Named in honour of Alan Turing, the Institute is a place for inspiring, exciting work and we need passionate, sharp, and innovative people who want to use their skills to contribute to our mission to make great leaps in data science and AI research to change the world for the better.

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The Institute has a focused area of work on AI, Human Rights and Inclusion which considers different dimensions to the intersection of AI and human rights including: how AI and related technologies can be applied to address global challenges of human rights; how diverse perspectives can inform in the AI lifecycle (including design, data curation and sharing) to safeguard human rights (e.g., privacy, non-discrimination); and how EDI can be improved across the AI lifecycle, ecosystem and environment to support equitable, just and inclusive societies.

One of the application areas includes a programme of research activities to understand and enable the data ecosystem and application of data science and AI technologies to address modern day slavery challenges for policy-makers and front-line agencies. The research activities have been and are informed by and in collaboration with stakeholders across public, private, non-profit and IGO sectors. The modern slavery specific work is cross-cutting supported through a mixture of internal and external partnerships and funding sources: The Institute is a partner in the Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy Evidence Centre (herein Modern Slavery PEC) and the Institute’s AI for Science and Government (ASG) Programme, Defence & Security Programme, and Finance Programme. The programme of research activities leverages expertise of Project leaders from across the Institute and its University partners. The project involves a multi-disciplinary team with Project Investigator team including: Anjali Mazumder, Jat Singh, Jennifer Cobbe, Carsten Maple, Mihai Cuccuringu, Ian Walden, and Alexa Hagerty.

ROLE PURPOSE

We are looking for an early career researcher with knowledge in approaches to data sharing, management, processing and machine learning with strong privacy guarantees. The aim of this role is to (a) consider issues of privacy, security and trust as they relate to data sharing and curation of multiple sensitive data sets sourced across sectors and borders for given case studies, (b) conduct research in development and application of privacy and security related research including data anonymisation and synthetic data generation, differential privacy, federated learning, and other related technologies as it relates to case studies, and (c) develop socio-technical approaches and frameworks to enable privacy, security and trust in the data sharing and application of ML to sensitive datasets. The role requires engaging with domain experts and stakeholders across law enforcement, government, NGOs and the private sector.

This role is suitable for someone who is interested in bringing their strong technical expertise to human rights applications. We invite you to join us as we grow our research capability, supporting our goal to develop the next generation of data science researchers to push the boundaries of how we design and conduct data science and AI for human rights and humanitarian action. The post-holder will report to the Project Investigator Jat Singh.

DUTIES AND AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

• Conduct high quality research at the intersection of privacy and machine learning as relevant to the project
• Ensure validity and reliability of methological developments and analysis, maintaining accurate and complete records of all findings
• To lead on any software development and engineering activities, including prototyping, to support the research aim
• Take initiative and make original contributions to the research project programme to the success of the research programme as a whole
• Collaborate with stakeholders and partners on research and identifying opportunities to take developed methods towards wider use.
• Assist in the organisation of and participate in regular meetings and special workshops with the research team, designated members of staff, collaborators amd stakeholders
• Write and publish articles in peer-reviewed journals that highlight findings from research ensuring consistency with the highest standards of academic publication, and draft publications for other mediums such as blogs, briefs and explainers, showcasing the Institute’s research leadership
• Present methods and results at conferences and workshops, and communicate results to a diverse audience.
• To work in close co-operation with the Project Investigators, collaborators and stakeholders
• Scope, pilot, and deliver high quality research, driving impact and collaboration with academic, policy and industry experts.

• PhD in computer science, engineering, privacy analysis or machine learning or equivalent level of professional experience
• Experience in a range of privacy preserving methods
• Experience in modelling and data analysis
• Knowledge in challenges and opportunity in data collection, data sharing, data infrastructures
• Knowledge and experience in open-source software development and engineering
• A level of scientific comprehension sufficient to conduct relevant literature reviews.
• Ability to critically evaluate findings and derive evidence-driven conclusions.
• Possess excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to adapt to different audiences, as appropriate

Please see the job description for a full breakdown of the duties, responsibilities and person specification

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

This full-time post is offered on a fixed term basis for 2 years. The annual salary is £38,850 - £46,200 plus excellent benefits, including flexible working and family friendly policies, https://www.turing.ac.uk/work-turing/why-work-turing/employee-benefits

Candidates who have not yet been officially awarded their PhD will be appointed as Research Assistant at a salary of £36,236 per annum.

The Alan Turing Institute is based at the British Library, in the heart of London’s Knowledge Quarter.

We are currently assessing the results of our hybrid working trial, which ran for six months. We will soon publish a long-term workplace policy: as a guide, we anticipate this will be between 2-4 days per month. Some roles may require the jobholder to spend a greater number of days in the office, but the hiring manager will be able to confirm this during the interview.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

If you are interested in this opportunity, please click the apply button below. You will need to register on the applicant portal and complete the application form including your CV and covering letter. If you have questions about the role or would like to apply using a different format, please contact us on 020 3970 2148 or 0203 862 3340, or email [email protected].

If you are applying for more than one role at the Turing, please note that only one Cover Letter can be visible on your profile at one time. If you wish to apply for multiple roles and do not want to overwrite your existing Cover Letter, please apply for the role using the button below and forward your additional cover letter directly to [email protected] quoting the job title.

CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS: Thursday 13th October, 23:59.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early or to interview suitable candidates before the closing date if enough applications are received.

EQUALITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

The Alan Turing Institute is committed to creating an environment where diversity is valued and everyone is treated fairly. In accordance with the Equality Act, we welcome applications from anyone who meets the specific criteria of the post regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy and maternity, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.

Reasonable adjustments to the interview process will be made for any candidates with a disability.

Please note all offers of employment are subject to obtaining and retaining the right to work in the UK and satisfactory pre-employment security screening which includes a DBS Check.

Full details on the pre-employment screening process can be requested from [email protected].