AI/ML Scientist for Sports Performance Analytics (KTP Associate)

The associate will be required to develop and integrate state-of-the-art deep learning and computer vision technology to analyse mobile video data captured by customers, providing actionable insights and automating the talent discovery, analysis, and development process. It will improve drill metric scoring and feedback by accurately identifying the playing surface, players, and equipment. The primary focus will be on vision-based object detection, tracking, and movement interpretation. Knowledge of large language models will also enhance credibility.

The KTP Associate will be based primarily at the ai.io, Shaftesbury House, 151 Shaftesbury Ave, London, WC2H 8AL and will also spend some time at Loughborough University with the academic team. The Associate will be supervised by an academic team, led by Prof. Meng, Prof. Li and Dr Saada, who are experts in AI and vision-based human motion analysis in the Department of Computer Science, Loughborough. The Associate will form an integral part of ai.io Research and Development team, working closely with the ai.io supervisory team and company partners. As a KTP Associate, the successful applicant will have access to a wide range of commercial, R&D and management training programmes, as well as technical training resources and facilities at Loughborough University.

The KTP Associate will:
• Work with ai.io, Loughborough University and stakeholders, including technical multi-disciplinary scientists, academic experts, senior leaders, commercial and marketing teams and clients, identify gaps, opportunities, needs and technology for sporting talent scouting.
• The Associate will work closely with the project team to define scope, understand stakeholder needs, and anticipate industry trends, aligning data input, output, and integration technologies, whilst being collaborative and solution focused.
• Determine technical scope, objectives, and methodology for data-driven AI-enabled solutions for football talent identification.
• Propose state-of-the-art deep learning-based AI models for various vision tasks, including object detection and tracking (e.g., players and football), pose estimation, and scene/play surface recognition.
• Conduct experiments, testing, and evaluations of the developed AI models for both prototype and commercial trials
• Document work regularly, ensuring knowledge and outcomes are transferred to other team members at ai.io, embedding, recording, creating a repository throughout the project.
• Write reports and presentations, sharing these as project updates at supervision meetings, LMCs, advisory panel meetings, and other necessary forms of engagement and dissemination.
• Documenting work regularly and sharing knowledge with team members will facilitate smooth execution of R&D activities, testing, and deployment of the project.

Traditional football scouting methods were costly and inefficient, relying heavily on human input and subjective judgment. ai.io aims to democratise football talent identification and development by leveraging AI technology, allowing players to connect with more scouts through simple mobile camera-based communication and a fair, consistent assessment process.

Objectives: ai.io have developed an AI-powered platform that automates the scouting process, enabling football organisations to reach, trial, analyse, engage, evaluate, develop, and scout millions of players worldwide. This KTP project will develop AI-driven technology for analysing scenes, objects and associated player movements in football footage captured via mobile cameras, assessing performance quality and understanding how environmental factors influence player outcomes.

KTP Associate Role: A Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) is a unique collaborative partnership between businesses and universities to create a positive impact and drive innovation. The KTP Associate works with the business to implement innovative solutions to identified business challenges, using the knowledge and expertise gained through their academic training. The academic partner (Loughborough University) supports and guides the KTP Associate throughout the project.

This is an exciting opportunity for a forward-thinking and ambitious specialist in AI and its applications in sport science and technology to join ai.io, a tech company dedicated to developing solutions for analysing amateur and professional sports data and delivering real-time insights for core product services.