Join the Lab
We welcome motivated researchers at all levels. Explore the opportunities below and get in touch if you're interested.
Looking to do a PhD?
Spatial AI, Visual Reasoning, Cultural Heritage & Interpretive AI
Our lab is always looking for good PhD candidates. If you are interested in doing a PhD in vision-based spatial reasoning, multimodal AI, or AI for cultural heritage, please get in touch to discuss options. Before reaching out, please review our research areas and publications.
A project outline is available at:
FindAPhD — Spatial AI: Understanding the WorldFunding Options
Doctoral Training Partnerships
Funded by UK Research Councils (EPSRC, BBSRC, NERC). Covers tuition fees, stipend, and research training support.
Industry-funded PhDs
Collaborative projects with companies, often through Knowledge Transfer Partnerships.
International Scholarships
Commonwealth Scholarships, Chevening Scholarships, and Chinese Scholarships Council (CSC).
Self-funding
Students cover tuition and living costs, potentially combining with part-time work (visa permitting).
How to Apply
- 01Reach out with your CV and a brief statement of research interests and how you plan to fund your PhD.
- 02If there is mutual interest, we will have a brief conversation and detail the application process at Durham University.
- 03Submit a formal application, followed by an interview with myself and a potential second supervisor.
- 04Receive an outcome typically within a couple of weeks of the interview.
Group Diversity
Building a research group with a diverse range of backgrounds and perspectives is important to me, and I welcome enquiries from candidates who are underrepresented in computer vision and AI research.
If you're considering a PhD and would find it helpful to talk things through informally first, please get in touch. I'm happy to answer questions about the group, the research, and the application process before you apply.
MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship — Expression of Interest
Closed · Sept 2025Computer Vision · Durham University · 1–2 Years
Open call for interest in co-writing a MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship on Computer Vision at Durham University. Topics range from digitisation to understanding and reasoning. The MSCA is an international collaborative programme, so a long-term secondment is required.
The EU provides the recruited researcher with a living allowance, mobility allowance, and family/special needs allowances where applicable, plus funding for research, training, networking, management and indirect costs.
Eligibility
- PhD or 4 years of full-time research experience
- Must not have resided in the UK for more than 12 months in the 36 months before the call deadline
- Maximum 8 years of research experience post-PhD (career breaks excluded)
Key Dates
- Call opened8 May 2025
- EOI deadline1 Jul 2025
- Call deadline10 Sep 2025
This round has closed. If you are interested in a future MSCA collaboration, please get in touch.
N8 CIR Winter Internship — HPC Benchmarking Assembly Tasks
Closed · Oct 2025Durham University students only · £2,500 · 6 hrs/week
Funded by EPSRC through the N8 Bede National HPC Service. Ran Michaelmas term to March 2026, alongside full-time study.
This project focused on adapting and implementing benchmarks for performance evaluation of cluster-based assembly tasks in puzzle-solving environments, combining high-performance computing with algorithmic problem-solving.
Project Components
- Development of a benchmark framework for assembly task evaluation
- Adaptation of existing puzzle-solving algorithms for cluster computing
- Evaluation of benchmarks across Durham HPC infrastructure
Skills Developed
- HPC and cluster programming
- Benchmark design and performance evaluation
- Algorithm adaptation for parallel computing
Past Success Story
Samuel Waugh — Durham Computer Science student
Samuel completed a research internship with N8 CIR under my supervision, developing ArteFact — an innovative web-based tool that helps art historians uncover meaningful connections between paintings and scholarly writing using a domain-adapted CLIP model. Samuel demonstrated real creativity, technical skill, and careful consideration for end users.
Don't see a current opening that fits? If you are a strong candidate aligned with our research themes, feel free to reach out speculatively with a CV and a brief note on what you'd like to work on.
Contact Stuart James