The Department of Psychology at Lancaster University is seeking to appoint a full time Senior Research Associate, to work on the Protecting Ordinary People from Deepfakes Project. This project is funded by the UKRI as part of Dr Nightingale's Future Leaders Fellowship and focuses on mapping and mitigating the threats to ordinary people from deepfake technology.
The role involves designing and conducting a range of qualitative (or mixed method) studies to better understand how deepfake technology is being used to cause harm through the creation and sharing of non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII). The body of work will include, for example, conducting interviews and focus groups with stakeholder partners including the police, policy makers, and those who have been targeted with NCII. The successful candidate will also be expected to propose follow-on research based on the initial programme of work and to use the results to feed into the wider project team's agenda.
You will be responsible for the development and day-to-day management of the Project, from coordinating the design and set up of studies through to analysis, dissemination and impact activities. As such, the successful candidate will be expected to have excellent knowledge and experience of leading research programmes, as well as competence in handling sensitive and confidential data. Given the speed of technical innovation in the deepfake space, the successful candidate must be able to take an evaluative, critical, and dynamic approach and evolve according to emerging trends. You will join an interdisciplinary lab and are expected to work closely with other team members.
You will:
* Have a strong grounding in qualitative or mixed methods research, ideally with a criminal focus
* Have experience of working with vulnerable populations or sensitive data
* Have experience of data collection (both in-person and online testing) and data management
* Be an excellent team player
* Have experience of mentoring other researchers
* Have excellent communication and organization skills
The benefits of the role:
* Generous holiday leave - 25 days (pro-rata) annual leave plus University closure days and bank holidays.
* Access to employee pension scheme, and annual flexible benefits scheme.
* We are committed to promoting Equality, Diversity and Inclusion across the Faculty, and supporting family-friendly and flexible working policies on an individual basis. The Department holds an Athena Swan Silver Award, which recognises and celebrates good employment practice undertaken to address gender equality in Higher Education and research.
* For more information about the benefits of working at Lancaster University, including support for relocation from overseas, see Jobs - Lancaster University
The Psychology Department is a busy teaching and research active Department. It is home to a friendly group of around 40 Academic staff, with teams of Research and Professional Services and Technical staff. The Department supports a large cohort of Undergraduate students; a thriving group of Masters and Postgraduate research students; and a wide range of research projects including several cross-institution grants.
Further information about the Department is available at:
Please upload a cover letter with your application.
We welcome applications from people in all diversity groups, and for this full-time post, we expect a start date by January 2026.
This role is indefinite, subject to funding, which is currently only available until November 2028.
Informal enquiries are welcome and should be addressed to Dr Sophie Nightingale, Senior Lecturer,