ML/NLP Research Associate: Misinformation & AI Chatbot

Diversity Dashboard; Sheffield; On-site; GBP 39,000 - 47,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working opportunities

Hybrid working where applicable

Generous pension scheme

Annual leave entitlement

Job summary

The University of Sheffield's GATE team is seeking a Research Associate to advance ML/NLP methods for detecting online misinformation and to develop an AI-powered chatbot for journalists and policymakers.

You will lead research across critical domains, publish in top-tier journals, present at conferences, and collaborate with consortium partners to translate discoveries into toolkits. 18-month, full-time post with travel funding and development support.

Qualifications

• PhD or near completion in NLP, ML, or computational social science.
• Strong publication record in ML/NLP for social media analysis or related topics.
• Experience in chatbot or AI agent development.
• Proficiency with DL/NLP frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow, Transformers, Hugging Face).
• Ability to collaborate across disciplines and with international partners.

Responsibilities

• Apply NLP and ML to analyze online disinformation, social media streams, and regulatory responses.
• Develop an AI-powered chatbot for stakeholders such as journalists and policymakers.
• Research at scale on social media data, identifying patterns and bot activity.
• Set milestones, document methodologies, and ensure timely delivery of results.
• Publish new techniques and findings in top-tier journals and present at conferences.
• Collaborate with researchers, PhD students, and external partners.

Skills

NLP methods

Machine learning

Chatbot development

Deep learning

Scientific publications

Collaboration

Education

PhD in NLP/ML/Computational Social Science

Tools

PyTorch

TensorFlow

Transformers

Hugging Face

Job description

The University of Sheffield's GATE team is seeking a Research Associate to advance ML/NLP methods for detecting online misinformation and to develop an AI-powered chatbot for journalists and policymakers.

You will lead research across critical domains, publish in top-tier journals, present at conferences, and collaborate with consortium partners to translate discoveries into toolkits. 18-month, full-time post with travel funding and development support.