Postdoctoral Research Associate in Large Language Models as Philosophical Inquiry in Reading

Job description

This role is full time, fixed term for 12 months.

Closing date: 23:59 on 20th November 2026

Interview date: 10th December 2026, the interview will include a presentation element.

Due to the complexity of the Skilled Worker Visa route and eligibility criteria, applicants requiring sponsorship are recommended to check their eligibility on the Home Office website. We cannot provide advice to candidates at the application stage and will only discuss visa routes with candidates who are invited to interview.

There may be costs associated with a visa application, including the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS), which are not paid for by the University of Reading and cannot be claimed back. For further information on potential costs please visit: Healthcare Surcharge Information GOV.UK.

The Department of Philosophy is looking for a Post-Doctoral Research Associate to join the AHRC Catalyst project Large Language Models as Philosophical Inquiry, led by Dr Jumbly Grindrod. The project works across philosophy and computational linguistics, using analyses of how large language models handle various linguistic phenomena to shed light on the nature of those phenomena themselves. Further detail on the project, including the research it builds on, is available at https://jumblygrindrod.github.io/ahrc-project.html

You will design and carry out the model-analysis studies at the centre of that work, collaborating closely with the Principal Investigator. You will publish and present the findings, support the organization of the project conference, as well as a special issue of the journal Ratio.

The post is an opportunity to gain experience in interdisciplinary research: to use interpretability methods developed in computational linguistics to pursue questions in philosophy and linguistics, and to develop expertise in an area where the two are only beginning to meet.

You will have:

• a doctoral degree, awarded or with thesis submitted by the start date, in natural language processing, computational linguistics, machine learning or a cognate discipline;
• experience of analysing the internal representations or computational behaviour of large language models, using methods such as probing, representational analysis, or feature- and circuit-level interpretability techniques;
• experience of designing empirical studies and applying appropriate statistical methods to their analysis;
• strong programming skills in Python and experience with standard machine learning and natural language processing libraries;
• a record of producing peer-reviewed publications in reputable journals or well-respected conference proceedings.

Familiarity with philosophy of language is desirable but not essential. We welcome applications from researchers whose background is in linguistics, cognitive science, digital humanities or related fields.

Informal enquiries:

Dr Jumbly Grindrod, Principal Investigator, j.grindrod@reading.ac.uk

We welcome applications from both external and internal candidates. As part of the University's ongoing commitment to professional development, this role can be considered on a seconded basis for existing staff members. Internal candidates should discuss this with their line manager prior to applying.

The University is committed to having a diverse and inclusive workforce, supports the gender equality Athena SWAN Charter and the Race Equality Charter, and champions LGBT+ equality. We are a Disability Confident Employer (Level 2). Applications for job-share, part-time and flexible working arrangements are welcomed and will be considered in line with business needs.

£37,369 to £40,704 per annum

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