Research Fellow in Law & Technology (Leverhulme Trust Project)

About Us

UCL is one of the UK’s leading universities, a world-class multidisciplinary research and teaching institution. The Faculty of Laws provides some of the finest, research-led thinking and education on law anywhere in the world. The Faculty has achieved the highest ratings in the last four instances of the Research Excellence Framework (REF), including being the top ranked law school in the UK REF2021 for research quality (first for GPA, first for overall 4* ratings, and first for QI).

About the role

As part of our work on the regulation of artificial intelligence, the Faculty of Laws invites applications for one (1) postdoctoral research position in law and technology associated with a Leverhulme Trust Research Project on “Liability for Autonomous Decision Systems”. The research project addresses two issues: (1) It aims to develop new technical instruments to diagnose the quality of machine learning (ML) decisions; identify its failures; and identify root causes of such failures; and (2) it aims to build on these instruments to formulate robust legal principles attaching liability to different actors involved in the production/operation of faulty ML systems. The successful candidate will work within a research team consisting of Prof Carsten Gerner-Beuerle (UCL Laws), Prof Miguel Rodrigues (UCL Engineering), and one further postdoctoral research fellow in machine learning based in the Faculty of Engineering. The successful candidate will further benefit from a v ibrant research environment and close collaboration with established colleagues in both the Faculty of Laws and the Faculty of Engineering who work at the intersection of law and technology.

Appointment at Grade 7 is dependent upon having been awarded a PhD; if this is not the case, initial appointment will be at Grade 6B (salary £38,607 - £41,255 per annum) with payment at Grade 7 being backdated to the date of final submission of the PhD Thesis, including corrections, once the PhD has been awarded. The post is available immediately and is for 12 months in the first instance, with an option for an extension of a further 6 months on satisfactory performance. The length of the contract is subject to approval by the Leverhulme Trust.

About you

We are looking for a motivated, highly qualified individual with a PhD in law, preferably at the intersection of law and technology, who will join our interdisciplinary research team to participate in the development of a technologically informed regulatory framework and best practice standards that can be used to apportion responsibility for machine learning failures effectively and efficiently. You will have good knowledge of relevant fields of law, including tort, contract, product liability, internet law, and digital regulation, and be familiar with regulatory initiatives on artificial intelligence. You will have a track record of publications in leading journals or participation in conferences.

What we offer

We offer: 41 Days holiday (including 27 days annual leave 8 bank holiday & 6 closure days) Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE). Visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/rewards-and-benefits

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

As London’s Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity & innovation, & we want our community to represent the diversity of the world’s talent. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL’s workforce. Read more here https://www.ucl.ac.uk/equality-diversity-inclusion/

Customer advert reference: B03-02440

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