Oxford, United Kingdom
Engineering Science
Postdoctoral Research Assistant in Machine Learning
Salary: £39,424 to £47,779 per annum
Closing date: Oct 09, :00PM
We are seeking a full-time Postdoctoral Research Assistant to join Torr Vision Group at the Department of Engineering Science, central Oxford. The post is funded by Coefficient Giving and is fixed-term to the 30th June 2027.
We are seeking a highly motivated postdoctoral researcher to investigate the safety, security, control, and capabilities of advanced AI systems , with a particular focus on increasingly autonomous and agentic models. The research will examine frontier AI systems that interact with operating systems, APIs, software tools, other agents, and complex environments, moving beyond text generation towards systems capable of planning, pursuing objectives, and executing long-horizon tasks.
A central focus will be agentic safety, adversarial robustness, and AI control . This includes agent hijacking, prompt injection, adversarial manipulation, unsafe tool use, oversight evasion, and transferable attacks that generalise across agents, models, tasks, and environments . We are particularly interested in building agentic systems that can autonomously discover, test, and evaluate general attack strategies against other AI agents, helping identify systematic vulnerabilities rather than attacks specific to a single model or setting.
Candidates should possess a PhD (or be near completion) in Computer Science, AI, Security, or a related field. You will have a Strong background in machine learning and/or computer security and Experience working with LLMs or agent-based systems.
Informal enquiries may be addressed to
For more information about working at the Department, see
The Department holds an Athena Swan Bronze award, highlighting its commitment to promoting women in Science, Engineering and Technology
Keywords: Machine Learning, AI Safety, agentic safety
Contact: Adel Bibi, Email:
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Postdoctoral Research Assistant in Machine Learning Closing date: Oct 09, 2026 in Oxford employer: University of Oxford, Department of Engineering Science
As a Senior Programme Manager at BOLD Lab, you will be part of a dynamic and collaborative work culture that prioritises scientific excellence and innovation. Our commitment to employee growth is reflected in our supportive environment, where you will have the opportunity to lead impactful projects and develop your skills alongside esteemed academic and professional teams. Located in a vibrant academic setting, we offer unique advantages such as access to cutting-edge research facilities and a network of external partners dedicated to fostering sustainable growth.
Contact Details:
University of Oxford, Department of Engineering Science Recruitment Team
