Research Associate (845451)

The Department of Computer and Information Sciences (CIS) seeks to appoint a Postdoctoral Research Associate to join a newly funded SPRITE+/CRANE Sandpit project, Certified Copy: AI Simulated Individual Minds as Personal Proxies, led by Dr Pejman Saeghe and running from 2nd November to 26 March 2027. 

Every year, thousands of people rely on someone holding Power of Attorney (PoA) to make decisions on their behalf when they can no longer decide for themselves – decisions that research shows are correct only around two-thirds of the time, and that carry a lasting emotional toll for the person making them. This project asks whether “AI Simulated Individual Minds” (AI SIMs) – AI models configured on an individual’s preferences and values – can help attorneys decide more accurately and with less psychological burden.

You will play a central role in delivering the project: designing and running mixed-methods user studies with donor–attorney pairs, configuring the AI SIMs, and helping build the TIPSSanchored (Trust, Identity, Privacy, Safety, Security) governance framework that will guide how such systems could responsibly be used in future. No real Power of Attorney decisions are made during the project.

You will work closely with Dr Pejman Saeghe (PI), Jez Goldstone (Innov8cyber, technical advisor), and Dr John McAlaney (Bournemouth University, psychological measurement advisor), and will engage directly with stakeholder partners including the Office of the Public Guardian (Scotland), Solicitors for the Elderly, and Alzheimer Scotland. You will be embedded in Dr Saeghe’s research group and the cross-faculty Strathclyde XR Hub and will also have access to the wider StrathCyber research community.

This is a feasibility study intended to generate the evidence base and stakeholder relationships for a larger follow-on bid, so you will have real influence over how the field-defining next stage of this work is shaped. You will also be welcome to contribute to development of the bigger bid and potentially continue the work if further funding is secured.

To be considered for the role, you will have a PhD (or be close to completion) in a relevant discipline or have significant relevant experience in addition to a relevant degree. You will have sufficient breadth and depth of knowledge in HCI methods (including designing, conducting and writing up mixed method user studies with human participants) and expertise in configuring open LLMs (e.g. conversational user agents). You will have a developing ability to conduct individual research work, to disseminate results and to prepare research proposals. You will have an ability to plan and organise your own workload effectively and an ability to work within a team. You will have excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to listen, engage and persuade, and to present complex information in an accessible way to a range of audiences. Whilst a Post-Doctoral Research Associate is ideally sought for this position; applications from candidates who are close to PhD completion or whose award is pending, are welcome. In such circumstances, the appointment will be made at Research Assistant level (grade 6) and duties will be adjusted to reflect the grade of the post. This will continue until the PhD award is confirmed, at which point the duties and grade will be revised accordingly.

Initial interviews have been scheduled for Friday 9th October 2026.

For informal enquiries, please contact Dr Pejman Saeghe, Lecturer at pejman.saeghe@strath.ac.uk 

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