PhD Data Student - Data Insights

**Job Title:**PhD Student – Data Insights

Level: PhD

Reporting To: University of Birmingham Supervisory Team & NFFC Head of Sports Data Insights

Location: The Academy and Training Ground & University of Birmingham Campus

 

Role Overview

A unique opportunity has arisen for an exceptional candidate to complete a Doctorate within the School of Computer Science and the School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Birmingham in collaboration with Nottingham Forest Football Club related to data science in professional football. In addition to the completion of the academic requirements for this award, the successful candidate will also provide appropriate data science support as part of the First Team Data Insights department. This position is aimed at providing the successful candidate an opportunity to train and become a data scientist within elite professional football.

What will you be doing?

The research projects are not set however investigations should focus on leveraging machine learning and artificial intelligence to investigate on field performance and/or player identification & recruitment. The candidate is expected to have a high level of understanding of how data science techniques can be applied to create real world solutions and have experience of data science methods and tools. They should present their own ideas on the research project during the interview process. The successful candidate will work predominantly with the first team but may also assist with specific training tasks as required by the club.

Who are we looking for?

The successful candidate will hold a postgraduate degree in computer science, mathematics, physics or similar from a recognised university. They will be able to autonomously manage the data science life cycle of hypothesis creation to finding conclusions. In addition, they should have familiarity with different types of football data sources such as event and tracking data, experience with machine learning and be proficient in Python/ R & SQL. Knowledge of and experience with other Programming Languages is advantageous. Experience in data visualisation is necessary for this role, whether programmatic visualisation or use of a BI tool (Power BI, Tableau etc.). The candidate must be an excellent role model with extremely high levels of motivation. Previous experience within a professional sporting environment is advantageous.

Who should apply?

This is a full time PhD position, working on a 5 out of 7 days arrangement, primarily based at Nottingham Forest Football Club Training centre (Nottingham, West Bridgford) mixed with a remote working arrangement, often working through the week and at weekends. This role will help develop you as a data scientist and researcher within the Data Insights industry in High Performance Sport.

Funding

The position will be for a 3-year period subject to satisfactory progress of the individual in the role. Funding will consist of UK full tuition fees for three years and the award of a living stipend at the UK Research Council rates (pro-rata into 12 monthly payments). Funding will be subject to satisfactory progress.

 

Our Commitment to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

Nottingham Forest Football Clubis an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified persons, regardless of age, disability, gender, gender reassignment, marital / civil partnership status, pregnancy / maternity leave, race, religion/belief, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected characteristic.

Nottingham Forest Football Club is a signatory of the FA’s Football Leadership Diversity Code. We are committed to developing policies to promote equal opportunities and diversity within our workforce. To monitor our progress against these commitments, we require all applicants to provide accurate diversity data during the application process.

Our Commitment to Safeguarding

As part of the Club’s commitment to safeguarding, the successful applicant may be required to undergo a Disclosure Barring Service (“DBS”) check or an enhanced DBS check. The results of a DBS check will be considered on an individual basis, and the Club will act in a proportionate manner when deciding whether or not to proceed with the appointment.

An FA Enhanced DBS disclosure is required for all relevant new appointments to the Club. Individuals will be asked to declare any convictions, cautions or reprimands, warnings or bind-overs that may have been incurred. The Club reserves the right to carry out risk assessments where content has been disclosed on a DBS disclosure if it feels that it is relevant to the job requirements. Failure to satisfy the Club and the PL's safeguarding requirements may lead to the job offer being withdrawn or, if they have already started employment, summary termination of the employment.