About the Opportunity
Position overview
Title: Student Research Assistants
Location: Working remotely with regular meetings in Devon House
Term: Approximately 10 hours until no later than 31st May 2026
Salary: £16.64 per hour
Start: asap
The research projects
Researchers at the Computational Philosophy Lab ) are seeking support across three distinct but related interdisciplinary projects in philosophy and computing: (1) The Launch of GenAI - Perceptions of AI in Art and Creativity in Twitter Communities (PIs - Alice Helliwell and David Freeborn); (2) A Graph-theoretic analysis and visualisation of logical inferences (PI – Ioannis Votsis); and (3) Network Analysis of AI Ethics Literature (PI- Brian Ball).
Project 1 makes use of a dataset of ~15 million tweets on AI from early November 2022 to February 2023, spanning before and after the launch of ChatGPT, and shortly after the launch of Stable Diffusion. We are analysing public discussion on AI in this time period, examining communities of discussion, attitudes towards AI and perceptions of creativity.
Project 2 builds on existing work in graph theory and logic to provide: (a) intuitive ways of visualising logical proofs through graphs, (b) a means through which shorter proofs can be discovered.
Project 3 makes use of a number of datasets surrounding the academic AI ethics literature in philosophy and computer science to provide a network analysis of the interdisciplinary research landscape in this fast-evolving area.
The projects are methodologically unified, with similar (computational and philosophical) skills and interests needed for each role. Candidates may wish to express their preferences amongst these projects at interview.
ROLE SUMMARY
The projects' research assistants (RAs) will work with the PIs. These roles will ideally be related to the student's area of study and will involve. Guidance will be provided by the PI and others, and will build on the existing skills of the role holder.
Duties and responsibilities
The Principal Investigators (supervising faculty) determine the goals to assist in the preparation for and achievement of the overall projects. Key tasks are likely to include the following.
Project 1:The RA will work with the project research team at the Computational Philosophy Lab, and co-investigators at Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy to analyse the dataset to extract
1. Community and network structure
2. Content analysis including
a. Topic modelling
b. Semantic clustering
c. Sentiment analysis
d. Conceptual analysis
And to analyze the relationships between them. This will involve the use of a range of computational techniques from network science and natural language processing.
Project 2: The RA will work with the project research team at the Computational Philosophy Lab, and particularly the PI Ioannis Votsis, to help design and computationally implement intuitive visualisations of logical proofs using graphs.
Project 3: The RA will work with the project research team at the Computational Philosophy Lab, particularly the PI Brian Ball, to access a range of datasets surrounding the academic literature to extract edge-lists linking e.g. authors, journals, and/or publishers based on a range of connections (e.g. citation, co-authorship, similarity of topic, etc.). This will involve the use of a range of computational techniques from network science and natural language processing.
RAs on all three projects will also:
* Meet with faculty supervisor on regular basis to maintain ongoing communication regarding the quality of the assistant's performance.
* Perform other related duties as required.
Scope of the Assistantships
The Research Assistants will work on dedicated tasks as indicated above.
The RAs will at times work online and will be expected to have the necessary equipment (laptop/PC, internet connection, standard licensed software package, College licensed library resources access, etc) to work remotely.
Supervision
The Research Assistants will be supervised by their respect projects' PIs. This is envisaged to be on a fortnightly basis, or as required.
Engagement and remuneration
The expectation is that each Research Assistant will work ca. 10 hours per week. This can be discussed with the Supervisor(s), subject to study commitments and schedules of that Research Assistant.
APPLICATION PROCESS
Participation in the equal opportunities section is encouraged, but voluntary.
Applications must include a covering letter of no more than 400 words and a full curriculum vitae of maximum two pages.
We will not be able to provide feedback on unsuccessful applications.
Personal specification
Education/Experience
* Current enrolment in the undergraduate or graduate studies programs with experience and authority in philosophy and computing.
Skills/Abilities
* Some subject knowledge of relevant areas of philosophy, including logic, AI creativity, and/or AI ethics.
* Familiarity with concepts derived from network science is desirable, though not essential, as is experience with high-performance computing.
* Computational skills, including knowledge of Python, and familiarity with libraries such as nltk, networkx, matplotlib, seaborn, amongst others.
* Ability to work independently, accurately and to problem solve technical and methodological issues that arise during the course of the research.
* Ability to apply sound research techniques, methodology and logical critical analysis.
* Experience of preparing reports to a high standard.
* Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
* Strong organizational and interpersonal skills.
Position Type
Student
Salary Range
£16.64 per hour
Additional Information
About the University
Northeastern University London (NU London) is a prestigious higher education institution based in the heart of London and is part of Northeastern University's global campus network.
Overlooking the River Thames near Tower Bridge, NU London offers academically challenging educational programmes designed to inspire innovative thinking, encourage interdisciplinary study, and provide global experiences. The bright and modern campus offers award winning, contemporary facilities for students and staff including state of the art audio visual technology in its teaching and meeting spaces.
Inspired by excellence, infused with an energy of ideas and ability in motion, at NU London, being a part of our staff is to be a part of a collective of entrepreneurs and educators, builders and thinkers. NU London is growing quickly, offering opportunity and growth for our staff. Currently hosting 1,500 students, our aim is to have 4000 students by 2028/29.
Choose NU London
As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents, the University supports staff maintaining a good work/life balance, your health and wellness are of utmost importance to us, and our offerings encompass:
* 25 days annual leave, plus 8 bank holidays and winter break holidays (normally 2 days between Christmas and New Year).
* Access to personalised Continuous Professional Development (CPD) plans and opportunities.
* Support with private medical insurance.
* Eye test reimbursement.
* Cycle Scheme vouchers.
* 24/7 employee assistance/ support via our Employee Assistance Programme.
* Access to deals and discounts for food & shopping in the local area.
Enquiries
Informal enquiries may be made to However, all applications must be made in accordance with the application process specified.
Application process
Applications should be made via by 00:00 on
Participation in the equal opportunities section is encouraged, but voluntary.
Applications must include a covering letter of no more than one page that addresses the criteria for the role and a full curriculum vitae.
The panel will be shortlisting for this position on a rolling basis so please apply as soon as possible. We reserve the right to close this post before the closing date if we receive a large number of applications.
Please note all employees of Northeastern University London are required to undergo at least a basic DBS check. Our organisation acknowledges the duty of care to safeguard, protect and promote the welfare of our students and staff, and is committed to ensuring safeguarding practice reflects statutory responsibilities, government guidance and complies with best practice and Ofsted requirements. You must adhere to the above if you are offered a role with NU London.
For staff's own wellbeing, for part time roles, the expectation is if you have multiple roles, they should not exceed full time (37.5 hours per week), and for full time roles, the expectation is that this will be your only role (apart from intermittent roles).
Applications are welcome from all sections of the community and will be judged on merit alone. We welcome applications from all underrepresented groups, including the Global Majority. Candidates must be able to demonstrate their eligibility to work in the UK in accordance with the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006.