The University of Sheffield is a remarkable place to work. Our people are at the heart of everything we do. Their diverse backgrounds, abilities and beliefs make Sheffield a world-class university.

We offer a fantastic range of benefits including a highly competitive annual leave entitlement (with the ability to purchase more), a generous pensions scheme, flexible working opportunities, a commitment to your development and wellbeing, a wide range of retail discounts, and much more. Find out more about our benefits (opens in a new window) and join us to become part of something special.

Overview

The Speech and Hearing (SpandH) group was established in the Department (now School) of Computer Science at the University of Sheffield in 1986, and enjoys an international reputation for research in computational hearing, speech perception and speech technology. It includes five professors, three lecturers and many research associates and PhD students. SpandH group members play key roles in the international speech and hearing community by serving on the boards of the International Speech Communication Association and IEEE Speech and Language Committee, organising major international SLT conferences, and participating in US IARPA evaluations that have driven progress in the SLT area since the 1990s. Among other responsibilities, the SpandH group is in charge of teaching future generations of computer scientists how to process speech with computers and how to build speech-based technologies.

Dr Anton Ragni of the SpandH group is responsible for teaching speech processing and speech technology modules. As an active area of research, speech and hearing subareas continuously undergo changes requiring teaching and associated materials to be constantly updated. Furthermore, given the recent trend towards more streamlined and integrated data processing, many aspects traditionally linked with speech processing have lost their core place while others have shifted over to speech technologies. As a result, both taught modules require rethinking, updating and more clear integration. Due to the sheer amount of effort required, Dr Ragni is looking for a capable and interested individual to assist in implementing those changes into the teaching of speech processing and speech technology modules.

Main duties and responsibilities

• Collect, analyse, summarise and present information in a verbal and written form.
• Propose and implement teaching ideas in practice, for example, by formulating a teaching activity, creating the corresponding taught material, delivering teaching and assessing the outcome of teaching activities.
• Create new teaching material and/or analyse and propose modifications to existing teaching materials.
• Organise and actively participate in meetings related to teaching speech processing and speech technology modules.
• Engage in teaching, learning and assessment activities related to speech processing and speech technology modules
• Carry out other duties, commensurate with the grade and remit of the post.

Person Specification

Our diverse community of staff and students recognises the unique abilities, backgrounds, and beliefs of all. We foster a culture where everyone feels they belong and is respected. Even if your past experience doesn't match perfectly with this role's criteria, your contribution is valuable, and we encourage you to apply. Please ensure that you reference the application criteria in the application statement when you apply.

Further Information

Next steps in the recruitment process

It is anticipated that the selection process will take place about three weeks after the closing date. This will consist of a presentation and an interview. We plan to let candidates know if they have progressed to the selection stage on the week commencing 16th February 2026. If you need any support, equipment or adjustments to enable you to participate in any element of the recruitment process you can contact the Computer Science Recruitment Team at COM-Recruitment@sheffield.ac.uk

Our vision and strategic plan

We are the University of Sheffield. This is our vision: sheffield.ac.uk/vision (opens in new window).

What we offer

• A minimum of 38 days annual leave including bank holiday and closure days (pro rata) with the ability to purchase more.
• Flexible working opportunities, including hybrid working for some roles.
• Generous pension scheme.
• A wide range of discounts and rewards on shopping, eating out and travel.
• A variety of staff networks, providing opportunities for social interaction, peer support and personal development (for example, Race Equality, LGBT+, Women’s and Parent’s networks).
• Recognition Awards to reward staff who go above and beyond in their role.
• A commitment to your development access to learning and mentoring schemes.
• A range of generous family-friendly policies
  • paid time off for parenting and caring emergencies
  • support for those going through the menopause
  • paid time off and support for fertility treatment
  • and more

More details can be found on our benefits page: sheffield.ac.uk/jobs/benefits (opens in a new window).

We are a Disability Confident Employer. If you have a disability and meet the essential criteria for this job you will be invited to take part in the next stage of the selection process.

We are a research university with a global reputation for excellence. Our ideas and expertise change the world for the better, making a real difference to society. We know that when people come together with different views, approaches and insights it can lead to richer, more creative and innovative teaching and research and the highest levels of student experience. Our University Vision (www.sheffield.ac.uk/vision) outlines our commitment to building a diverse community of staff and students that recognises and values the abilities, backgrounds, beliefs and ways of living for everyone.