Job Description
Part time, fixed Term (Hours will vary dependent on the demand for teaching support at various times during the academic year but GTAs will not be expected to work more than 20 hours maximum per week)
Closing date: 8 March at 23:59
Interview date: to be confirmed
This role is not eligible for Skilled Worker visa sponsorship. The successful candidate(s) will have to ensure that they have the right to work in the UK or be able to secure this through another means without the sponsorship of the University. Further information about sponsorship is available on the UK Visas and Immigration Website.
Are you an ambitious computer scientist ready to help shape the digital technologies of tomorrow?
At the University of Reading, we offer an exciting opportunity to launch your academic career by pursuing a PhD while gaining hands-on teaching experience through our Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) programme, combining cutting-edge research with real classroom impact.
Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) positions offer an excellent opportunity to work while studying for a PhD. You will spend approximately one quarter of your time working as a teaching assistant, supporting laboratory sessions and other teaching activities. The remaining three quarters of your time will be dedicated to your PhD research within the department, where you will work closely with academic staff on pre-defined, cutting-edge problems across a range of computational science fields. These positions are fully funded for UK Home students for four years and include a competitive combined salary and stipend package that exceeds the standard UKRI full-time PhD stipend. International students will receive a Home/ROI fee waiver and will be required to pay the remaining international fee difference (approximately £20,000 per year), subject to annual increases.
The PhD candidate needs to select their projects based on the following thematic areas:
- Trustworthy and Responsible AI
- AI for Health
- AI for Environmental Science and Sustainability
- AI for Digital Humanities
- AI for Embedded / Edge Computing
As part of the application process candidates must select three themes from the list above and rank them in order of preference and include this in their covering letter.
In addition, candidates must demonstrate that you:
- Meet the academic requirements for a PhD offer at the University of Reading.
- Hold a first-class or upper second-class degree (1st or 2:1) in Computer Science, Data Science, Computer Engineering, or a closely related discipline.
- Demonstrate a good technical background in Computer Science, Data Science, Computer Engineering, or a closely related computing discipline.
- Ability to organise and prioritise workloads, including balancing PhD studies with GTA responsibilities during term-time.
- Show a clear commitment to teaching, with effective presentation and student support skills
- Demonstrate research capability, including the potential to develop a strong publication record
- Good interpersonal and team player skills
Please see candidate pack at the bottom of the page for more details about funding/salary.
Candidates will be provided with training to develop teaching and pedagogical skills, no prior experience of teaching is necessary. On the research side, our package of support includes access to MSc courses and bespoke training through our Postgraduate and Researcher College will help you in developing your professional skills as a researcher.
Working hours for the teaching portion will be variable during the academic year but will be no more than 20 hours per week. The terms of the offer of funding for the PhD and the offer of employment will rely upon the postholder being registered as a full-time doctoral student.
Successful candidates will be paid an annual salary (£9159) and stipend (£16038 per annum) over the 4 year period and will have PhD fees waived at the Home level (Please note that students liable for international fees will need to pay the difference between these and the home fee rate). Fees for 2026/27 (amount payable each year) can be found here.
How do I apply?
Candidates must submit an application for this post via the 'Apply for job' tab at the bottom of the page. You must upload a combined CV and covering letter.
Contact details for advert
Professor Shadi Basurra, Head of Department of Computer Science, s.s.basurra@reading.ac.uk
Alternative Contact Name: Professor James Ferryman, j.m.ferryman@reading.ac.uk
The University is committed to having a diverse and inclusive workforce, supports the gender equality Athena SWAN Charter and the Race Equality Charter, and champions LGBT+ equality. We are a Disability Confident Employer (Level 2). Applications for job-share, part-time and flexible working arrangements are welcomed and will be considered in line with business needs.
