At a Glance
- Tasks: Conduct research on AI's societal impacts and design innovative experiments.
- Company: Join the world's leading team focused on AI security and societal risks.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, generous leave, remote work options, and professional development support.
- Other info: Collaborate with experts and enjoy a dynamic, supportive work environment.
- Why this job: Make a real difference in how AI is developed and governed globally.
- Qualifications: Strong Python coding skills and a passion for AI's societal implications.
The predicted salary is between 65000 - 145000 £ per year.
About the AI Security Institute
The AI Security Institute is the world's largest and best-funded team dedicated to understanding advanced AI risks and translating that knowledge into action. We’re in the heart of the UK government with direct lines to No. 10 (the Prime Minister's office), and we work with frontier developers and governments globally. We’re here because governments are critical for advanced AI going well, and UK AISI is uniquely positioned to mobilise them. With our resources, unique agility and international influence, this is the best place to shape both AI development and government action.
Team Description
The Societal Impacts team studies high-impact societal risks caused by frontier AI deployment. Our team’s mandate is to build a rigorous, world-class evidence base for the safe and responsible development of frontier AI by identifying risks, measuring impacts, and informing mitigation strategies. Risk areas we study include frontier AI enabling criminal activity, undermining trust in information, harming psychological wellbeing, and facilitating malicious social engineering. Our work is highly interdisciplinary, drawing on methods from computational social science, AI safety and security, cognitive and behavioural science, machine learning, and data science. Typical projects include running rigorous human–AI interaction studies, building evaluations for AI models and products, and developing datasets to monitor risk exposure and severity.
Role Description
Successful candidates will be strong researchers and engineers, who work with our research scientists to design, implement and run experiments that answer important questions about the effects AI will have on society. Illustrative projects might include:
- Implementing a human-AI interaction study where multiple human and AI participants converse and play a game
- Building a pipeline to scrape and analyse publicly available AI agent implementations
- Designing and running model evaluations for various societal risks from AI model behaviour
This is a multidisciplinary team, and we look for people with a diversity of backgrounds.
Required Skills and Experience
- Experience writing scalable, maintainable Python code
- Experience in one or more of the following:
- Data engineering, including data collection, data cleaning, processing, and visualisation
- ML engineering, including experience training/evaluating models using PyTorch or a similar library
- Full-stack web development
- Knowledge of machine learning sufficient to understand recent papers in the field
- Strong verbal communication, experience working on a collaborative research team, and interpersonal skills
- Demonstrable interest in and understanding of the societal impacts of AI
Desired Skills and Experience
- Building and maintaining complex data products
- Designing and implementing experiments in human-AI interaction
- Training or evaluation of frontier AI models
- Research related to societal impacts of AI systems
- A specialisation in a relevant field of social or political science, economics, cognitive science, criminology, security studies, AI safety, or another relevant field.
What We Offer
- Impact you couldn't have anywhere else
- Incredibly talented, mission-driven and supportive colleagues.
- Direct influence on how frontier AI is governed and deployed globally.
- Work with the Prime Minister’s AI Advisor and leading AI companies.
- Opportunity to shape the first & best-resourced public-interest research team focused on AI security.
Resources & access
- Pre-release access to multiple frontier models and ample compute.
- Extensive operational support so you can focus on research and ship quickly.
- Work with experts across national security, policy, AI research and adjacent sciences.
Growth & autonomy
- If you’re talented and driven, you’ll own important problems early.
- 5 days off and annual stipends for learning and development, and funding for conferences and external collaborations.
- Freedom to pursue research bets without product pressure.
- Opportunities to publish and collaborate externally.
Life & family
- Modern central London office (cafes, food court, gym), or where applicable, option to work in similar government offices in Birmingham, Cardiff, Darlington, Edinburgh, Salford or Bristol.
- Hybrid working, flexibility for occasional remote work abroad and stipends for work-from-home equipment.
- At least 25 days’ annual leave, 8 public holidays, extra team-wide breaks and 3 days off for volunteering.
- Generous paid parental leave (36 weeks of UK statutory leave shared between parents + 3 extra paid weeks + option for additional unpaid time).
- On top of your salary, we contribute 28.97% of your base salary to your pension.
- Discounts and benefits for cycling to work, donations and retail/gyms.
Salary
Annual salary is benchmarked to role scope and relevant experience. Most offers land between £65,000 and £145,000 made up of a base salary plus a technical allowance (take-home salary = base + technical allowance). An additional 28.97% employer pension contribution is paid on the base salary.
This role sits outside of the DDaT pay framework given the scope of this role requires in depth technical expertise in frontier AI safety, robustness and advanced AI architectures.
The full range of salaries are available below:
- Level 3: £65,000–£75,000 (Base £39,850 + Technical Allowance £25,150–£35,150)
- Level 4: £85,000–£95,000 (Base £47,355 + Technical Allowance £37,645–£47,645)
- Level 5: £105,000–£115,000 (Base £61,620 + Technical Allowance £43,380–£53,380)
- Level 6: £125,000–£135,000 (Base £74,605 + Technical Allowance £50,395–£60,395)
- Level 7: £145,000 (Base £74,605 + Technical Allowance £70,395)
Additional Information
Use of AI in Applications
Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action.
Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check and get baseline personnel security standard (BPSS) clearance before they can be appointed. Additionally, there is a strong preference for eligibility for counter-terrorist check (CTC) clearance. Some roles may require higher levels of clearance, and we will state this by exception in the job advertisement.
Nationality requirements
We may be able to offer roles to applicants from any nationality or background. As such we encourage you to apply even if you do not meet the standard nationality requirements.
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants. The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
Diversity and Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found.
Research Engineer - Societal Impacts in London employer: the AI Security Institute
The AI Security Institute is an exceptional employer, offering a unique opportunity to work at the forefront of AI governance and societal impact in a dynamic and supportive environment. With access to cutting-edge resources, a commitment to employee growth through generous development stipends, and a flexible hybrid working model, employees can thrive both personally and professionally while contributing to meaningful research that shapes global AI policy. Located in central London, our modern office fosters collaboration and innovation, making it an ideal place for talented individuals passionate about the societal implications of AI.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Research Engineer - Societal Impacts in London
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to people in the AI and research fields, especially those connected to the AI Security Institute. Attend events, webinars, or even casual meet-ups to make connections that could lead to job opportunities.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! Create a portfolio showcasing your projects, especially those related to societal impacts of AI. This can be a game-changer during interviews, as it gives us a tangible sense of what you can bring to the table.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for the interview by diving deep into current AI trends and societal impacts. We want to see your passion and understanding of the field, so brush up on recent papers and case studies to impress us with your knowledge.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets the attention it deserves. Plus, we love seeing candidates who are proactive about their job search!
We think you need these skills to ace Research Engineer - Societal Impacts in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Passion for AI:Let us see your enthusiasm for the societal impacts of AI! Share any relevant projects or experiences that highlight your interest in this field. We want to know what drives you!
Tailor Your Application:Make sure to customise your application to fit the role. Highlight your experience with Python, data engineering, and any interdisciplinary work you've done. We love seeing how your skills align with our mission!
Be Clear and Concise:When writing your application, keep it straightforward. Use clear language and avoid jargon where possible. We appreciate a well-structured application that gets straight to the point!
Apply Through Our Website:Don’t forget to submit your application through our website! It’s the best way for us to receive your details and ensures you’re considered for the role. We can’t wait to hear from you!
How to prepare for a job interview at the AI Security Institute
✨Know Your AI Stuff
Make sure you brush up on the latest trends and research in AI, especially regarding its societal impacts. Familiarise yourself with recent papers and case studies that highlight both the risks and benefits of AI deployment. This will show your genuine interest and understanding of the field.
✨Showcase Your Technical Skills
Be ready to discuss your experience with Python, data engineering, and machine learning frameworks like PyTorch. Prepare examples of projects where you've implemented scalable code or conducted experiments. This will demonstrate your hands-on expertise and problem-solving abilities.
✨Prepare for Collaborative Questions
Since this role involves working in a multidisciplinary team, think about your past experiences in collaborative settings. Be prepared to share how you’ve effectively communicated and worked with others to achieve common goals, especially in research contexts.
✨Understand the Bigger Picture
Research the AI Security Institute and its mission. Understand how your role as a Research Engineer fits into their goals of mitigating societal risks from AI. Being able to articulate how you can contribute to their objectives will set you apart from other candidates.
