Recruiting 2x three-year postdoctoral researchers and 1-2 PhD students

3-Year Postdoctoral Researchers (deadline: 15 January 2025)

These two postdoctoral positions are full-time and fixed-term for 36 months with the possibility of renewal thereafter. The first appointment should expect to start immediately, whilst the second should commence in Summer 2025. You will be based in Oxford as your normal place of work with the possibility of hybrid work within the UK only.

We are looking for candidates interested in developing their own research questions in alignment with the interests and skills present in the research team. We are particularly interested in investigating how modern privacy-enhancing technologies (e.g. based upon synthetic data or using formal differential privacy guarantees) impact research integrity and reproducibility. This is an exciting line of research with potential to not only improve how researchers access crucial sensitive data around the world, but also build tools for them to understand if the anonymised data they receive is “good enough” to conduct rigorous research.

The selected candidate will be provided significant resources, including generous opportunities for international training and conference attendance, IT equipment, as well as access to dedicated computing cluster environment—with the ability to shape future computing resource acquision. This post is funded by the UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship, a flexible long-term public funding scheme that provides autonomy and flexibility to focus on research that matters. There are opportunities to collaborate with partners providing unique fine-grained access to healthcare data, as well as colleagues in Machine Learning, Human-Computing Interactions, Social Sciences, and Public Health.

DPhil (PhD) Students (deadline: 9 January 2025)

We are recruiting 1–2 motivated students to start a PhD (called a DPhil at Oxford) in Fall 2025. Projects are defined in close collaboration with the student, but could tackle, for example: critical looks at the use and impact of privacy-enhancing technologies on academic research and society, the impact of AI and algorithms on digital platforms and data sharing, and the use and misuse of machine learning for social good. As a general rule, we are interested in human-centred and critical approaches to study data-centric technology, algorithm auditing, and privacy engineering.

We are first looking for candidates with a background in applied mathematics, computer science and HCI, and complex systems to critically explore the harms of technology, answer novel questions with the potential to change how people, policymakers, and civil society engage with technology, and co-design better digital futures.

Additional Researcher positions

If you want to propose joining the team on an externally-funded postdoctoral scholarship, please get in touch.

Funding available to applicants of all nationalities, regardless of their UK residency status:

• EU Marie-Curie (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowship (PF) (with some mobility restrictions)
• EPSRC Post-Doctoral Fellowship (might not be renewed in 2025)
• Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 Research Fellowship
• Royal Academy of Engineering Fellowship
• Branco Weiss Fellowship (multidisciplinary, with a focus on societal impact)

For applicants based in the UK or with a UK degree:

• ESRC postdoctoral fellowships (less than 12months after PhD) * Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowship
• British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowships (also open to EEA applicants)

For applicants based abroad:

• JSPS Overseas Research Fellowship (Japan)
• Canon Foundation Fellowship (Japan)
• US-UK Fulbright Scholars Fellowship (USA)
• NWO Rubicon Fellowship (NL)
• SNSF Early Postdoc.Mobility Fellowship (CH)
• FNRS Mobility World (BE) (with ongoing BE position)
• A number of other countries have similar schemes, please check with your national research council.

Like other UK universities, Oxford uses a Full Economic Cost (FEC) recovery model, ensuring that the full costs of research, not only salary, are covered. Funding that only covers salary, or covers it partially (like the Leverhulme fellowships), might be feasible at OII. Please get in touch to discuss—it might mean that you need to apply as a visiting scholar with an affiliation to your home institution.