Job Description

Algorithm Developer (KTP Associate)

(

Job Number:

25001803

)

Department of Mathematical Sciences
Grade 7: - 41,064 - 46,049 per annum
Fixed Term - Full Time

Contract Duration

18 months

Contracted Hours per Week

37.5

Closing Date

12-Jan-2026, 5:59:00 PM

Disclosure and Barring Service Requirement

Not Applicable.

Durham University

Durham University is one of the world's top universities with strengths across the Arts and Humanities, Sciences and Social Sciences. We are home to some of the most talented scholars and researchers from around the world who are tackling global issues and making a difference to people's lives.


Durham University seeks to promote and maintain an inclusive and supportive environment for work and study that assists all members of our University community to reach their full potential. Diversity brings strength and we welcome applications from across the international, national and regional communities that we work with and serve.

MIRICO

Mirico (www.mirico.com) is an innovative precision gas measurement company based in Oxfordshire, leveraging unique technology originally developed by RALSpace. We provide state-of-the-art laser spectroscopy solutions to accurately quantify and localise greenhouse gas emissions over large open areas enabling organisations to achieve their net-zero climate goals.


Our sensor products generate large volumes of data as they scan the environment for emissions 24 hours-per-day, 7 days a week. The measurements are processed on-board the instrument before transmission to our cloud analysis platform which leverages custom atmospheric modelling, transforming raw measurements into detailed emissions information.


Mirico believes the first step to reducing greenhouse gas emissions is to quantify them. We are working with a range of research and commercial organisations to prove, develop and perfect our technologies. We are a small, fast-paced team integrating unique hardware and software in a friendly, collaborative environment.

Attendance requirements:

Working Hours and holiday entitlement are in line with Mirico:

Working Hours:

(37.5 Hours/week)

Holidays:

(25 Days per year excluding Bank Holidays)

Contract type: 18 months fixed term

The KTP Project

The KTP Associate will lead a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) project that is a collaboration between Durham University and MIRICO, based in Oxfordshire. The Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) scheme helps businesses to innovate and grow through the aid of discipline specific academic expertise. It does this by linking them with an academic supervisory team and a KTP Associate in a university to work on a specific project.


Working alongside the Digital Team at MIRICO, the Algorithm developer will develop a new algorithm to enhance the localisation and quantification of gas emissions. This will involve leveraging advanced gas transport models, including advection-diffusion equations, computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and Navier-Stokes equations, to provide deeper insights into emission sources and dispersion patterns.

Specific responsibilities

Successful applicants will need to be in post before 01/03/2026, with an earlier start date possible.

The candidate will develop an algorithm for gas emission localisation and quantification using

advection-diffusion models, CFD, and Navier-Stokes equations

. Working alongside Durham. Key tasks include:

Integrating sensor data with gas transport models for improved detection. Developing numerical methods to enhance prediction accuracy. Collaborating with MIRICO's Digital Team to optimise performance. Validating models against experimental data and refining as needed.

The candidate is expected to carry out research at the highest standard and will be supported to publish at conferences and journals. The results of the work will be embedded in MIRICO's solutions. Their work will directly contribute to MIRICO's solutions, driving innovation in gas emission monitoring.

Person Specification

1. Qualifications

Essential

A good first Degree, and a PhD (or equivalent) in applied mathematics, statistics or a related subject

2. Experience

Essential

Actively involved in at least one project that delivered specific outcomes into a commercial organisation Minimum 2 years academic and/or commercial experience of scientific or statistical modelling Developing scientific solutions in Python, including selection and use of libraries Processing large data sets, data pipelines, algorithm optimisation

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modelling and simulations

, Presenting scientific findings to technical and non-technical audiences Formal academic and report writing of a quality commensurate with higher education qualifications

Desirable

Collaboration projects with academic/industry colleagues for software development Producing research publications in journals and conferences Familiarity with Agile teams and processes Presenting research findings at national/international venues

Advanced gas transport modelling

, particularly for environmental simulations, gas dispersion, or emissions forecasting

3. Skills

Essential

Ability to work autonomously, organising and planning own workload against the project plan, with excellent time-management skills Demonstrable ability to work cooperatively as part of a team Demonstrable problem-solving skills Ability to propose and apply novel (literature based) and innovative ideas for solving a problem

Desirable

Knowledge of Bayesian uncertainty techniques, including emulation, history matching or equivalent calibration techniques Ability to attract collaboration and opportunities for the project Ability to plan and manage independent research Knowledge of Python visualisation libraries - Bokeh, Holoviews SQL, Postgres and SQLAlchemy Familiarity with software process - coding standards, unit tests and source control

Responsible to:

Dr Andrew Iskauskas

, Willmore Fellow, Department of Mathematical Sciences, Durham University.

Dr Jason Schmidberger,

Senior Data Scientist, MIRICO.

Location:

The KTP Associate will be employed by Durham University but will be based at MIRICO, Harwell Campus, Oxfordshire, and will be expected to spend time in Durham University to undertake the partnership's objectives.

Additional Information:

For an informal discussion about the post please contact:


Dr Andrew Iskauskas, (e-mail: andrew.iskauskas@durham.ac.uk)


Dr Jason Schmidberger (e-mail: jason.schmidberger@mirico.com)


Find more information about the company at: (MIRICO | Next Generation Emissions Intelligence)


Find out more about the University at: https://www.dur.ac.uk/




Find more information on the Innovate UK programme at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/knowledge-transfer-partnerships-what-they-are-and-how-to-apply