Research Associate (Fixed Term)

Applications are invited for a Research Associate post on the project EQUATE,  a new project that investigates how Artificial Intelligence (AI) could be made globally more equitable in the area of Natural Language Processing (NLP). This UKRI Frontier project was selected for funding by the European Research Council (ERC) and is led by Prof. Anna Korhonen. The goal is to investigate the challenges in the development of globally equitable language technologies and to design transformative approaches to overcome them.

Responsibilities of the successful candidate include research into the ethics of developing language AI. This requires carrying out research and developing ethical guidelines for data gathering, annotation and all aspects of language AI development in diverse application areas and socioeconomic and cultural contexts. The post holder will take part in performance evaluation, and dissemination of research findings.

The skills, qualifications and experience required to perform the role are:

•  A PhD in a specialist subject relevant to the project's aims is essential. This should be completed, or near completion (in the writing up stages and expecting to submit within the next few   months) by time of appointment.
•  Previous research experience and high-quality academic publications on ethics of language AI
•  Knowledge and experience of software and statistical tools relevant to conducting computational or quantitative research in social sciences. 
•  Excellent oral and written communication skills.
•  Experience of conducting social science research using a wide variety of data and knowledge resources.
•  Experience of managing own workload.
•  Experience of working in a team.

The successful candidate will work as part of the interdisciplinary project team involving many local and external collaborators. They will be a member of the vibrant and highly research-active Language Technology Lab (http://ltl.mml.cam.ac.uk) and the larger community of researchers who conduct cutting-edge research into NLP and AI within the University of Cambridge.

Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available until 30 September 2025 in the first instance.

In order for your application to be considered, please upload the following:

•  Curriculum Vitae (CV)
•  Covering Letter
•  A research publication list in the upload section of the application.
•  The names and contact details of two referees who are familiar with your work and who could be contacted if you are shortlisted for the position

If you upload any additional documents that have not been requested, we will not be able to consider these as part of your application.

If you have any questions about this vacancy, for queries of a technical nature, please contact: Professor Anna Korhonen (email: alk23@cam.ac.uk), or the application process, please contact the School's HR Team on mmllpersonnel@admin.cam.ac.uk.

The closing date for application's is midnight (BST) on Friday 21 June 2024. Interviews are planned for the week commencing 24 June 2024, subject to change.

To apply online for this vacancy and to view further information about the role, please visit :

Please quote reference GP41945 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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