We are seeking a highly motivated and skilled postdoctoral Research Associate to join our interdisciplinary team based within the Department of Psychology at the University of Bath, under the leadership of Professor Laura Smith and embedded within the Bath Institute for Digital Security and Behaviour.
About the role
This role is part of the EPSRC AI for Collective Intelligence (AI4CI) Hub.
The Hub’s ambition is to pursue cutting edge research at the intersection between the fields of applied AI and Collective Intelligence across five application domains (Pandemic Resilience, Smart cities, Financial Stability, Health Ecosystems and Environmental Intelligence) and two cross-cutting themes (Human-Centred Design and Infrastructure and Governance).
The post-holder will be responsible for developing and delivering a package of work for the human-centered design theme.
This theme aims to understand how humans interact and behave in sociotechnical systems, and to address research questions of when, how, and why intelligent agents and collective intelligence can create tipping points for collective behaviour change.
The post-holder will interact closely with our partners in national and local government, as well as the commercial sector, in shaping the research programme.
This means you may also have the opportunity to work with distinguished scholars throughout our academic community at Bath and in the AI4CI consortium.
There is a strong expectation that you will actively contribute to the strong profile of online behaviour and digital technology research work at Bath and its interdisciplinary ethos through participation in the development and publication of research results in major international conferences and journals.
You will also be involved with synthesising and disseminating outputs from relevant work as part of a wider programme of knowledge exchange at the AI4CI hub.
About you
The ideal candidate will have a good knowledge of social psychology, and will be interested in applying social psychological insights to the development and evaluation of systems for collective intelligence, and have a strong commitment to pursuing applied research in a collaborative and inter-disciplinary setting.
The ideal post-holder will:
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Have a relevant PhD in Psychology, Human-Computer Interaction, Computational Social Science, Data Science, AI, or a related discipline.
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Have advanced knowledge of social psychology.
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Have advanced skills in quantitative methodologies.
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Have an interest in AI, machine learning, mathematical modelling, and/or digital technology.
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Be familiar with one or more programming languages (e.g., R, Python, HP, Java, or HTML).
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Be proficient in agent-based modelling or be able to demonstrate the capability to learn.
Additional information
The post is full-time for 29 months, to start on 1st September 2026.
Informal enquiries can be made to Prof Laura Smith ([email protected]).
As a member of Research Staff at the University of Bath, you will be encouraged to take up a minimum of 10 days professional development pro rata per year.
A lower grade offer may be made (Grade 6) with comparable reduction in responsibilities and amendment in job title to Research Assistant, if a suitable applicant cannot be found to fill the Grade 7 position. Applicants will need to be within six months of their course completion date and will be promoted to Research Associate once their PhD has been awarded.
We consider ourselves to be a university where difference is celebrated, respected and encouraged. We have an excellent international reputation with staff from over 60 different nations and have made a positive commitment towards gender equity and intersectionality receiving a Silver Athena SWAN award. We truly believe that diversity of experience, perspectives, and backgrounds will lead to a better environment for our employees and students and encourage applications from all genders, backgrounds, and communities, particularly from under-represented groups, and value the positive impact that will have on the university. We are committed to maintaining a safe and secure environment for our students, staff, and community by reinforcing our Safer Recruitment commitment.
We're very proud to be a signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant. an accredited Disability Confident Leader; autism friendly university, committed to building disability confidence and supporting disabled staff.
We're continually expanding our benefits package to better support you and enhance your experience with us and the below is just an example of some of the many great benefits we offer:
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Employee assistance services through Health Assured, including access to the Wisdom app
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Generous annual leave allowance with an additional 5 discretionary days so that you can enjoy a positive work life balance
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Generous employer contributory pension schemes
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Cycle to work scheme
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Electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme
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Staff discount at Team Bath gym
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Staff benefits include discounted postgraduate tuition and language courses, alongside a wide range of personal and professional development opportunities such as apprenticeships, LinkedIn Learning, and more
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Local discounts, including free entry to the Holburne Museum in Bath
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A family-friendly workplace
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An excellent reward package that recognises the talents of our diverse workforce
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Relocation allowance
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Visa reimbursement and Interest-Free Loan to help with the cost of some immigration expenses
Find out more about our benefits hear from our staff about what makes the University of Bath a great place to work as well as following us X and LinkedIn.
We’re committed to creating a health-supporting working environment where everyone can thrive and be at their best. We offer a range of resources to enable you to do that from your first day here, including:
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Staff support groups and networks
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A network of Staff Wellbeing Champions
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A suite of tools, resources and frameworks that enable you to be at your best and thrive
Find out more about being at your best at Bath.
- Job Description & Person Specification
- Job Description & Person Specification
Right to Work in the UK: We do not assess immigration or right to work status until offer stage. Being invited to interview does not guarantee you are eligible for visa sponsorship and all offers are conditional on meeting right to work requirements. Further information is available on our application support webpage.
Anonymous shortlisting: We are constantly seeking to reduce the unconscious bias that enters any assessment process, with the goal of creating an inclusive and equal assessment process. To support this, personal details such as your name, may be removed from application forms at the initial shortlisting stage.
