Post Doc Research Assistant (PDRA)

Interview Date: 5 Aug 2024

Informal Enquiries: Dr Livio Robaldo livio.robaldo@swansea.ac.uk

About The University

Swansea University is a research-led university that has been making a difference since 1920. The University community thrives on exploration and discovery and offers the right balance of excellent teaching and research, matched by an enviable quality of life.

Our stunning waterfront campuses and multicultural community make us a desirable workplace for colleagues from around the world. Our reward and benefits, and ways of working enable those who join us to have enriching careers, matched by an excellent work-life balance.

About The Role

The School of Law is recruiting a Post Doc Research Assistant (PDRA) specialized in Large Language Models, to work on the Innovate UK project “Odyssey - Opening the National Archives' legal data to AI for Access To Justice”, together with UK National Archives and Industrial partners.

The Postdoctoral Research Assistant (PDRA) will contribute to the Innovate UK project Odyssey, funded under the "Professional & Financial Services Data Access Demonstrators: ESG" Innovate UK competition. The project consortium includes Tabled Technologies Limited (https://tabled.io/main), The National Archives (https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk), and three UK universities, including Swansea University. The National Archives already releases all UK legislation and jurisprudence in a specialized XML format called "LegalDocML", designed specifically for the legal domain. Within the context of the project, the National Archives will enrich the LegalDocML files with additional metadata to enhance the coverage and effectiveness of the Large Language Models (LLMs) used in the LegalPath A2J app, commercialized by Tabled Technologies Limited. The PDRA will support the development of these LLMs, with a particular focus on linking the conclusions of the LLMs to the source documents used to achieve those conclusions. Specifically, the PDRA will research innovative methods to leverage the LegalDocML XML format to identify these connections, determining which legal documents from UK legislation and jurisprudence (or sections, paragraphs, etc. within these documents) have been used by the LLMs to produce their output.

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

The University is committed to supporting and promoting equality and diversity in all its practices and activities. We aim to establish an inclusive environment and welcome diverse applications from the following protected characteristics: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race (including colour, nationality, ethnic and national origin), religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation.

Welsh Language Skills

The Welsh language level required for this role is Level 1 - A little. The role holder will be able to pronounce Welsh words, answer the phone in Welsh (good morning/afternoon) and use very basic everyday words and phrases (thank you, please etc.). Level 1 can be reached by completing a 1 hour course.

The University is a proud bilingual institution, our Welsh Language Strategy outlines our aspiration to promote the language and enable our staff to engage with the language as an additional workplace skill and as a gateway to new cultural and social opportunities. Applications are welcome in Welsh and will not be treated less favourably than those submitted in English. Welsh speakers have the right to an interview in Welsh. Applicants for a role where Welsh skills are essential are expected to present their application in Welsh and will be interviewed in Welsh, if shortlisted.

Additional Information

Applications for this role will take the format of a CV submission and cover letter.

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