Job Title: Research Associate in Large Language Models LLMsJob Reference: REQ260180Date Posted: Fri, 20 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMTApplication Closing Date: Fri, 27 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMTLocation: LondonPackage: Specialist and Supporting Academic Research grade 6 from £35608Loughborough London Part-time (20 hours per week), fixed-term for 12 months London weighting allowance of £3,656 pro rata, per annum Loughborough University London is an exciting and innovative postgraduate campus which successfully opened on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in September 2015. The campus is of strategic significance to the international reputational growth of Loughborough University and is part of London’s new innovation quarter, Here East. Loughborough University London is seeking to appoint a motivated and enthusiastic Research Associate (RA) to conduct research on the application of LLMs in the socioeconomic system and the emergence of small-likelihood incidence, sponsored by a funded EPSRC project, March 2, 2026, to March 1, 2027. You will enjoy a vibrant environment at Loughborough University London, where, in the Institute for Digital Technologies, we have an active group of PhD students and academics working in the interdisciplinary intersection of Machine Learning and social sciences, such as gamification, technopsychology and behavioural science. The position includes collaboration with our academic staff and PhD students. The funded EPSRC project is named “Rare-Event Estimation in Large Language Models via Subset Simulation and Contrastive Unalignment”. The project operates with University of Liverpool and Loughborough University. While the 12-month project will focus on developing and validating the probabilistic framework, its findings have clear pathways to impact. First, Loughborough University will develop scenarios of rare-event estimation can offer valuable insights into the potential failure modes of LLMs in deployment. Insights may come from, e.g., the sequence of steps leading to misbehaviours, or the intermediate events involved in probability estimation. Second, the University of Liverpool will apply probabilistic measurements of these events, which can be integrated into model training and development, or runtime monitoring and pre-deployment checks, helping to build more robust systems and reduce the likelihood of undesirable behaviours in real-world applications. Job Purpose To conduct research in the area of LLMs, social gaming and agent simulation and their application to interpersonal contacts in various scenarios in socioeconomic systems especially in group environment. To be responsible for development of knowledge and codes package to be furthered used by another PI’s team at Liverpool. To undertake primary data collection and analysis of physiological, speech and behavioural data, via recorded scenes or in group game experiments. To process and conduct machine learning of the acquired data for behavioural training purposes. With huge amount of variety in the role, there is an opportunity for you to develop and continually grow. If this sounds like the right place, team and role for you please do get in touch. We’d love to hear from you. For more information, refer to theJob Description and Person Specification. Application Process For further support with your application, please refer to our application guidance, which includes some top tips to help you when completing your application. We are happy to consider any reasonable adjustments that candidates may need during the recruitment process. If there are additional adjustments you’d like to request, please contact London-hr@lboro.ac.uk. We also offer reasonable adjustments at work. Closing Date: 27 March 2026 Our Benefits At Loughborough, our benefits are designed to support your life inside and outside of work, helping you to thrive and feel valued as part of our community. Examples of our benefits include: Time off - generous holiday allowance, including 14 university closure days and bank holidays, with the option to buy extra through our holiday purchase scheme Where you work – access to a range of fantastic facilities with plenty of green space across our 523-acre East Midlands campus, plus an exciting community at our London campus on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Financial wellbeing – competitive pay, two excellent pension schemes, and everyday savings opportunities Support for you and those close to you - through our range of life event leave policies as well as access to an on-site nursery at our East Midlands campus, flexible and hybrid working options. Health and wellbeing – discounted gym memberships and access to world-class sporting facilities, including physiotherapy, plus healthcare offers such as eyesight testing and wellbeing support Travel and sustainability - access to our electric vehicle and cycle-to-work schemes, as well as a variety of travel offers to support sustainable commuting Discover more about the full range of rewards and benefits at Loughborough University.