The Synthetic Society Lab invites applications from enthusiastic and motivated candidates for a postdoctoral positions working on cutting-edge research at the intersection of Machine Learning, Privacy-Enhancing Technologies, and Public Interest Technology.

We are looking for a candidate interested in developing their own research questions in alignment with the interests and skills present in the research team. We are particularly interested in investigating how modern privacy-enhancing technologies (e.g. based upon synthetic data or using formal differential privacy guarantees) impact research integrity and reproducibility. This is an exciting line of research with potential to not only improve how researchers access crucial sensitive data around the world, but also build tools for them to understand if the anonymised data they receive is “good enough” to conduct rigorous research.

This is a full-time, fixed-term position for 36 months or up to the funding end date of 30 September 2028. The appointment is expected to start in October 2025 with the successful candidate being based in Oxford as normal place of work, with the possibility of some hybrid work within the UK only.

If you are eager to contribute to groundbreaking research, and have the skills and experience we are looking for, we encourage you to apply for this exciting opportunity. You will be required to upload a supporting statement, setting out how you meet the selection criteria, curriculum vitae and the names and contact details of two referees as part of your online application. We welcome candidates interested in not only producing academic research but also engaging with civil society communities, policy organisations, and public bodies.  We are looking for candidates able to conduct critical evidence-based investigations into AI and privacy technologies, and will work to train, support, and nurture the right candidate.

The selected candidate will be provided significant resources, including generous opportunities for international training and conference attendance, IT equipment, as well as access to the group dedicated computing cluster environment with H100, L40s, and A40 GPUs. This post is funded by the UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship, a flexible long-term public funding scheme that provides autonomy and flexibility to focus on research that matters. There are opportunities to collaborate with partners providing unique fine-grained access to healthcare data, as well as colleagues in Machine Learning, Human-Computing Interactions, Social Sciences, and Public Health.

Applicants should hold, or be close to completion of, PhD/DPhil with research experience in computer science, statistics, applied mathematics, or related fields. The ideal candidate should be organised, highly motivated, creative, and interested to work as part as a collective. A strong track record of first-author publications is expected from applicants.

If you would like to discuss this role and the possibility of an informal visit, please contact Dr Luc Rocher at luc.rocher@oii.ox.ac.uk. Further details are also found in the Job Description provided.

Only online applications received before noon UK time on 17 July 2025 can be considered. Interviews are due to take place on or shortly after 31st July 2025.

Previous applicants need not apply.

The Oxford Internet Institute – founded in 2001 – is a multidisciplinary research and teaching department of the University of Oxford, dedicated to the social science of the Internet.

We have an exciting opportunity to join the Graduate Studies Support team at the Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford.

This is a part-time, fixed-term role for three years, starting 1 September 2025, working 30 hours per week over three or four days. You will be based in the Oxford Internet Institute, but there is potential for some remote working during full term and increased flexibility outside term time.

You will be part of a busy administrative team and act as first point of contact for students and academic staff for the department’s MSc programmes. This role requires a professional outlook, exceptional customer service, and the ability to manage a varied and sometimes demanding workload with confidentiality, reliability, and excellent time management.

This is an exciting opportunity for someone looking to build their career in university administration within a world-leading research environment. The role is varied allowing you to develop a broad skill set and work as part of a friendly and collaborative team that values initiative, allowing your contributions to improve the experience for students and faculty.

You will be responsible for providing administrative support for the delivery of the OII’s MSc programmes, including timetabling, managing course enrolments, supporting with induction and feedback processes, and supporting faculty and students with enquiries, teaching arrangements, and various digital learning tools. Working closely with the wider Graduate Studies Support team, you’ll also support key departmental events, meetings and committees.

You will have strong administrative experience, excellent communication skills, and a proactive, detail-oriented approach to your work. You’ll be confident managing a varied workload with competing priorities, and able to work both independently and collaboratively. Strong IT skills and the ability to quickly learn new systems are essential.

If you would like to discuss this role please contact David Pepper on 01865 287210 or david.pepper@oii.ox.ac.uk. Further details are also found in the Job Description provided.

You will be required to upload a supporting statement, setting out how you meet the selection criteria, curriculum vitae and the names and contact details of two referees as part of your online application.

Only offline applications received before noon on Monday 28th July can be considered.

The Oxford Internet Institute has an exciting opportunity to join the Governance of Emerging Technologies research programme, working under the supervision of Professor Brent Mittelstadt and Professor Chris Russell. This is an exciting opportunity for you to work at the cutting edge of AI, contributing to a major shift in how we understand and apply foundation models.

The position is full-time and fixed term for 40 months or to the funding end date of 30 June 2029 – whichever is sooner – with the aim to start on 1 October 2025.

The project focuses on generating foundational knowledge, delivering tested methods, and creating algorithms to expand MMFM capabilities across domains like cardiology, geo-intelligence, and language communication.

The postholder will help lead a project work package focusing on alignment of MMFM with ethical, legal, and social values. Specifically, the postholder will lead work to:

(1) develop bias and fairness methods for domain-specific MMFM to identify and mitigate model and data biases;

(2) build and evaluate XAI tools for external auditing and red-teaming;

(3) generate predictive explanations without accessing model internal;

(4) providing insight into model reasoning processes to enhance transparency and accountability;

(5) assess privacy risks of watermarking; and

(6) conduct privacy preservation assessments, including training data extraction and membership inference attacks, to mitigate privacy leaks in MMFM.

You will hold a PhD/DPhil (or be near completion) in a relevant discipline such as computer science, data science, statistics or mathematics; expertise in machine learning, computer vision, human-computer interaction, or similar relevant areas. Experience in research or development on bias, interpretability, and/or privacy in machine learning/AI is necessary for this role.

If you would like to discuss this role, please contact Professor Chris Russell on chris.russell@oii.ox.ac.uk. Further details including the full selection criteria are found in the Job Description provided.

You will be required to upload a supporting statement, setting out how you meet the selection criteria, curriculum vitae and the names and contact details of two referees as part of your online application.

Only online applications received before noon 30 July 2025 UK TIME can be considered.

We have an exciting opportunity to join the dynamic research group on Digital Ethics and Defence Technologies, contributing to pioneering work at the forefront of AI and ethics. The role focuses on innovative research into the ethical governance of Large Language Models (LLMs), as part of the prestigious Divirsibus Vis Plurima Solvo project.

The position is full-time and fixed term for 41 months or to the funding end date of 30 June 2029 – whichever is sooner – with an aim to start 1 October 2025.

This is a four-year, high-profile research initiative funded by the European Commission, bringing together leading research teams from across the Eurozone to develop state-of-the-art multimodal LLMs. The successful candidate will play a key role in shaping the ethical frameworks that will guide the future of this rapidly evolving field.

This is a unique opportunity to engage in intellectually rigorous and socially impactful research, collaborate with internationally acclaimed experts, and contribute to a project that is expected to have significant academic and policy impact, and high visibility. The post offers an exceptional environment for academic growth, interdisciplinary collaboration, and meaningful engagement with one of the most important technological challenges of our time.

The postholder will adapt existing and develop new research methodologies and materials, contribute to develop new theories and analyse qualitative and/or quantitative data, collaborate in the writing of research publications and represent the research group at external meetings/seminars/workshops and focus groups.

The ideal candidate will hold a PhD/DPhil in either Ethics of AI, Digital Ethics, Governance of Digital Technologies or any other relevant topic, possess excellent specialist knowledge on the ethical governance of AI, and have excellent written and verbal communication skills.

If you would like to discuss this role, please contact Professor Rosaria Taddeo on Mariarosaria.taddeo@oii.ox.ac.uk. Further details including the full selection criteria are found in the Job Description provided.

You will be required to upload a supporting statement, setting out how you meet the selection criteria, curriculum vitae and the names and contact details of two referees as part of your online application.

Only online applications received before noon on 31 July can be considered.

We are seeking two outstanding researchers to join the vibrant and innovative Research Group on Digital Ethics and Defence Technologies, led by Professor Mariarosaria Taddeo. The successful candidate will contribute to pioneering work at the intersection of artificial intelligence, ethics, and national defence.

Each position is full-time and fixed term for 7 months or to the funding end date of 25 February 2026 – whichever is sooner – with an aim to start as soon as possible.

This project is funded by the UK Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl)—the research branch of the UK Ministry of Defence— has the goal to identify and analyse key conditions for a successful implementation of ethical governance measures of AI in defence. The postholders will play a central role in developing ethical frameworks to guide the responsible design, deployment, and oversight of AI systems in this critical sector.

This is a rare opportunity to engage in intellectually rigorous and socially consequential research within a high-profile initiative. You will work alongside internationally recognised experts in AI ethics, security studies, and public policy, contributing to a project with substantial academic visibility and policy relevance.

The role offers an exceptional environment for academic development, interdisciplinary engagement, and meaningful contribution to one of the most urgent and complex technological challenges of our time.

Duties include;

•         adapting existing and developing new research methodologies and materials

•         contributing to the development of new theories

•         analysing qualitative and/or quantitative data,

•         collaborating in the writing of research publications

•         representing the research group at external meetings/seminars/workshops and focus groups

The ideal candidate will hold or be close to completion of a doctorate in a relevant field, have excellent written and verbal communication skills, and possess excellent specialist knowledge on the ethical governance of AI to work within established research programmes.

If you would like to discuss this role, please contact Professor Rosaria Taddeo on Mariarosaria.taddeo@oii.ox.ac.uk. Further details including the full selection criteria are found in the Job Description provided.

You will be required to upload a supporting statement, setting out how you meet the selection criteria, curriculum vitae and the names and contact details of two referees as part of your online application.

Only online applications received before noon 28 July 2025 can be considered.

Interviews are due to take place on 4 August 2025, remotely.