About the role
We are looking for a motivated Postdoctoral Research Associate (PDRA/PostDoc) to join the Safety&Alignment lab at Imperial College London, led by Dr. Oana-Maria Camburu in a fully funded research role.
The position is fully funded in the context of Dr. Oana-Maria Camburu’s grant on the project Detecting Unverbalized Dangerous Capabilities in Frontier Models. The project focuses on the detection of frontier model’s dangerous capabilities that are not verbalized in their Chain-of-Thoughts (CoTs). Externalized reasoning oversight is a safety paradigm focusing on monitoring the CoTs of large language models (LLMs). As frontier models learn that they are monitored, they can become incentivized to hide their dangerous capabilities from their CoTs. Moreover, as these models become increasingly capable, their obfuscation capabilities also increase, allowing them to bypass monitors. This project investigates ways to detect and defend against such emerging scenarios.
The post is based in the Department of Computing at Imperial College London at the South Kensington Campus. The Department of Computing is a leading department of Computer Science in the UK and worldwide and has consistently been awarded the highest research rating. In the previous REF assessment, the Department was ranked third (1st in the Research Intensity table published by The Times Higher) and was rated as "Excellent" in the previous national assessment of teaching quality.
What you would be doing
We strive in publishing in top-tier conferences and journals. Some of the areas you will work on are:
- Designing and developing novel algorithms for detecting and defending against unverbalized dangerous capabilities in frontier models.
- Conducting independent and collaborative research within the group.
- Publishing results in top-tier conferences and journals (e.g., NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, ACL, EMNLP, AIJ, TACL, etc).
- Contributing to research projects involving frontier models.
- Contributing to the life and development of the Safety & Alignment lab, such weekly meetings, presentations, etc.
- Mentoring PhD and MSc students.
What we are looking for
Candidates should have, or expect shortly to obtain, a PhD in Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics or a closely related discipline, or equivalent research/industrial experience. You will have practical experience within a research environment and publications in relevant and refereed journals/conferences, such as NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, ACL, EMNLP, TACL, AIJ, etc as well as experience in a broad range of techniques including model checking, monitoring, and CoT. Research experience in frontier models and in coding with deep learning libraries such as Pytorch is also essential.
Please see job description for a full list of requirements.
What we can offer you
- The opportunity to continue your career at a world-leading institution and be part of our mission to continue science for humanity.
- Grow your career: gain access to Imperial’s sector-leading dedicated career support for researchers as well as opportunities for promotion and progression.
- Sector-leading salary and remuneration package (including 43 days off a year and generous pension schemes).
- Be part of a diverse, inclusive and collaborative work culture with various staff networks and resources to support your personal and professional wellbeing.
Further information
Full-time, fixed term for 12 months to start ASAP and before 8th April 2027.
*Candidates who have not yet been officially awarded their PhD will be appointed as Research Assistant within the salary range £45,399 - £48,876 per annum.
In addition to completing the online application candidates should attach:
- A full CV with a list of all publications
- A research statement indicating what you see are interesting research issues relating to the above post and why your expertise is relevant
Informal enquiries related to the position should be directed to Dr Oana-Maria Camburu o.camburu@imperial.ac.uk
For queries regarding the application process contact Jamie Perrins: j.perrins@imperial.ac.uk
Research Associate in Detecting Unverbalized Dangerous Capabilities in Frontier Models in London employer: Imperial College London
Imperial College London is an exceptional employer, offering a vibrant work culture that fosters collaboration and innovation within the International Relations Office. Employees benefit from professional growth opportunities, a commitment to diversity, and the chance to engage in meaningful projects that have a global impact, all set in the heart of one of the world's leading academic institutions.
