Research Assistant - AINGEL (RED ID: 15329)

Bournemouth University; England; Hybrid; GBP 26,000 - 29,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Job summary

Bournemouth University’s School of Computing & Engineering invites applications for a part-time Research Assistant to lead user testing and evaluation of the Cyber Self Defence Toolkit in collaboration with Cyber Innovations Group Ltd. The post is 0.8 FTE fixed-term until the end of June 2027, developed within an academic/industry partnership.

You will recruit participants, conduct usability tests, analyse quantitative data, and ensure governance standards.

Qualifications

• Experience with participant recruitment and running user research.
• Competence in quantitative data analysis and research ethics governance.
• Excellent written communication and ability to coordinate multiple stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead user testing and evaluation across the Toolkit’s five areas.
• Collaborate with the CIG Ltd development team to translate research into a validated pilot-ready product.
• Coordinate academic, commercial and participant stakeholders within fixed timelines.

Skills

Participant recruitment

Usability testing

Quantitative data analysis

Research ethics governance

Written communication

Organisational skills

Education

Degree in cyber security / cyber psychology or related

Job description

About the role

The School of Computing & Engineering is looking to recruit a Research Assistant to support a nine-month programme of work delivered by Bournemouth University in collaboration with Cyber Innovations Group Ltd, . The project commercially validates the Cyber Self Defence (CSD) Toolkit, a human-layer cyber resilience platform helping non-technical users in SMEs, charities and regulated organisations recognise, respond to and recover from social engineering and cyber incidents, and develops AiNGEiL, the Toolkit's embedded AI-assisted capability. The Research Assistant will lead the project's user testing and evaluation activities across the Toolkit's five functional areas, working closely with the CIG Ltd development team to translate research findings into a validated, pilot-ready product.

You will have a degree in a relevant discipline (e.g. cyber psychology, human factors, cyber security), or equivalent experience. Familiarity with cybersecurity, human factors in security or social engineering research (desirable) and experience with validated psychometric instruments (e.g. SeBIS, Brief Resilience Scale, Perceived Stress Scale) or comparable measures are desirable, as well as experience of working across an academic/commercial partnership or knowledge-exchange context (desirable).

You will be familiar with participant recruitment and running user research, structured interviews or usability testing, be competent in quantitative data analysis and research ethics governance. You will have excellent written communication and strong organisational skills with the ability to co-ordinate multiple stakeholders — academic, commercial and participant — concurrently and to a fixed project timeline.

This post is offered on a part-time, 29.6 hours (0.8 FTE) fixed-term basis until the end of June 2027.

For further information, please contact Prof Vasilis Katos at [e-mail]

This position does not meet the eligibility requirements for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker Route within the UK Visa and Immigration service’sPoints Based System. Therefore, BU will not be able to sponsor individuals who require permission to work to carry out this position. For more information, please visit https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa/your-job.

About the department

Our vibrant Faculty of Media, Science & Technology encompasses a wide range of disciplines across four Schools: the School of Computing & Engineering, the National Centre for Computer Animation, The Media School and the School of Psychology. The breadth of subject areas in the Faculty means our cutting‑edge research is delivering real benefits to digital creative industries, simulation domains, cyber security, human centred artificial intelligence, cognitive science and many others. Our staff base includes high profile researchers who are involved in both UK and global consortia of externally funded collaborations, furthering knowledge in the aforementioned areas plus many more, thus providing significant impact to the economy as well as society and, ultimately, the quality of living across the globe.

About us

More than just a job, working at BU gives you the opportunity to make a meaningful impact, alongside access to a fantastic range of staff benefits.

Core Package:

PAY– a competitive salary with opportunities for pay progression

PENSION– a valuable defined benefit pension with generous employer contributions

HOLIDAY – Annual leave entitlement of 30 days plus bank holidays and winter closure (pro rata if part time)

WORK LIFE BALANCE – flexible working arrangements including opportunities for hybrid working and flexitime (role dependant)

A job description for this position is available.

If you require this in a different format, please contact us at [e-mail]

£26,093 to £28,778 per annum (pro rata) with progression opportunities to £31,236 pa