PhD Studentship & Graduate Teaching Assistant

Birkbeck, University of London, is seeking a passionate candidate to undertake a full-time PhD research in computing or mathematical sciences, and provide assistance to academic staff as a part-time Graduate Teaching Assistant. 

The post holder will be registered as a full-time research (PhD) student within the School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences for the period of employment with registration fees waived.

As a Graduate Teaching Assistant, you will:

• Pursue research study towards a PhD thesis.
• Provide assistance to staff involved in teaching, including supporting classes and leading seminar discussions online.
• Participate in the marking of assessments and examination of students.
• Undertake administration related to the above to ensure the effective running of programmes.

To be successful in this role, you will be able to:

• Demonstrate the potential to conduct high-quality research in computer science, mathematics, statistics and/or probability theory.
• Support teaching effectively at postgraduate level online.
• Demonstrate good organisational and administrative skills to meet deadlines.

Moreover, you will:

• Have obtained a good first degree or masters in a discipline relevant to computer science, mathematics, statistics and/or probability theory
• Have a practical knowledge of the Python programming language, and SQL.
• Have a good understanding of Information Systems, and Data Management.
• Be eligible for acceptance to the MPhil/PhD in the School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences.
• Submitted an application to the department’s full-time MPhil/PhD including an original research proposal.

For further details regarding admission to our research study programme including details on how to develop a research proposal, please consult the detailed guide available online via the links below:

• MPhil/PhD Computer Science and Information Systems
• MPhil/PhD Mathematics and Statistics

Birkbeck has been teaching and researching computer science since 1957, making it one of the oldest computing departments worldwide. Having a long-established reputation in data management and computational intelligence, we have evolved into a world-leading centre in algorithms, artificial intelligence, databases, data science, knowledge representation, and verification.

Our research is organised around three main themes: AI and Data Science, Discrete Mathematics and Algorithms and Logical Methods. We also have two research centres: Birkbeck Institute for Data Analytics and Birkbeck Knowledge Lab.

The School is particularly interested in supervising research that aligns with the work of the research groups and centres. A non-exclusive list of topics and supervisors is included below. Applicants who wish to pursue a PhD in a different field will also be considered:-

• Mathematical Analysis of Reconstruction Error for Off-Shore Wind Measurement Systems (Dr Anthony Brooms)
• Software Engineering, Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing, Large Language Models (Dr Taolue Chen)
• Static Program analysis and verification, termination analysis, term rewriting (Dr Carsten Fuhs)
• Graph Databases, Data Modelling, Process Modelling (Dr Jan Hidders)
• Combinatorial aspects of cryptography and information security (Prof Maura Paterson)
• AI in Finance: new models and data streams (Dr Alessandro Provetti)
• Probability theory: Interacting particle systems (Dr Richard Pymar)
• Designing network algorithms founded on graph theory (Dr Felix Reidl)
• Extraction of Rules and Specifications from Temporal Data (Dr Vladislav Ryzhikov)
• Novel diffusion model learning algorithms for synthetic DNA sequence design (Dr Cen Wan)

Application

Please note that two separate applications will be required:

1. A full-time PhD application with accompanying research proposal for the PhD post for either Computer Science and Information Systems or Mathematics and Statistics.

2. A job application form for the graduate teaching assistant post, submitted via the 'apply' button. 

Remuneration

Total salary £19,490 rising to £22,123 per year (0.5 FTE) (pro-rated £38,981 rising to £44,247 1 FTE). The salary is Grade 6 on the College's London Pay Scale which includes a consolidated Weighting/Allowance which applies only to staff whose normal contractual place of work is in the London area.

Birkbeck offers a competitive salary and pension scheme, 31 days paid leave, flexible working arrangements and some of the most generous benefits in the HE sector, all while being located right in the heart of Central London.

Terms and Conditions 

Four year fixed-term contract, starting 1 July. Teaching post is part time (17.5 hours a week term time) alongside completion of a PhD. 

The Graduate Teaching Assistant (Student Support) role is a developmental opportunity in parallel with PhD study and requires ongoing PhD registration as a condition of employment for the duration of the contract.

Closing date: Friday 1 May 2026. Interview date: Monday 25 May 2026. 

Enquiries

If you would like to know more about the role, please contact Martyn Harris, Programme Director, at martyn.harris@bbk.ac.uk.

Further guidance is available for prospective PhD students. This post is open for Visa Sponsorship. 

If you have technical issues or difficulties using the recruitment portal, please contact jobs@bbk.ac.uk providing your name and the job reference number of the position. While we are happy to respond to all informal enquiries, only formal applications through the online system will be considered.

We welcome applicants from all sections of the community. www.bbk.ac.uk/jobs. The College is committed to improving the gender and cultural diversity of its workforce, holding an Athena SWAN award and operating Disability Confident & Mindful Employer schemes.