Research Fellow (Co-Designing Creative AI and Audiovisual Practice) – CULTURAI Project

Monash University European Research Foundation ETS; Italia; On-site; EUR 31,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

Monash University European Research Foundation ETS in Prato, Italy, invites applications for a Research Fellow to lead participatory and community-embedded research within CULTURAI, a Horizon Europe project. The role focuses on designing Living Labs and engaging cultural institutions, creatives, and communities across Europe.

Working with MUERF and international partners, you will coordinate workshops, analyze data, and contribute to policy papers, while ensuring ethical research governance and

Qualifications

• PhD or strong practice-based research in a relevant field.
• Valid and current EU work rights.
• On-site in Prato, Italy.
• Excellent English and Italian.
• Willingness to travel within Europe.
• Availability for extra hours during peak periods.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design of the CULTURAI Living Labs (WP10) and the implementation of the Audiovisual Living Labs (WP11), including the Prato Living Lab.
• Design, facilitate and deliver participatory workshops and co-design activities with cultural institutions, creative practitioners, community members and policymakers.
• Lead stakeholder engagement and mapping, building and sustaining relationships across the project's Prato-based and international sites.
• Support the collection of place-based and qualitative data for the pan-European survey and comparative case studies on AI in the audiovisual sector (WP5–WP6).
• Contribute participatory and site-specific findings to the synthesis of sector recommendations and policy papers (WP13).
• Contribute to global AI governance and cultural policy work (WP9) and to the launch of the Competence Centre (WP15).
• Support the planning and monitoring of MUERF's research tasks and the timely delivery of deliverables.
• Prepare peer-reviewed and practice-based publications, deliverable reports and policy briefs.
• Take part in project governance, consortium meetings and dissemination activities.
• Ensure compliance with MUERF's research governance, ethics and data management policies and with Horizon Europe requirements.
• Contribute to identifying European and international funding opportunities in AI, culture and the creative industries.

Skills

English (Excellent)

Italian (Excellent)

Education

PhD in relevant field

Job description

Monash University European Research Foundation ETS

Organisation/Company Monash University European Research Foundation ETS Research Field Communication sciences > Media studies Communication sciences > Audiovisual communication Sociology > Social shaping of technology Arts > Other Cultural studies > Other Architecture > Design Anthropology > Communication anthropology Researcher Profile Recognised Researcher (R2) Positions Postdoc Positions Application Deadline 19 Oct 2026 - 23:55 (Europe/Rome) Country Italy Type of Contract Other Type of Contract Extra Information Co.Co.Co. (Collaborazione Coordinata e Continuativa), tied to objectives and deliverables Job Status Other Job Status Extra Information As a Co.Co.Co., the collaboration is organised around agreed objectives and deliverables rather than fixed working hours. Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Horizon Europe Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

Job No.: 698110
Location: Prato, Italy (on-site)
Employment type: Co.Co.Co. (Collaborazione Coordinata e Continuativa), tied to objectives and deliverables
Duration: November 2026 – 31 August 2030
Remuneration: €36,722.00 annual gross
Applications close: Monday 19 October 2026, 11:55pm (Italian time)

The Monash University European Research Foundation ETS (MUERF), based in Prato, Italy, invites applications for a Research Fellow (Co-Designing Creative AI and Audiovisual Practice) to lead its participatory and community-embedded research within CULTURAI, a Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Action (Grant Agreement No. 101289743, HORIZON-CL2-2025-01).

About MUERF

MUERF was established in 2022 to expand Monash University's research and innovation footprint in Europe. As a beneficiary in Horizon Europe consortia, MUERF is Monash University's main vehicle for taking part in the European Research Area. It manages pre- and post-award activities, consortium partnerships and the delivery of collaborative research in multi-country projects. MUERF works closely with Monash University in Melbourne, one of Australia's leading research institutions.

About CULTURAI

CULTURAI is a four-year project (1 September 2026 – 31 August 2030) funded by the European Research Executive Agency (REA). It studies how artificial intelligence is being adopted across Europe's cultural and creative sectors, and what impact it has. The project focuses on the audiovisual (AV) sector and on galleries, libraries, archives and museums (GLAMs), and turns its findings into evidence-based sector recommendations, policy and capacity-building.

The consortium is coordinated by the Koninklijke Bibliotheek (KB, Netherlands) and has eleven partners: MUERF (Italy), IDEA Consult (Belgium), TU Delft (Netherlands), IRMO (Croatia), the University of Edinburgh (United Kingdom), the University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa), UNESCO (France), the University of Luxembourg (Luxembourg), the Europeana Foundation (Netherlands) and the National Research Council (CNR, Italy).

The project aims to:

• Map and analyse the impact of AI on the European audiovisual sector through a pan-European survey and a set of comparative case studies
• Examine AI best practice and literacy across the GLAM sector
• Contribute to global AI governance and cultural policy debates
• Design and deliver a network of participatory Living Labs, including one in Prato, that co-develop and test AI-related practices with cultural and creative practitioners and communities
• Synthesise findings into sector recommendations and policy papers, and establish a Competence Centre to sustain the project's outcomes

Within CULTURAI, MUERF leads the European audiovisual research strand (WP5–WP6), the Prato Living Lab (WP11) and the synthesis of sector recommendations and policy papers (WP13). It also contributes to the design of the Living Labs (WP10), global AI governance work (WP9) and the launch of the Competence Centre (WP15). MUERF's team is based at the Prato campus and works in both Italian and English, in close coordination with the consortium and with Monash University in Melbourne.

The role

The Research Fellow will lead MUERF's participatory and community-embedded research in CULTURAI. Their main focus is designing, facilitating and implementing the CULTURAI Living Labs (WP10–WP11), including the Prato Living Lab. Working with cultural institutions, audiovisual and creative practitioners, community members and policymakers, the Fellow will explore, co-design and experiment with creative and responsible applications of AI. They will document and analyse findings from the Prato Living Lab and feed them into CULTURAI's wider comparative research, policy work and outputs.

The role is grounded in relational accountability and in inclusive, ethically grounded engagement. It makes sure that local insights from Prato inform broader European and global discussions on AI, culture and policy. The position reports to the MUERF Senior Manager, Research, with a dotted line to the CULTURAI Principal Investigator and the MUERF Director of Strategy and Engagement.

Key responsibilities

• Lead the design of the CULTURAI Living Labs (WP10) and the implementation of the Audiovisual Living Labs (WP11), including the Prato Living Lab
• Design, facilitate and deliver participatory workshops and co-design activities with cultural institutions, creative practitioners, community members and policymakers
• Lead stakeholder engagement and mapping, building and sustaining relationships across the project's Prato-based and international sites
• Support the collection of place-based and qualitative data for the pan-European survey and comparative case studies on AI in the audiovisual sector (WP5–WP6)
• Contribute participatory and site-specific findings to the synthesis of sector recommendations and policy papers (WP13)
• Contribute to global AI governance and cultural policy work (WP9) and to the launch of the Competence Centre (WP15)
• Support the planning and monitoring of MUERF's research tasks and the timely delivery of deliverables
• Prepare peer-reviewed and practice-based publications, deliverable reports and policy briefs
• Take part in project governance, consortium meetings and dissemination activities
• Ensure compliance with MUERF's research governance, ethics and data management policies and with Horizon Europe requirements
• Contribute to identifying European and international funding opportunities in AI, culture and the creative industries

Languages

• ENGLISH Level Excellent
• ITALIAN Level Excellent

Specific Requirements

• Valid and current EU work rights
• The role is on-site in Prato, Italy
• Excellent written and verbal English (C1) and Italian (C1–C2), reflecting the Prato-based Living Lab fieldwork
• Willingness to undertake domestic and international travel (mainly within Europe) for consortium meetings, fieldwork, workshops and dissemination
• Availability for additional hours during peak research and reporting periods

Additional Information

• Co.Co.Co. collaboration from November 2026 to 31 August 2030, tied to project objectives and deliverables
• Remuneration: €36,722.00 annual gross
• Based at Monash's Prato campus, in the historic centre of Prato, Tuscany
• A leading role in the participatory and Living Lab strand of a Horizon Europe project, with an eleven-partner international consortium including UNESCO, TU Delft and the University of Edinburgh
• Close links with Monash University in Melbourne and its global research network
• An inclusive, collaborative workplace committed to equity, diversity and inclusion

Eligibility criteria

Applicants must hold a PhD in a relevant discipline, or have a strong practice-based research profile in a relevant field, and must have valid and current EU work rights. MUERF welcomes applications from people of all cultural and linguistic backgrounds, people with disabilities, neurodivergent people, people of all genders and sexualities, and candidates across a wide range of ages and life experiences.

Additional comments

For enquiries, contact Dr Matteo Dutto, Senior Manager, Research and Research Fellow, MUERF ( [e-mail] ).

MUERF is committed to an inclusive, respectful and accessible recruitment process. If you need reasonable adjustments to support your application or your participation in the selection process, please contact us for a confidential discussion. Engagement is contingent on satisfactory completion of any pre-engagement and background checks required for the role, in line with MUERF policies and Italian regulatory requirements.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an interview, which may be held online.

Number of offers available 1 Company/Institute Monash University European Research Foundation ETS Country Italy State/Province Prato City Prato Postal Code 59100 Street Via Pugliesi, 26 Geofield