Research Assistant in AI Policy and Design Practice (Part Time, Fixed Term)

The Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence (CFI) invites applications for a part-time (0.2 FTE) Research Assistant in AI policy and design practice, to work on the Desirable Digitalisation: Rethinking AI for Just and Sustainable Futures programme.

CFI is a highly interdisciplinary research centre addressing the challenges and opportunities posed by artificial intelligence (AI). Funded by the Leverhulme Trust, CFI is based at the University of Cambridge, with partners in the University of Oxford, Imperial College, and UC Berkeley. The Centre also has close links with industry, policymakers, and many academic disciplines.

This is an exciting opportunity to support the development, research, and valorisation of impact-oriented projects for the Desirable Digitalisation programme, a collaboration between the Universities of Cambridge and Bonn and numerous international partners, and funded by Stiftung Mercator. The programme investigates how to place the questions of social justice and environmental sustainability at the heart of technology development and how to translate theoretical insights about historical injustices and discrimination into new technology design methods and education tools.

The Research Assistant will, in particular, support ongoing efforts within the HEAT project (including updating the framework as further EU guidance gets released and building a parallel framework for engaging civil society organizations and citizens). They will work under the direction of, and report to, Dr Eleanor Drage and Dr Tomasz Hollanek.

Applicants should have, or be studying for, a postgraduate qualification in a field relevant to the ethics and governance of artificial intelligence (including policy, political science, science and technology studies, or related fields); applicants with work experience relevant to the project that pursue degrees in other academic fields will also be considered. All applicants should be able to demonstrate strong motivation in line with the goals of the research programme, as well as capacity to work independently and conduct high quality research in collaboration with others.

Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 12 months in the first instance.

To apply online for this vacancy and to view further information about the role, please click 'Apply' above.

Please upload in the Upload section of the online application (1) your Curriculum Vitae (CV); (2) a Covering Letter of no more than 700 words, outlining any skills and experience you have that would be relevant for this role; and (3) a Sample of Writing of no more than 5,000 words that demonstrates your suitability for this project; this could be a collection of shorter samples/excerpts that illustrates your ability to write for different audiences.

The closing date for applications is midnight (BST) on Sunday 13th July 2025. Interviews are expected to take place during the week commencing 21st July 2025.

If you have any questions about this vacancy please contact Dr Eleanor Drage (ed575@cam.ac.uk) or Dr Tomasz Hollanek (th536@cam.ac.uk). For queries about the application process, please email sahhr@admin.cam.ac.uk.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society. 

Please quote reference GO46336 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy. 

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.

The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.

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