Research Associate, AI Governance (Standards and Regulation)

at  Alan Turing Institute

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.
Please find more information about us here.

REQUIREMENTS:

• A PhD or an equivalent level of professional experience that provides suitable foundations for understanding technical as well as governance, and management related aspects concerning the design, development, and use of AI technologies (including ethical and regulatory considerations). This may be a degree in the social sciences, law, fields concerned with technical aspects of AI and digital innovation (such as computer science), or other relevant disciplines.
• An excellent understanding of technical as well as governance - and management - related aspects concerning the design, development, and use of AI technologies.
• A strong understanding of the current literature on regulatory and ethical considerations related to AI.
• A general understanding of and strong interest in existing and emerging legal and regulatory frameworks and requirements with relevance to AI technologies at the national and international level.
• A general understanding of and strong interest in the role of international standards as a technology governance tool.
• A record of scientific publication, which may include journal articles, book chapters, and policy reports/white papers, according to career stage.
• Knowledge of the international landscape of relevant standards development organisations and experience in developing or using standards.

ROLE PURPOSE

We are recruiting a Research Associate to join the AI Governance and Regulatory Innovation team. The successful candidate will report to the Head of AI Governance and Regulatory Innovation and will play a central role in delivering the team’s strategy for research, stakeholder engagement, and capacity-building in the areas of AI standards and AI regulation. The post holder will join the team during an exciting time, with the opportunity to shape new workstreams while contributing to the development of the AI Standards Hub and other existing projects.
The successful candidate will join a team with a track record of producing high-impact public-facing work and acting as a source of strategic advice to stakeholders in the UK and abroad. Their work will involve building and maintaining strong working relationships with regulators, collaborating in prominent industry networks, and contributing to a strategy that combines UK-focused and internationally oriented activities.

The post holder’s work may focus on the governance for AI and autonomous systems in a range of possible domains, depending on project needs and candidate background. Possible domains of focus include:

• Maritime industry
• Transport
• Agriculture
• Construction
• Creative industries

DUTIES AND AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

The core responsibilities of this role are as follows:

• Generating research and thought leadership on standards and regulation for AI that encompasses technical as well as non-technical considerations and addresses questions in areas such as reliability and safety, security, transparency, fairness, accountability, interoperability, or wider societal implications.
• Specific research aims are project dependent and may include analysing AI use cases, their associated challenges and risks, identifying and assessing the adequacy of existing standards and regulatory frameworks in the UK and internationally, and developing recommendations for addressing gaps and needs for new standards and regulatory measures.
• Contributing to engagement, community building, and knowledge production & exchange activities with diverse stakeholders (including industry, regulators, academia, and civil society) in the UK and internationally through workshops, roundtables, webinars, and other relevant formats.
• Developing resources, tools, and training materials to equip stakeholders with knowledge on best practice, standards, regulatory strategies, and the wider AI governance landscape.
• Contribute to producing high-quality publications for dissemination of the work to the wider community as well as research reports to document the work undertaken during the project.
• Work collaboratively with researchers, senior investigators from across the Turing and external partners on the project.
• Attend and contribute to presentation of findings and papers at conferences, and to contribute to the external visibility of the Turing.
• Contribute to the organisation of workshops and other events.