Dear Students,
We hope your week is going well so far!
We received a new opportunity from Ada Lovelace Institute, please find the information and application link below:
Application Link: https://qmul.targetconnect.net/leap/jobs.html?id=185578&service=Careers%20Service
The Ada Lovelace Institute (Ada) is looking for up to two Research Assistants to support our research into the impacts of AI and data on people and society while gaining a grounding in this fast-paced and dynamic field. This role is an excellent opportunity for an early career researcher, or someone looking to embark on a research career, to shape emerging discourse, policy, and praxis around AI and data-driven technologies. Working with an interdisciplinary team of social scientists, lawyers, policy experts, and more, you will have the opportunity to create high-impact research exploring the intersection of technology, society, and law.
The role
This role will support the delivery of Ada’s research projects. You will be based in one of our Research Directorates. You will be managed by a researcher or senior researcher on our team, work on 1-2 projects set by Ada’s Senior Leadership Team and will have the support of Communications, and Operations teams. This role may also contribute to other projects within other Directorates.
The specific projects you will work on will depend on when you join the team, what opportunities are currently active and your skills and experience, but will broadly include research exploring:
AI and data-driven health technologies, including advances in genomics driven by AI
Public sector uses of AI and data
Generative AI, its applications in different sectors, and its impacts on people and society
The societal impacts of emerging technologies like synthetic data, immersive technologies, and more
AI and data regulation in the UK and Europe
We are looking for people with:
Strong social science, quantitative research, qualitative research, policy research, and/or economic research skills
A strong interest in and knowledge of emerging AI and data policy and ethical issues
An interest in emerging sociotechnical impacts of AI and data
To date, Ada’s methodologies include the use of working groups and expert convenings, public deliberation initiatives, desk-based research and synthesis, policy and legal analysis and translation, and ethnographic research. We welcome new kinds of expertise and methodologies into our team, and for this role, we are hoping to attract candidates with a background in data science and/or computer science.
In addition to these projects, this role will be responsible for communication strategies for outputs, and conceptualising, facilitating and attending meetings, workshops and events to achieve strategic impact with key stakeholders.
We are open to considering different working arrangements that fit alongside any ongoing study commitments. To ensure you get the most out of the experience of working with our team, we are expecting attendance in our London office for at least half of the working week.
About you
You are someone with research experience or an early career professional who is interested in growing your professional experience by applying your academic skills to studying and influencing emerging technology debates. You have experience or familiarity with AI and data science concepts, policy issues, and societal debates, and can engage with technical communities and lay audiences on these topics. You are curious and passionate about the issues which arise at the intersection of technology and society and are committed to bringing an interdisciplinary and intersectional lens to understanding them. Importantly, you’ll be comfortable taking initiative, referring upwards when necessary, and to short deadlines at times.
You’ll enjoy working in a team environment, willing to jump into projects and balance competing priorities. You’ll be keen to explore areas of policy, technology and practice that you don’t already understand. You’ll appreciate the importance of high standards of rigour in research but also want to think creatively about communicating and influencing in novel ways.
A Day in the Life of an Ada Researcher
You will start your day flexibly – most of the team are online by 9.30 am, but some prefer to start early and finish early, or have a later day. We do not believe in strict adherence to working hours and prioritise productivity over clock-watching. We generally start the day by checking in on Microsoft Teams and letting our colleagues know what the day ahead holds.
Every day will be different, and you will probably spend about half of your day in meetings or on calls – doing outreach and sharing information with stakeholders such as the Department of Science Innovation & Technology, consultants, commissioned researchers or working groups.
You will find team updates and chats on our Teams Channels, and meeting notes and how-to guides in our Notion page. Depending on the day, you might join a team-wide meeting to hear project updates or discuss organisational policies. Also depending on the day, you might have a regular 1:1 meeting with your manager to check in on your wellbeing, raise any challenges or obstacles with your project, and discuss career advancement and growth opportunities. You’ll have regular interactions with our Communications and Operations teams, keeping them abreast of work underway, collaborating on influencing strategy for a forthcoming output or working together on an output.
The other half of your day you’ll spend reading and writing. It might be that you’re undertaking in-depth research on a topic, co-facilitating a public deliberation on acceptable use of data, editing a draft, or undertaking some responsive commentary. You might have projects that are highly outward-facing, convening experts around a project, or you might have a week offline to write a report. You’ll spend some time reading recent news articles, dipping into social networks and catching up on important policy literature and commentary in our field.
There are lots of different projects you can get involved with at Ada. Some previous examples include researching the use of Artificial Intelligence during elections, or ways in which immersive technologies are used in workplaces. You’ll likely get to work on multiple projects during your time at Ada, and get to delve into the social impacts of varied technologies during your research.
You might wrap up the day by doing some thinking about new initiatives Ada should engage with, new projects Ada should conceive, or some writing based on your findings that week.
About us
The Ada Lovelace Institute is an independent research institute funded and incubated by the Nuffield Foundation since 2018. Our mission is to ensure data and artificial intelligence work for people and society. We do this by building evidence and fostering rigorous debate on how data and AI affect people and society. We recognise the power asymmetries that exist in ethical and legal debates around the development of data-driven technologies and seek to level those asymmetries by convening diverse voices and creating a shared understanding of the ethical issues arising from data and AI. Finally, we seek to define and inform good practice in the design and deployment of AI technologies.
The Institute has emerged as a leading independent voice on the ethical and societal impacts of data and AI. We have built relationships in the public, private and civil society sectors in the UK and internationally. Please find details of our work here.
Our research takes an interconnected approach to issues such as power, social justice, distributional impact and climate change (read our strategy to find out more), and our team have a wide range of expertise that cuts across policy, technology, academia, industry, law and human rights. We value diversity in background, skills, perspectives and life experiences. As part of the Nuffield Foundation, we are a small team with the practical support of an established organisation that cares for its employees.
We strongly encourage applicants from backgrounds that are underrepresented in the research, policy and technology sectors (for example those from a marginalised community, those who did not go to university or had free school meals as a child). We are committed to tackling societal injustice and inequality through our work and believe that all kinds of experiences and backgrounds can contribute to this mission.
Further information and how to apply
The closing date for applications is 09:00 am (BST) on Tuesday 27th August 2024, with a first stage of interviews scheduled to take place on the 5th and/or 6th September 2024. If required, second interviews will take place during the week of 9th September 2024.
You will be required to complete some questions as part of this application process, and you are also required to upload an up-to-date copy of your CV. The Applied platform lets you save an application and resume it ahead of submitting it before the application deadline.
Should you need to make an application in a different format or require any adjustments as part of the application process, please get in touch with us: recruitment@nuffieldfoundation.org
We are committed to inclusive working practices and during the application process we commit to:
As a Disability Confident employer, we will offer a guaranteed first-stage interview for disabled candidates who meet the essential criteria for the role.
making any reasonable adjustments – for example providing documents in different formats, arranging for a sign language interpreter for interviews etc
paying for travel costs (and any childcare or care costs) for interviews where in-person attendance is required
Our benefits package includes:
Consideration of requests for part time and/or flexible working (eg compressed hours arrangements, job sharing etc)
28 days holiday per annum and all public holidays (with the option to buy or sell up to 5 days).
A salary exchange pension scheme that offers employer contributions of up to 11%.
Life assurance scheme.
Family leave policies that provide an enhanced level of pay.
Cycle to work scheme and loans towards season tickets.
Frequent opportunities for learning and development (including options for coaching and mentoring)
Support with your physical, mental and financial wellbeing including an employee assistance provider, a private GP service, personal health reviews with Bupa, a will and funeral planning service and a staff network of trained Mental Health First Aiders.
Staff peer groups and social networks.
