KTP Associate - AI-Enabled Digital Twin Platform for Energy & Utility Infrastructure

We have one simple promise – to make a positive impact. Through our ground-breaking research, teaching excellence and commitment to sustainable living, we are changing lives for the better.

The University of Derby is a modern university with a modern outlook. Everything we do is driven by delivering excellence and opportunities for our students, our staff and our region.

We have some of the best university facilities in the UK and achieve outstanding results for our teaching and research and have been awarded Gold in the prestigious Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) 2023 – making it one of the top universities in the country recognised for its outstanding student experience and student outcomes.

Financially strong and seriously ambitious we offer our employees an inclusive culture that centres itself around staff wellbeing, where you can be confident you will receive all the help and encouragement you need to build a rewarding career with lots of opportunities to enhance your skills.

About the College/Department

Here at the University of Derby, the College of Science and Engineering is the home STEM, the skills that are essential to the UK’s Industrial Strategy. From digitisation to decarbonisation, we have an important role to play in shaping the future. And by researching or collaborating with us, you can too.

The College brings together a powerful combination of scientific expertise, technological innovation, and creative practice. With disciplines spanning computing, AI, Data Science, engineering, environmental sciences, built environments and Psychology. We are uniquely positioned to solve real-world challenges through interdisciplinary collaboration.

Our courses are designed with employability and future industry needs in mind, supported by cutting-edge facilities, strong employer partnerships, and a commitment to sustainability. Through applied research and hands-on learning, we equip students and staff to drive progress in areas that matter most; from smart technology to clean energy, advanced manufacturing to immersive design.

School of Computing

This is an exciting time in Computing, Artificial Intelligence and Data Science at the University of Derby. Building on recent Research Excellence Framework (REF) success, our school has ambitions to become leaders in these areas. In the last ten years, we’ve invested heavily in our facilities, including a £13m STEM centre. We aspire to be at the forefront of teaching and research around topics such as machine learning, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things and complex networks. Our Data Science Research Centre will play a key role in this.

Our engagement with global industries based in the Derby region, for example through our East Midlands Institute of Technology, helps ensure that our research and teaching are at the forefront of emerging industry needs and opportunities. Our links with companies in our region including Bloc Digital, Rolls-Royce and Alstom, also mean our students benefit from placement years and live briefs.

About Saith Ltd

At Saith, our people are central to everything we do. We are an independent engineering management consultancy delivering high-quality solutions across the energy and utility sectors. Our teams work collaboratively across project management, design, CDM, and technical assurance.

We support clients across the full project lifecycle, from early-stage studies and detailed design through to delivery and implementation. We value professionalism, accountability, collaboration, and technical excellence, and are committed to developing our people to deliver safe, practical, and commercially effective outcomes.

This role offers the opportunity to work within a highly collaborative engineering environment, contributing to practical, high-impact solutions within live infrastructure and engineering contexts, and supporting the scalable deployment of digital technologies across the sector.

About the Role

University of Derby’s College of Science and Engineering in partnership with Saith Ltd are offering an exciting career-development opportunity to manage and deliver a challenging strategic Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) project. Based at Saith Ltd’s premises in Hampshire, you will be employed by the University as a KTP Associate but work under the terms and conditions of the company.

You will lead the design, development, and deployment of a practical, production-ready AI-enabled Digital Twin platform to support intelligent asset management within energy and utility infrastructure. You will work at the interface of research and industry, translating advanced AI, computer vision, and data-driven methods into scalable solutions deployed within live engineering environments.

You will take ownership of the end-to-end system lifecycle, integrating multi-source data including BIM, LiDAR, point cloud, and operational datasets to develop solutions for automated inspection, anomaly detection, predictive maintenance, and intelligent decision-support. Crucially, you will ensure that solutions are commercially viable, aligned with client requirements, and deliver measurable operational value.

Working closely with design, construction, and operational teams, you will contribute directly to live engineering projects, ensuring solutions are effectively integrated, validated, and deliver real-world impact. The role will also support the adoption of AI and Digital Twin technologies within Saith through training, knowledge transfer, and integration into operational workflows.

This is a unique opportunity for an ambitious candidate to contribute to the development of scalable digital solutions, supporting improved asset performance, operational efficiency, and data-driven decision-making across infrastructure and utility sectors. You will also have the opportunity to contribute to the long-term development of AI and Digital Twin capability within the organisation, supporting future growth and innovation.

Using your knowledge and skills to support the business and achieve specific project aims, you will receive on-going support by a Supervisor at Saith Ltd, an Academic Supervisor and Academic Lead from the University of Derby to help you deliver. A personal training and development budget will also be available for you to access, as well as receiving access to the same training opportunities and facilities as University staff.

This is an exciting career-development opportunity to deliver a high-impact project, working with academic experts and industry professionals, and gaining hands-on experience in deploying advanced AI solutions within a real-world engineering consultancy environment.

Anticipated interview date: 21st July 2026

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships

This full-time post is part-funded by the UK Government’s KTP programme. A KTP is a three-way project between a graduate, an organisation and a university. KTP is one of the UK’s largest graduate recruitment programmes and has been placing graduates on challenging, high profile projects for 50 years. In addition to a competitive salary and core KTP development training, you will have a dedicated budget of £4,000 further training and career development. To find out more about the scheme visit: ktp-uk.org/graduates

Please note by completing an application form for this role, you are giving your consent for us to share your personal data with the KTP partner.

About You

We’re looking for a talented and driven individual with experience delivering end-to-end AI and data-driven solutions in real-world operational environments, with a clear focus on achieving measurable impact. In this role, you’ll work on developing Digital Twin and simulation-based systems, leveraging multi-source data such as BIM, LiDAR, point cloud, and sensor data to support prediction, enhance decision-making, and improve operations.

You’ll bring strong experience in building and optimising scalable data pipelines using Python and SQL, managing the full data lifecycle from ingestion through to processing and validation. You’ll also have hands-on experience applying machine learning and computer vision techniques, such as detection, classification, segmentation, and anomaly detection, to solve complex, real-world challenges.

You will work both independently and as part of multidisciplinary teams, bringing a practical, solutions-focused mindset. Strong communication skills are essential, with the ability to clearly present complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Benefits

Whilst you will be employed by University of Derby, your terms and conditions will be that of Saith Ltd.

Key Contact

For further information and informal enquiries regarding the role, please contact Dr Oluwarotimi W. Samuel, Senior Lecturer in Computer Science via o.samuel@derby.ac.uk, or Dr Mojisola Grace Asogbon, Lecturer in Data Science via m.asogbon@derby.ac.uk

For enquiries regarding your application and for sponsorship eligibility, please contact the recruitment team via recruitment@derby.ac.uk

Important Information

This role may be eligible for sponsorship by the University.

The offered salary for this role is less than the going rate for the occupation and the minimum salary threshold for the Skilled Worker route (£41,700 per annum, as of 22nd July 2025). Therefore you will only be eligible to apply for a Skilled Worker visa subject to your individual circumstances which must meet one of the following criteria set out by UKVI:

• Your job is on the Immigration Skills List
• You’re under 26, studying or a recent graduate, or in professional training
• You have a PhD level qualification that’s relevant to your job
• You have a postdoctoral position in science or higher education

You must also meet the English Language requirement.

Please note that the University will assess your individual eligibility for sponsorship at the shortlisting stage.

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