeholders.

Benefits

Whilst you will be employed by University of Derby, your terms and conditions will be that of Richard Lang & Son Ltd.

Key Contact

For further information and informal enquiries regarding the role, please contact Dr Oluwarotimi W. Samuel, Senior Lecturer in Computer Science via o.samuel@derby.ac.uk or Dr Mojisola Grace Asogbon, Lecturer in Data Science via m.asogbon@derby.ac.uk 

For enquiries regarding your application and for sponsorship eligibility, please contact the recruitment team via recruitment@derby.ac.uk

Important Information

This role may be eligible for sponsorship by the University. 

The offered salary for this role is less than the going rate for the occupation and the minimum salary threshold for the Skilled Worker route (£41,700 per annum, as of 22^nd July 2025). Therefore you will only be eligible to apply for a Skilled Worker visa subject to your individual circumstances which must meet one of the following criteria set out by UKVI: 

• Your job is on the Immigration Skills List
• You’re under 26, studying or a recent graduate, or in professional training
• You have a PhD level qualification that’s relevant to your job 
• You have a postdoctoral position in science or higher education

You must also meet the English Language requirement.

Please note that the University will assess your individual eligibility for sponsorship at the shortlisting stage.

For more information, visit our website.

The University of Derby is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all our staff, students and children. At the University of Derby, safeguarding is everybody's concern.

Please find our Safeguarding pages including our Safeguarding Policy here.

Closing Date: 25 May 2026

Area: Teaching and Research

Salary: £38,000 to £40,000 per annum
(for exceptional performers, there is scope for further progression up to £42,000 per annum)