Research Fellow (WARSHARE)

Grade UE08: £49,559 to £60,907 per annum

CAHSS / School of Social and Political Sciences / Sociology

Full-time: 35 hours per week

Fixed-term: for up to 60 months, no later than 31 August 2030

 

 

The Opportunity:

The WARSHARE project is investigating how and why digital participation is transforming how individuals and societies (including militaries and states) fight, experience, and understand (perceive, explain, and de/legitimise) warfare. The project will use AI methods to mine and measure online behaviour at scale, across multiple modes of communication (messages, images, video, memes and emojis) that shape participation and meaning in warfare.

 

You will lead and manage a range of individual and collaborative research activities across the WARSHARE project; devise and oversee the research strategy; and, lead the design and management of Work Package 1 (‘Participative war, form and content’) with responsibility for the day-to-day project, budget and research activities.

 

You will also undertake research including developing and fine-tuning large language models and topic modelling methods.

 

This role will require working with participants traumatised by experiences of war, and with graphic/explicit images, videos and messages depicting acts of violence, human suffering, injury and death.

 

This post is fixed term from as early as 1 September 2025 to no later than 31 August 2030.

 

This post is full-time (35 hours per week).

 

The salary range for this post is £49,559 to £60,907 per annum.

 

Your skills and attributes for success:

• A PhD (or equivalent) in a relevant subject (Artificial Intelligence, or Data Science), with training or skills relevant to the project (Python-based data collection and data visualisation methods; training in the application of LLM-based analytical methods for both text and image). 
• Experience, expertise and demonstrated success in delivering complex research projects with knowledge exchange built in, and a sound understanding of the potential impacts of the research and ways of engaging to achieve these, particularly through social media for various audiences (e.g. academic publications, practitioners and policy-makers).
• Extensive post-doctoral or equivalent work experience, and advanced knowledge in conceptual and theoretical work on the application of LLM-based analytical methods for both text and image to social media platforms, and of conducting computational analysis of social media.
• Proven ability to devise and manage a strategic work-plan and to collaboratively deliver multiple research activities with others.

 

Click to view a copy of the full job description (opens new browser tab).

 

Application Information

As part of your application, please submit a CV and covering letter that addresses your suitability for the role. 

 

Informal questions about this post can be directed to the Hiring Manger, Professor Andrew Hoskins, Principal Investigator, via email at andrew.hoskins@ed.ac.uk  

 

External applicants, please refer to the guidance in ‘How to Join Us’ to support your application process. 

 

For current employees interested in applying for this role, please apply as an internal applicant through the People & Money Current Jobs app. 

 

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 also 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 (opens new browser tab).

The University is able to sponsor the employment of international workers in this role.  If successful, an international applicant requiring sponsorship to work in the UK will need to satisfy the UK Home Office’s English Language requirements and apply for and secure a Skilled Worker Visa.  

 

Key dates to note

The closing date for applications is 27 June 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 browsers local time zone.  Interviews will typically be held 2-3 weeks after the closing date.

As a world-leading research-intensive University, we are here to address tomorrow’s greatest challenges. Between now and 2030 we will do that with a values-led approach to teaching, research and innovation, and through the strength of our relationships, both locally and globally.