Research Associate in AI-Assisted Legal Decision Making (x2 posts)

Job Title: Research Associate in AI-Assisted Legal Decision Making (2 posts)
Department/School: School of Law
Campus: Belfast
Salary: £32,564 per annum
Duration: Fixed-Term until 30th January 2026 / Full-Time
Closing Date: 14th April 2025
Reference Number: 035246

- ABOUT US -

We are a university with a national and international reputation for excellence, innovation and regional engagement, making a major contribution to the economic, social and cultural development of Northern Ireland.

Our core business activities are teaching and learning, widening access to education, research and innovation and technology and knowledge transfer.

- THE ROLE -
 
The University Centre for Legal Technology is seeking two highly motivated Research Associates to support the AI-Assisted Decision Making in Early Neutral Evaluation (ENE) Project (Project Hercules). This project explores the role of Agentic AI in judicial decision-making, focusing on the ethical and practical integration of autonomous AI agents into the legal Early Neutral Evaluation (ENE) process.
 
The successful candidates will be responsible for developing an Agentic AI prototype, tailored for legal decision support, with a specific emphasis on retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) and autonomous legal reasoning systems. The role will involve AI model development, empirical evaluation, stakeholder engagement with legal professionals, and interdisciplinary research into AI ethics and law.

We may create a 12-month waiting list for the same or similar roles within the Department / Faculty. The University reserves the right to extend the waiting list across the University if required for certain posts.
 
 - ABOUT YOU -

The postholder will be required to have:

- A BSc (Hons) in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, or a cognate discipline.
- A PhD (or near completion) in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, or a cognate discipline.
- Experience in developing Artificial Intelligence models, particularly Generative AI, Agentic AI, or Machine Learning models.

Please find our employee benefits on our website.

Athena Swan Statement

Ulster University holds a Silver Athena SWAN award in recognition of our commitment to advancing gender equality in higher education, read more on our website. The University has a range of initiatives to support a family friendly working environment, including flexible working.
 
The University is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applicants from all sections of the community, particularly from those with disabilities. Appointment will be made on merit.

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