Research Associate for AI in Defence and Security
Role: Research Associate for AI in Defence and Security
Department: School of Computing, Engineering and Intelligent Systems
Grade: 6/7 ( £33,020 - £41,086 per annum)
Responsible to: Principal Investigator
Campus: Derry~Londonderry
(Fixed-Term for 12 months / Full-time)
Job Purpose:
The postholder will contribute to a major UKRI/EPSRC-funded collaborative research programme involving Ulster University, the University of Lincoln, and partner institutions at Cambridge, Oxford, Sheffield, Salford, and the Open University, working in close partnership with the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL). Following the initial 12 months, the postholder may have the opportunity to continue this work at the University of Salford for a second year through a new recruitment process.
The purpose of the role is to design, develop, and validate advanced artificial intelligence systems that support human strategic reasoning and decision-making in complex, competitive environments. The postholder will play a pivotal role in defining system requirements and developing a robust AI framework to model and anticipate opponent behaviours and beliefs, leveraging state-of-the-art methods in machine learning and computational cognition.
The successful candidate will work at the intersection of AI research, cognitive modelling, and human–machine interaction, contributing to the design of algorithms that incorporate reinforcement learning, Bayesian neural networks, and Theory of Mind reasoning. They will engage in collaborative system design with DSTL and defence stakeholders to ensure that research outputs are both scientifically rigorous and operationally relevant.
This is an exceptional opportunity for a researcher with expertise in artificial intelligence, computational modelling, or intelligent systems to contribute to a highly interdisciplinary, applied research programme of national significance.
The School of Computing, Engineering & Intelligent Systems holds a Bronze Athena SWAN Award in recognition of our commitment to advancing Gender equality in higher education.