Leverhulme Centre for Algorithmic Life Fellows - Assistant Professor (Research) G7 - G8

Durham University; North East; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A prestigious research university in the UK seeks an Assistant Professor (Research) for the Leverhulme Centre for Algorithmic Life. The role offers research opportunities in thematic programmes such as generativity and AI transformation, with a strong emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration. Successful candidates will promote research excellence and contribute to a vibrant academic community. This full-time position is for 36 months with competitive remuneration and benefits.

Benefits

Mentoring and career development opportunities

Access to research resources

Inclusive and supportive work environment

Qualifications

• Candidates must demonstrate research excellence in relevant themes.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills are required.
• Experience in research leadership would be advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Pursue world-leading research in thematic programmes.
• Develop funding opportunities for research.
• Contribute to enhancing the research environment.

Skills

Research excellence

Communication skills

Team collaboration

Education

PhD

Job description

Job Description

Leverhulme Centre for Algorithmic Life Fellows – Assistant Professor (Research) G7 – G8 (Job Number: 25001667)

Department: Geography

Contract: Fixed Term – Full Time, 36 months, Working Arrangements: 9am - 5pm

Closing Date: 30-Jan-2026 11:59:00 PM

Working at Durham University

A globally outstanding centre of teaching and research excellence, a warm and friendly place to work, a unique and historic setting – Durham is a university like no other.

As one of the UK’s leading universities, Durham is an incredible place to define your career. The University is located within a beautiful historic city, home to a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and surrounded by stunning countryside. Our talented scholars and researchers from around the world are tackling global issues and making a difference to people's lives.

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Our University Strategy is built on three pillars of research, education and wider student experience, but also on our keen sense of community and of inspiring others to achieve their potential.

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Find out more about the benefits of working at the University and what it is like to live and work in the Durham area on our Why Join Us? - Information Page.

Discover more about our total rewards and benefits package here.

The Leverhulme Centre for Algorithmic Life

The Leverhulme Centre for Algorithmic Life is a major new interdisciplinary research hub dedicated to the study of how machine learning and AI algorithms are transforming societies. The Centre is supported by £10 million in funding from the Leverhulme Trust for ten years, awarded through its 2025 Research Centre competition. Led by Prof. Louise Amoore at the Centre’s hub in Durham University, the Leverhulme Centre has collaborative partners in York, Edinburgh, Amsterdam, and Duke Universities. You can find more information on our interdisciplinary team here.

The Leverhulme Centre for Algorithmic Life seeks to appoint up to seven talented researchers and scholars to the role of Assistant Professor (Research) for a period of 36 months to work on one or more of our four thematic programmes: generativity; image and language; synthetic worlds; and being human. We welcome applications from those with research interests in these broad fields, and we are particularly eager to hear from applicants with ambitions to develop their disciplinary expertise through interdisciplinary collaboration across the social sciences, humanities, and sciences.

These posts offer exciting opportunities to make defining contributions to The Leverhulme Centre for Algorithmic Life’s research while providing excellent opportunities to develop your career in an exciting and progressive institution.

The successful candidates will join a lively and supportive research environment with emphasis on mentoring, career development, and the ambitious pursuit of cutting‑edge research questions. The posts are based at Durham University, though with opportunities for mobility and exchange with our partner universities and organisations. Our researchers will have access to the dedicated Leverhulme Centre resource for research activity and development.

Assistant Professors (Research) at Durham

Assistant Professors (Research) focus their time on research but are also expected to engage in wider citizenship to enhance their own development, support their department and discipline, and contribute to the wider research community.

Academic colleagues are supported to publish excellent research in their area of interest with a focus on high quality outputs (including monographs and journal articles), rather than quantity. We aim to support your research needs, including practical help such as resources to attend conferences and to fund research activities, as well as a generous research leave policy and a designated mentor.

Applicants must demonstrate research excellence in the field relating to one or more of the thematic programmes of the Centre, with the ability to fully engage in the services, citizenship and values of the University.

We strive to provide a working and teaching environment that is inclusive and welcoming and where everyone is treated fairly with dignity and respect. Candidates will be expected to demonstrate these key principles as part of the assessment process.

Key Responsibilities

• Pursue research that is world‑leading in terms of originality, significance and rigour, commensurate with the Centre’s continuing emphasis on international excellence.
• Develop clear plans for the pursuit of suitable national and international funding opportunities to support research and end‑user engagement.
• Contribute to enhancing the quality of the research environment in the Centre.
• Demonstrate a willingness to contribute to the administrative work, citizenship and values of the Centre.
• Fully engage in and enhance the values of the Centre.
• Contribute to attracting and supervising research students, and enhance the Department’s commitment to its vibrant and international postgraduate culture.
• Carry out other duties as specified by the Director.

Person Specification

• Grade 7 – candidates will have recently completed or be concluding their PhD and, while they may have limited direct experience of the requirements for the post, they must outline their experience, skills and achievements to date which demonstrate that they meet or that they have the potential to achieve the essential criteria.
• Grade 8 – candidates must meet all of the essential criteria. They will have had several years of postdoctoral experience and be able to demonstrate research leadership and the ability to support and develop the research of others in the team.

Research

1. Qualifications – a good first degree and a PhD (or close to completion at the time of application) in any discipline where the focus contributes to one of the Centre’s thematic programmes.
2. Outputs – experience, skills and/or achievements which demonstrate experience of or the potential to produce high‑quality outputs that are recognised as world‑class or that have world‑class potential. Candidates are asked to submit two research papers with their application. Candidates may additionally choose to submit evidence such as external peer review of their outputs.
3. Personal Research Plan – evidence of a personal research plan which supports and enhances the Centre’s research and specifies how the candidate will provide research leadership.

Service, Citizenship and Values

This post is focused on research but candidates will be expected to actively engage in the administrative requirements of the Centre, notably related to their research, and/or the research and research environment of the Centre.

Candidates must positively contribute to fostering a collegial environment; as well as demonstrating their commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.

Essential Service, Citizenship and Values Criteria – Grade 7

• Citizenship contribution – experience, skills and/or achievements that demonstrate experience of or the potential to participate in the citizenship /administrative activities of an academic Centre, Faculty or University.
• Communication – candidates must have excellent oral and written communication skills with the ability to engage with a range of students and colleagues across a variety of forums.

Essential Service, Citizenship and Values Criteria – Grade 8

• Citizenship contribution – evidence of participation in the citizenship/administrative activities of an academic Centre, Research Group, Department, Faculty or University.
• Communication – candidates must have excellent oral and written communication skills with the ability to engage with a range of students and colleagues across a variety of forums.

Desirable Criteria

• Income generation – experience, skills and/or achievements that demonstrate potential to develop successful research project proposals.
• PhD supervision – experience, skills and/or achievements that demonstrate potential to provide excellent supervision for PhD students.
• Research Leadership – experience, skills and/or achievements that demonstrate potential to contribute to the leadership of research groups and the mentoring of early career researchers.
• Research Impact – experience, skills and/or achievements that demonstrate potential to evidence research impact beyond the institution.
• Leadership – experience, skills and/or achievements that demonstrate potential to engage in the administrative functioning of the candidate’s academic department and/or discipline including any leadership or other responsibilities in an academic/research context.

Contact Information

Department contact for academic‑related enquiries

Contact information for technical difficulties when submitting your application: [e-mail]. Alternatively, call 0191 334 6801 from the UK, or [phone] from outside the UK. The number operates during the hours of 09.00 – 17.00 Monday to Friday, UK time. We will normally respond within one working day (Monday to Friday, excluding UK public holidays).

University contact for general queries about the recruitment process

How to Apply

We prefer to receive applications online. Please note that in submitting your application Durham University will be processing your data. Please consider the relevant University Privacy Statement.

If you are unable to complete your application via our recruitment system, please get in touch with us on [e-mail].

What to Submit

• A covering letter which details your experience, strengths and potential in the requirements set out above.
• Personal research plan detailing how your research contributes to one of the four thematic programmes of the Centre: generativity; image and language; synthetic worlds; and being human. Focus on detailing one primary thematic programme. Maximum 3 pages A4.
• Two of your most significant pieces of written work. Where possible your written work should have been published or submitted/under review; however, work such as a chapter of your PhD thesis or a conference paper may be submitted where you consider these to best represent the quality and significance of your work.
• Where possible provide accessible web links to your publications. If unavailable, upload PDFs. PDFs should not exceed 5 MB. All application documents should be uploaded with your name and document type as PDF files.

Referees

Provide three academic referees who should not, if possible, include your PhD supervisor(s). The majority should be from a University other than your own (save for early‑career applicants applying for their first post). References will be requested for shortlisted candidates and made available to the panel during the interview process. Consent to seek references will be requested as part of the application.

Next Steps

All applications will be considered; our usual practice is for colleagues across the Department to read the submitted work of long‑listed candidates. Short‑listed candidates will be invited to the University, either virtually or in‑person, and will have the opportunity to meet key members of the Centre. The assessment for the post will normally include a presentation to staff in the Centre followed by an interview. We anticipate that the assessments and interviews will take place over two days in or around 26‑27 February 2026.

In the event that you are unable to attend in person on the date offered, it may not be possible to offer you an interview on an alternative date.

Disability Statement

We welcome applications from candidates with disabilities, neurodiversity and long‑term health conditions, and we are committed to ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process. We will make adjustments to support the recruitment and interview process wherever it is reasonable to do so and, where successful, adjustments will be made to support people within their role. If you are unable to complete your application via our recruitment system or would like to discuss any reasonable adjustments, please get in touch with us on [e-mail].