Applied AI & Data Scientist

Job Description Grade UE08: £50, 253 - £61,759 per annum College of Science and Engineering / The Data Lab Full-time: 35 hours per week Fixed-term: to 31 st July 2027 Where passion meets purpose. Be part of something bigger. We offer careers and roles in just about every area you can think of. Whether you’re looking to take the next step in your current specialism, explore a new challenge, or broaden your experience, we offer opportunities where you can flourish and make a real difference. Our people come from a wide range of backgrounds, each bringing their abilities and experiences to our organisation, helping us thrive and innovate together. The Opportunity The Applied AI & Data Scientist will be in charge of delivering high-impact applied data science and AI projects for businesses all throughout Scotland. Their main job will be to turn real-world operational problems into useful, deployable solutions. This role will help to develop, create, and implement data pipelines, analytics tools, and AI solutions. These include modern generative AI, retrieval-RAG, and agent-based techniques deployed in a number of short, targeted projects. The Data Lab is Scotland’s innovation centre for data and AI. The Data Lab was founded in 2014 as part of Scotland’s Innovation Centres programme. Through hubs in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Inverness, we foster innovation through collaboration, build skills and grow talent, and champion Scotland’s data science community. At The Data Lab we live by our values of Support, Respect, Innovate and Growth. We are a place where everyone is welcome and offer a range of policies and benefits designed to support you in building the right meaningful flexibility that works for you. This post is full-time (35 hours per week); We are open to considering requests for hybrid working (on a non-contractual basis) that combines a mix of remote and regular on-campus working. View The Full Job Description How to apply Please Include The Following Documents In Your Application • CV • Cover letter As a valued member of our team, you can expect: • A competitive salary. • An exciting, positive, creative, challenging and rewarding place to work. • To be part of a diverse and vibrant international community. • Comprehensive Staff Benefits, including generous annual leave entitlement, a defined benefits pension scheme, a wide range of staff discounts, family-friendly initiatives, and flexible work options. Check out the full list on our staff benefits page and use our reward calculator to discover the value of your pay and benefits. Championing equality, diversity, and inclusion The University of Edinburgh holds a Silver Athena SWAN award in recognition of our commitment to advance gender equality in higher education. We are members of the Race Equality Charter, and we are also Stonewall Scotland Diversity Champions, actively promoting LGBT equality. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates. Prior to any employment commencing with the University, you will be required to evidence your right to work in the UK. Further information is available on our right to work webpages . On this occasion the University will not consider applicants requiring sponsorship for this role. International workers will therefore only be able to take up this role if they can demonstrate an alternative right to work in the UK. Key dates to note The closing date for applications is 28 th April 2026. Unless stated otherwise, the closing time for applications is 11:59 pm (UK time). If you are applying from outside the UK, the closing time shown on our adverts will automatically adjust to your browser’s local time zone. About Us As a world-leading research-intensive University, we are here to address tomorrow’s greatest challenges. Between now and 2030 we will do that with a values-led approach to teaching, research and innovation, and through the strength of our relationships, both locally and globally. About The Team The Data Lab is Scotland’s innovation centre for data and AI, hosted by the University of Edinburgh and part of the National Innovation Centre Programme funded by the Scottish Funding Council. Through hubs in Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Aberdeen, we foster innovation through collaboration, build skills and grow talent, and champion Scotland’s data science community. We help Scotland maximise value from data and AI and lead the world to a data-powered future. Our purpose is to change lives and make Scotland a more productive economy and sustainable society by transforming how we use data and AI. Specifically, we fund: • Collaborative innovation between academia, industry, and the public sector. • A skills and training programme designed to increase the talent pool in Scotland. • Community building events to promote data science in Scotland. Our remit is to work across Scotland and, in addition to our main office in Edinburgh, we have offices in Aberdeen and Glasgow. For more information, visit T he Data Lab website ( https://www.thedatalab.com ) (opens a new browser tab).