Who are we?

We are the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) - the UK’s leading institution for integrated coastal and deep ocean research. Through our ground-breaking research, collaboration, and game-changing innovation we work to gain a deeper understanding of our ocean, helping every living thing on our planet flourish.

We are made up of a dynamic and vibrant community focused on solving challenging long-term marine science problems, underpinning international and UK public policy, business and societal outcomes.

The ocean has the potential to provide the solutions to so many of the social, economic and environmental challenges we face worldwide. To truly harness the value of the ocean, we put ocean research, science and discovery at the heart of our culture.

Join us in shaping the future of oceanographic research and contribute your unique perspective to our organisation.

About the role

This role is part of NOC’s Digital Science function and, working alongside software engineers, scientists, and designers it will contribute to create the “NOC of the future”.

We are seeking a purpose-driven AI expert who wants to advance marine and environmental sciences by developing novel and useful AI research infrastructure and models.

Our team is formed by over 30 Research Software Engineers, AI and Data scientists, and UI/UX experts. We design and develop research capabilities (e.g. pipelines, interfaces, applications), provide training, and establish collaborations to accelerate innovation across NOC and the wider international oceanographic community.

Our projects encompass topics such as processing advance seafloor imaging, frameworks for training AI models, global ocean modelling, interactive visualisation, robotic autonomous systems, and Digital Twins.

This role provides excellent opportunities to bring AI leadership to accelerate innovation and purpose-driven research across the organisation.

The role will be part of NOC’s Software Engineering and AI team and provides opportunities for leading teams and learn a wide variety of skills working across ocean-related, multi-disciplinary, and international communities.

Please note while we are using the job title ‘AI Research Software Engineer’ for the purposes of advertising, the formal job title at NOC will be ‘Senior Research Scientist in AI and Data Science’.

About you

We are looking for an exceptional candidate with experience of developing AI, data science infrastructure, and AI models in a research environment.

Working at a senior level, you will engage widely to embed AI across NOC ocean observations and research value chain, ensuring that the science NOC does has maximum societal impact.

You will have a strong track record of working in AI in environmental sciences and experience of collaborative work.

Why NOC?

We offer a generous set of benefits, including:

30 days contractual annual leave, plus 3.5 extra closure days and bank holidays
a 10% employer contribution pension scheme (with a 15% NI saving on employee contributions made above 5%, if in the salary sacrifice scheme)
financial support for relocation
a salary sacrifice scheme for electric / hybrid vehicles (qualifying period applies)
access to our Employee Assistance Programme, offering free and anonymous support on mental, physical, emotional, health and financial issues
access to a flexible benefits portal offering online discounts, cashback and eGift cards
a Cycle2Work scheme allowing employees to acquire bikes and accessories
a great working environment with a number of social events, including summer and Christmas celebrations
we are proud to be a Living Wage Employer

Location

This position can be based in Southampton or Liverpool. Our Southampton site is well connected by public transport and has ample cycle parking in addition to free onsite car-parking with over 40 EV charging points. The Liverpool centre is part of the University campus and is only a short walk from the city centre and Lime Street station.

We have a hybrid working approach where for most positions staff can work from home up to 2 days per week. If you are interested in this position, but require a more flexible working arrangement, please contact the recruitment team using the contact details below.

Submitting an application

Please click ‘Apply for this job’ and submit an up-to-date CV and cover letter. If you are unable to apply online, please contact the NOC recruitment team at careers@noc.ac.uk / 07955 851648.

Before submitting your application, please ensure you have reviewed the attached job description and person specification.

We are committed to fostering diversity and inclusion in our workplace. We actively encourage qualified candidates from all backgrounds to apply for this position, as we strive to create a supportive and equitable environment where all voices are valued and heard.

Those seeking employment at NOC are considered solely on their qualifications, skills and experience, without regard to gender, gender identity, age, race, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation, relationship status, family status (including pregnancy / maternity leave) or any other protected characteristic.

There is a guaranteed interview scheme for candidates who meet the minimum criteria of the position and declare a disability.

Date advert posted: 17 December 2025.

Closing date: 14 January 2026. This vacancy may close earlier depending on the number of applicants.

Please note we are not accepting applications via recruitment agencies for this position.