Senior Research Associate - 0765-25

Overview

Senior Research Associate – 0765-25 at Lancaster University

Location: Bailrigg, Lancaster, UK

Salary: £39,906 to £48,882 (Full time, indefinite with end date)

Closing Date: Monday 03 November 2025

Interview Date: Thursday 27 November 2025

Reference: 0765-25

The Department of Psychology at Lancaster University is seeking to appoint a full-time Senior Research Associate to work on the Protecting Ordinary People from Deepfakes Project. This project is funded by UKRI as part of Dr Nightingale’s Future Leaders Fellowship and focuses on mapping and mitigating threats to ordinary people from deepfake technology.

The role involves designing and conducting a range of qualitative (or mixed-method) studies to better understand how deepfake technology is being used to cause harm through non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII). The body of work will include conducting interviews and focus groups with stakeholder partners including the police, policy makers, and those who have been targeted with NCII. You will also be expected to propose follow-on research based on the initial programme of work and to use the results to feed into the wider project team’s agenda.

You will be responsible for the development and day-to-day management of the project, from coordinating the design and setup of studies through to analysis, dissemination and impact activities. The successful candidate will be expected to have excellent knowledge and experience of leading research programmes, as well as competence in handling sensitive and confidential data. Given the speed of technical innovation in the deepfake space, you must be able to take an evaluative, critical, and dynamic approach and evolve according to emerging trends. You will join an interdisciplinary lab and work closely with other team members.

You will

• Have a strong grounding in qualitative or mixed methods research, ideally with a criminal focus
• Have experience of working with vulnerable populations or sensitive data
• Have experience of data collection (both in-person and online) and data management
• Be an excellent team player
• Have experience of mentoring other researchers
• Have excellent communication and organization skills

The Psychology Department

The Psychology Department is a busy teaching and research-active department. It is home to a friendly group of around 40 academic staff, with teams of research and professional services and technical staff. The department supports a large cohort of undergraduate students, a thriving group of masters and postgraduate research students, and a wide range of research projects including several cross-institution grants.

Further information about the department is available at: http://www.psych.lancs.ac.uk

Please upload a cover letter with your application. For this full-time post, we expect a January 2026 start. This role is indefinite, subject to funding, which is currently only available until November 2028.

Informal enquiries are welcome and should be addressed to Dr Sophie Nightingale, s.nightingale1@lancaster.ac.uk.

Find out what it’s like to work at Lancaster University, including information on our employee benefits, support networks and policies for a family-friendly workplace. The University recognises and celebrates good employment practice undertaken to address inequality in higher education while promoting wellbeing for all colleagues. We warmly welcome applicants from all sections of the community regardless of age, religion, gender identity or expression, race, disability or sexual orientation, and are committed to promoting diversity and equality of opportunity.

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Job metadata

• Seniority level: Mid-Senior level
• Employment type: Full-time
• Job function: Research, Analyst, and Information Technology
• Industries: Higher Education

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