Research Associate (Fixed Term)

Cambridge Digital Humanities (CDH) seeks to appoint a postdoctoral researcher in Digital Humanities. The post will run for three years from Spring 2026.

The successful candidate will work with Professor Caroline Bassett and others in the CDH team to contribute to collaborative research projects exploring AI and the future of creativity. The aim of the projects is to rethink intersections between human and machine creativity, and build better models for understanding creation, inauguration, making, authorship, originality, co-production, and agency in the contexts of AI and the humanities. The person appointed is likely to be a Digital Humanities scholar with a specialism in one of the following areas: all aspects of literature and automation, critical technical practice and theory, or digital media arts.

The appointed person will be expected to contribute to shared projects and will jointly author papers, contribute to conferences, and other activities. They will be expected to contribute to some teaching to the CDH MPhil programme and may also engage with some doctoral training. They should expect to become an engaged member of the CDH research community.

Applicants may have a doctoral qualification in Digital Humanities, but applications are also welcomed from postdoctoral researchers in cognate areas (e.g. including English, History, Digital Media/Film Studies, Linguistics, AI science, Computer Science, Sociology, Music, Philosophy, Modern Languages, Art History, Asian and Middle Eastern Studies).

Applicants should demonstrate an engagement with DH issues, familiarity with DH methods, and an understanding of the changes in epistemic cultures that digital transformation produces. High level technical skills are not necessarily required but may well form part of the application. Applicants must hold, or have submitted, a PhD by the time of selection.

Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 3 years 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 CV and publication list starring the two outputs most relevant to your application; (2) a covering letter (max two pages); (3) a proposal (max five pages) setting out how you might design a strand of the larger collaborative research programme around creativity and artificiality, including a research question, proposed critical orientation, outline methodology, and proposed general outcomes; and (4) a sample of published work (max 7,000 words).

The closing date for applications is midnight (BST) on Sunday 21 September 2025. Interviews will take place in person on the morning of 22 October, subject to confirmation and change.

Informal enquiries about the role are welcomed and should be directed to Sarah Williams (CDH Programme Manager) at sw587@cam.ac.uk. For questions about the application process or procedure, please contact the School HR Team at sahhr@admin.cam.ac.uk.

Please quote reference VM46905 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.

Advert information