Digital Research Infrastructure Advisory Group member vacancies

• Closing date: 7 August 2026 5:00pm UK time
• Number of positions: Five
• Length of term: Three years with the possibility of an extension, beginning 12 October 2026
• Time commitment: Attendance of three in-person meetings per year, plus a time commitment of one to two days to prepare for each meeting
• Remuneration: This is not a salaried position, although reasonable travel and subsistence expenses will be paid in accordance with the UKRI travel and subsistence policy
• Interview: 30 September 2026 and 1 October 2026
• Outcome communicated: 2 October 2026

UKRI invites applications to join its Advisory Group for Digital Research Infrastructure (AGD).

The AGD provides independent, expert advice on the delivery of UKRI’s Digital Research Infrastructure (DRI) Programme, including its strategic direction and investment priorities.

This is a timely opportunity to join the AGD as the DRI Programme enters a period of transition, with plans to refresh governance and maximise impact. New members will help shape its future development.

We welcome applications from across academia, industry, policy and wider research and innovation communities.

Who we’re looking for

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is seeking to appoint at least five members to join its advisory group, as the inaugural members complete their terms. Successful applicants will bring wide‑ranging experience in digital research and innovation infrastructure (DRI).

Professional background

You should have experience of working in one or more of the following contexts:

• higher education
• research and innovation organisations
• industry and commerce
• policy
• civil society

Essential skills

You should demonstrate:

• awareness of current and emerging opportunities and challenges in digital research infrastructure
• experience of building and developing effective partnerships with a range of organisations and stakeholders
• strong communication skills and the ability to work effectively as part of a team
• the ability to think strategically beyond a single discipline or sector

Technical expertise

You should also have an excellent understanding of, and experience in, using, planning or delivering state‑of‑the‑art DRI, in one or more of the following areas:

• data infrastructure and services
• large-scale computing
• software
• foundational tools, techniques and services for that support interoperability, security and sustainability, or the development of
• professional skills and career pathways in DRI

Specific areas of interest

We encourage all qualified individuals to apply, but we are particularly keen to hear from applicants with experience in one or more of the following areas:

• running and operating digital research infrastructure services or facilities
• federation, interoperability and integration of digital research infrastructure
• cybersecurity and secure digital research infrastructure
• industry experience in delivering or using digital research infrastructure
• international experience of planning, delivering or operating digital research infrastructure, including through international programmes and collaborations
• users of digital research infrastructure supporting the arts, humanities and social sciences
• users of digital research infrastructure supporting medical, health and biosciences

The advisory group benefits from a breadth of perspectives, and we are committed to creating a balanced and diverse membership, reflecting different disciplines, career stages, institution types and geographical regions.

UKRI employees are not eligible to apply.

What you’ll be doing

DRI underpins the research and innovation ecosystem and is a critical system for researchers, policymakers and innovators. It enables them to solve complex problems and to analyse and understand complex topics across on any subject.

UKRI’s vision is for a coherent, state‑of‑the‑art national digital research infrastructure that seamlessly connects researchers, policymakers and innovators to the compute, data, tools, techniques and skills required for ambitious and creative research.

A key part of delivering this vision is the Advisory Group for Digital Research Infrastructure (AGD), established in 2023 and comprising independent expert members. The AGD brings together a diverse range of perspectives to provide strategic insight, challenge and direction to the DRI programme, which is continuing to evolve as part of the programme’s wider development.

As a member, you will directly contribute to shaping the UK’s digital research infrastructure ecosystem, by:

• providing independent, strategic advice and challenge to UKRI on the direction of the DRI Programme
• shaping and advising on investment priorities
• contributing to broader discussions on the UK’s DRI landscape, including providing ad hoc advice where needed

The AGD provides advice across UKRI’s four DRI strategic priorities areas. The four priorities are:

• interconnected DRI
• human DRI
• findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable (FAIR) DRI
• sustainable DRI

We expect successful applicants to provide independent, impartial advice, rather than act as representatives of their organisation, research area, or industry sector, and must adhere to the Seven Principles of Public Life.

Successful applicants will be appointed from 12 October 2026 and will be invited to attend an induction session in advance of the autumn AGD meeting. Ideally, candidates will be available to attend the AGD meeting in person at the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, on 27 to 28 October 2026.

How to apply

To apply, candidates should submit:

• a CV (maximum two A4 pages) containing details of your professional qualifications, research, work experience and other relevant experience to date
• either a statement of interest in the role, or short covering letter (maximum one A4 page)

Candidates should email both documents to agd@ukri.org

How we’ll assess your application

Once the deadline has passed, a selection panel will review all applications and agree which applicants have been selected for interview.

Successful shortlisted applicants will be informed of the outcome by email and virtual interviews will take place on 30 September and 1 October. A representative for the UKRI Infrastructure team will attend to take the official record of the interview.

At the final appointment stages, if applicants are equally qualified on merit, the selection panel will seek to achieve a balanced membership in terms of, for example, diversity, expertise and experience.

Further information

What is the UKRI Digital Research Infrastructure programme?

The UKRI Digital Research Infrastructure (DRI) Programme was initiated in 2020. UKRI’s constituent councils are working together to create a federated, interoperable, interdisciplinary portfolio of DRI to serve the UK’s researchers and innovators.

UKRI’s ambition is to build a national DRI to provide the capabilities, skills and culture for the UK to benefit from the digital revolution. We aim to achieve our vision by evolving existing infrastructures to support new communities of practice and, subject to funding, by investing in new capabilities to enable researchers to turn data into knowledge.

Who currently sits on the Advisory Group for Digital Research Infrastructure?

Members are appointed from higher education, innovation and research organisations, industry and commerce, policymaking or civil society.

The AGD is chaired by Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council Deputy Executive Chair Professor Garth Wells. It is composed of independent members, the UKRI Infrastructure Portfolio Director, the UKRI DRI Programme Director, with observers from UKRI Finance and the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology. See the full list of existing committee membership.

Equality, diversity and inclusion

UKRI is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and welcomes applications from all. Applications from women, those with a disability and members of minority ethnic groups, who are currently under-represented at senior levels in the research and innovation community, are therefore especially encouraged.

At UKRI we are proud to be users of the disability confident scheme. We guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for any of our vacancies. There is a section on the application form to indicate if you would like to be considered under this scheme.

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

In accordance with the GDPR 2016/679 (EU), the personal information provided as part of the DRI Advisory Group application will specifically be used for the purpose of administering this opportunity. It will be aggregated anonymised data will be used for the purposes of monitoring our advisory and decision-making bodies.

Further information

For further information email: agd@ukri.org

Last updated: 28 May 2026