Location
Oxford, United Kingdom
Position
Postdoctoral Research Assistant(s) in Fundamental AI Research
Salary
Grade 7: £39,424 - £47,779 per annum
Closing date
Oct 09, 2026 12:00PM
Department and Lab
Department of Engineering Science (central Oxford), University of Oxford. BOLD Lab is a major new UKRI funded initiative that will establish a world-leading AI research laboratory at the University of Oxford. Bringing together more than 80 researchers from Oxford, UCL and Imperial under one unified vision, BOLD Lab will pursue ambitious, high-risk research to advance the fundamental science of artificial intelligence and address some of the field’s most important challenges.
Role Summary
We are seeking two full-time Postdoctoral Research Assistants to join the BOLD Lab at the Department of Engineering Science (central Oxford). The post is funded by EPSRC and is fixed-term for 12 months. The role includes implementing developed techniques and algorithms in high-quality software that adheres to group standards and evaluating them on large-scale benchmarks. You will take an active role in maintaining and further developing the lab’s research codebase.
Responsibilities
You will be responsible for researching and developing novel algorithms and techniques to achieve the project’s objectives, with a particular emphasis on efficient and safe learning approaches for collaborative multi-agent reinforcement learning tasks. You will contribute to advancing BOLD’s research capabilities and play an active role in expanding its research portfolio. BOLD has three initial research pillars: Beyond Backpropagation, Human-Centric Learning & Discovery, and Embodied Learning.
You will contribute to the supervision and mentorship of DPhil students, CDT students, fourth-year project students, and interns. You will also participate actively in the day-to-day activities of the BOLD Lab, including providing technical guidance to students and engaging in reading groups and other scholarly activities.
The position involves writing research papers for submission to leading journals and conferences, presenting work at national and international venues, and contributing to scientific reports and publications. You will also support the BOLD Lab’s industrial partnerships through site visits, technical demonstrations, and meetings, and assist in the preparation of project reports and grant proposals.
Qualifications
You should possess a PhD or DPhil (or near completion of) in Machine Learning or Maths.
Contact Information
Informal enquiries may be addressed to boldexec-team@eng.ox.ac.uk.
For more information about working at the Department, see www.eng.ox.ac.uk/about/work-with-us/.
Research Focus
- Agentic AI
- Human-AI coordination
- Zero-shot Coordination
- multi-agent learning
Diversity & Inclusion
The Department holds an Athena Swan Bronze award, highlighting its commitment to promoting women in Science, Engineering and Technology.
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Postdoctoral Research Assistant(s) in Fundamental AI Research 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
