Postdoctoral Research Associate (Aggregating Safety Preferences for AI Systems)

University of Oxford; Oxford; On-site; GBP 38,000 - 47,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Oxford is excited to offer a Postdoctoral Research Associate position in the Department of Computer Science. This role will focus on a project exploring AI safety and preference aggregation, requiring innovative research and collaboration with leading institutions. Successful candidates will contribute to theoretical advancements and practical applications, while benefiting from exceptional employment perks and support for career development.

Benefits

Contributory pension scheme

38 days annual leave

Comprehensive childcare services

Family leave schemes

Cycle loan scheme

Discounted bus travel and Season Ticket loans

Membership to social and sports clubs

Qualifications

• PhD in relevant field required.
• Experience in AI safety and computational social choice preferred.
• Ability to develop scalable solutions for stakeholder inputs.

Responsibilities

• Lead research in probabilistic preference aggregation.
• Contribute to the design of theoretical frameworks.
• Collaborate with international academic partners.

Skills

Theoretical research

Algorithmic research

Probabilistic preference aggregation

Education

PhD in Computer Science or related field

Job description

We are excited to offer this Postdoctoral Research Associate position at the University of Oxford, under the supervision of Professor Paul Goldberg and Dr Markus Brill from January 2026.

This is a postdoctoral research associate (PDRA) position on the project project Aggregating Safety Preferences for AI Systems: A Social Choice Approach, funded by ARIA under the Safeguarded AI TA1.4 call. The project explores novel aggregation methods at the intersection of AI safety, computational social choice, and judgment aggregation, aiming to formally integrate multi-stakeholder preferences into AI system design and evaluation.

The post holder will take a leading role in advancing theoretical and algorithmic research in the domain of probabilistic preference aggregation, contribute to the design and analysis of normative frameworks and aggregation rules, and develop scalable solutions for handling ambiguity and incomplete information in stakeholder inputs.

The PDRA will be line managed by Prof Paul Goldberg at the University of Oxford and work collaboratively with academic partners at Warwick, Berkeley, Potsdam, Groningen and beyond.

This post is based at the Department of Computer Science and on-site working is required. Remote working is possible in agreement with Professor Paul Goldberg.

What We Offer

As an employer, we genuinely care about our employees' wellbeing and this is reflected in the range of benefits that we offer including:

• An excellent contributory pension scheme

• 38 days annual leave (pro-rata for part-time jobs)

• A comprehensive range of childcare services

• Family leave schemes

• Cycle loan scheme

• Discounted bus travel and Season Ticket travel loans

• Membership to a variety of social and sports clubs

Diversity

Committed to equality and valuing diversity.

Application Process

You will be required to upload an up-to-date CV and a supporting statement together with your research statement as part of your online application.

Your supporting statement must clearly demonstrate how you meet each of the essential selection criteria listed in the job description. Applications that do not include a supporting statement or CV, or fail to address the criteria in sufficient detail, will not be considered.

While we recognise the value of AI tools in assisting with application preparation, submissions that are clearly AI-generated without personalisation or insight will be rejected. It's crucial that your application reflects your own experiences and understanding of the role.

The closing date for applications is noon on 11th July 2025. Interviews are expected to be held in July.

Contact Person :

HR Coordinator

Vacancy ID :

180618

Contact Phone :

Closing Date & Time :

11-Jul-2025 12:00

Pay Scale :

RESEARCH GRADE 7

Contact Email :

[e-mail]

Salary (£) :

Grade 07RS: £38,674-£46,913 per annum inclusive of Oxford University weighting