Postdoctoral Fellow AI

The University of Edinburgh; City of Edinburgh; Hybrid; GBP 41,000 - 49,000; Full time

Job summary

A prestigious educational institution in Edinburgh is seeking a Postdoctoral Fellow for a 5-year project funded by Wellcome, focusing on the AI components of healthcare. Candidates must have a PhD in a relevant field and experience in qualitative research. The role supports hybrid working, blending remote tasks with on-campus responsibilities. This position may require Level 2 Disclosure and offers a competitive salary along with various staff benefits.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Generous holiday entitlement

Competitive pension schemes

Staff discounts

Family-friendly initiatives

Qualifications

• A PhD awarded in a relevant discipline (law, social sciences, or related fields).
• Experience of organizing, conducting, collecting, and analyzing data from various sources.

Responsibilities

• Develop and undertake a 5-year socio-legal project on AI.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary team members on project themes.
• Engage with community stakeholders throughout the research process.

Skills

Knowledge of regulatory, ethical and societal issues arising from AI in health

Experience of designing and undertaking qualitative research

Experience working independently and collaboratively

Willingness to engage with community stakeholders

Education

PhD in a relevant discipline

Job description

Overview

Grade UE07: £41,064 – £48,822 per annum
CMVM / USHER Institute / Centre for Biomedicine, Self and Society
Full time: 35 hours per week
Fixed Term available from 1st April 2026 to 31st March 2031

Location: Usher Institute, Edinburgh Bioquarter. Hybrid working (on a non-contractual basis) may be considered, combining remote and regular on-campus working. The Usher Institute expects a minimum of 40% on campus working.

Your opportunity

The Centre for Biomedicine, Self and Society at the Usher Institute within The University of Edinburgh is looking for a 5-year postdoctoral Fellow to work on the Wellcome-funded Discovery Award Medicine without Doctors.

Please note this role can be appointed at Grade UE07, step 3 - £43,482 per annum at a maximum.

The project

Medicine without Doctors is a six-year Wellcome-funded project exploring the changing authority of medical practices through four case studies: LGBTQ+ health, artificial intelligence, abortion care and the physician associate. The project is underpinned by two theoretical pillars: the sociology of care and the philosophy of voice. It brings together a multidisciplinary team of investigators from philosophy, socio-legal studies, STS, history, sociology and design, with the aim of creating new, interdisciplinary knowledge. The project also uses play methodologies collaboratively.

We are looking for a Postdoctoral Fellow to undertake work in relation to the Artificial Intelligence (AI) component of the project. In collaboration with Dr Nayha Sethi (line manager), the postholder will be responsible for developing and undertaking their own 5-year empirical socio-legal project on the AI Case Study. This project will align with the Medicine without Doctors wider vision, including a focus on the project themes of care and voice, and creative methodologies.

Informal enquiries may be directed to Dr Nayha Sethi, Senior Lecturer, [e-mail]. More information about Medicine without Doctors can be found here. This post might require Level 2 Disclosure as the project progresses but the candidate will receive support processing it if required.

Your skills and attributes for success

• A PhD awarded in a relevant discipline (e.g. law, social sciences, science and technology studies, or other relevant field engaging with qualitative research and law and policy)
• Knowledge of regulatory, ethical and societal issues arising from AI in health
• Experience of designing and undertaking qualitative research including organising, conducting, collecting, managing and analysing data from interviews, focus groups, surveys, or other forms of data collection
• Experience of working independently and collaboratively to deliver projects
• Experience of or willingness to engage with community stakeholders as part of the research process

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Please include your CV, a covering letter with a supporting statement with details of how you meet the knowledge, skills and experience required for this post, and a brief, one-page research proposal.

Non-University of Edinburgh employees – please refer to the How to Apply – External Candidate system user guide. Current University of Edinburgh employees interested in applying – you must apply as an internal applicant through the People and Money Current Jobs tile. Please refer to the How to Apply – UoE Employee system user guide.

What you can expect

As a valued member of our team you can expect:

• A competitive salary
• An exciting, positive, creative, challenging and rewarding place to work
• To be part of a diverse and vibrant international community
• Comprehensive Staff Benefits, such as a generous holiday entitlement, competitive pension schemes, staff discounts, and family-friendly initiatives. Check out the full list on our staff benefits page (opens in a new tab) and use our reward calculator to discover the total value of your pay and benefits

Championing equality, diversity and inclusion

The University of Edinburgh holds a Silver Athena SWAN award in recognition of our commitment to advance gender equality in higher education. We are members of the Race Equality Charter and we are Stonewall Scotland Diversity Champions, actively promoting LGBT equality.

Prior to any employment commencing with the University you will be required to evidence your right to work in the UK. Further information is available on our right to work webpages.

The University may be able to sponsor the employment of international workers in this role. This will depend on a number of factors specific to the successful applicant.

Key dates to note

The closing date for applications is 2 October 2025.

Unless stated otherwise the closing time for applications is 11:59pm GMT. If you are applying outside the UK the closing time on our adverts automatically adjusts to your browser’s local time zone.

Work with us | Usher Institute – where inquiring minds work together to improve lives across the world.

Join our growing team of academics and professional services staff and work in a vibrant, multi-disciplinary environment. Our vision is to catalyse the transformation of health in society by working with people, populations and their data. Our greatest asset is our people, working together to improve public health using evidence-based research. We are a key applied and translational arm of the Edinburgh Medical School, within the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine at The University of Edinburgh. Working with partners across UK and international universities, health and care providers, policymakers, industry and the public is central to our highly collaborative ethos.