Assistant Professor in Fair and Responsible Artificial Intelligence

The Dyson School of Design Engineering is the newest engineering department at Imperial College London and we strive to bring a unique value proposition to our students, research/industry partners, and to society as a whole. It was founded in 2014 and was partly funded through a generous donation from the James Dyson Foundation. Our vision is to empower innovators and decision-makers to harness rigorous and creative disciplines towards constructing better social and technical systems using new technologies as building blocks. By fusing the technical to the human, we aim to help solve global problems with emphasis on people, sustainability, entrepreneurship and societal impact.

We are seeking to appoint one academic staff member at Assistant Professor level to conduct high-impact research and to deliver outstanding teaching and student experience in areas relating to Design Engineering, defined broadly, in both the School and across Imperial. We are looking to invest in future research and academic leaders who have the ambition to make a substantial impact in the UK and globally.

The role is within Fair and Responsible Artificial Intelligence, part of Imperial's Science for Humanity strategy, which seeks to maximise the College's contribution as a force for good in the world. We are seeking candidates who develop novel AI methods and systems that are technically rigorous, trustworthy and deployable in practice, advancing areas such as fairness, interpretability, robustness, safety, privacy and human-AI interaction while contributing to the next generation of AI technologies.

This post is unlikely to be the right fit for candidates whose research primarily uses existing AI tools or models as instruments within human factors, sustainability or social-impact studies, without making a substantive contribution to the design, development, adaptation, evaluation or responsible deployment of AI systems.

What you would be doing:

Research – As a part of the Dyson School of Design Engineering, you will actively develop and lead your own research programme, in line with our research themes and vision. You will be expected to undertake high-quality research and to publish in well-regarded journals/conferences in your field. You will be active in the pursuit of external funding to support your research, while enhancing the reputation of our institution through your external engagements. Since the School promotes a strong collaborative and inclusive research environment, you will be expected to initiate and expand research collaborations with colleagues at the School, at Imperial College London, and beyond. Most importantly, we want your research to have a meaningful impact in the world through translation, patents, policy influence, spin-outs, and wider public and industry engagement.

Teaching – The Dyson School of Design Engineering provides exceptional learning experience and environment to our students, and is continuously recognised for it. As our new Faculty staff member, you will contribute to the School’s teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. You will also undertake supervision of undergraduate and MRes/MSc projects. And, in view of our new programmes and of our continuously evolving teaching portfolio, you may be expected to contribute, as appropriate, to the development of new teaching materials at all levels.

Administration – As part of a collegial and inclusive academic community, you will be expected to make a contribution to the day-to-day running of the School when required. This will translate to taking on School-wide administrative role(s) commensurate with the level of appointment. You will also attend School-wide meetings and contribute to student recruitment activities. You will support with promoting equality, diversity and inclusion. Eventually, you may be expected to undertake other duties appropriate to the grade as specified by the Head of School.

Responsibilities will be allocated in a way that is proportionate to career stage, with mentoring and workload planning during probation to support development in research, education and citizenship.

What we are looking for:

We invite applications from candidates whose research and teaching interests align with Fair and Responsible AI (including trustworthiness, explainability, robustness, safety, privacy and governance), as applied to:

• Human-centred AI, including methods that explicitly model human needs, behaviours, preferences, values and decision-making.
• Human-AI collaboration, including interactive, collaborative and adaptive AI systems that augment human capabilities.
• Behavioural modelling and computational understanding of human behaviour, including AI methods for modelling cognition, perception, decision-making, social interaction and human adaptation.
• Multimodal AI for understanding people and environments, including learning from language, audio, touch, vision, physiological, behavioural and other multimodal data.
• AI for societal impact, including applications that address challenges in healthcare, wellbeing, accessibility, sustainability, energy, education, manufacturing, business and the public sector.
• AI assurance, risk and insurance, including methods for evaluating and managing the technical, human and societal risks associated with AI systems.

Candidates are expected to demonstrate a track-record of executing research which combines deep knowledge of state-of-the-art AI with design thinking, evidencing a shared ethos to the School’s approach to societal challenges. Design engineers develop their research and teaching with the human at the centre. The research portfolio and vision should combine methodological contributions and focus on relevant application areas (e.g., healthcare, sustainability, etc.).

Besides these research-focused areas, we expect the successful candidate to be able to contribute to our teaching portfolio, particularly on the topic of state-of-the-art machine learning methods (for example, explaining the latest foundation models). We additionally are keen for the successful candidate to have a flair for entrepreneurship and innovation through, e.g., engagements with industry, spin-off companies, advising roles, etc.

What we can offer you:

The Dyson School of Design Engineering will offer you:

• The opportunity to grow your leadership in research and teaching at one of the World's top universities.
• The opportunity to connect within our urban campus in the middle of London with a huge network of world-leading researchers, groups and facilities.
• Opportunities to influence industry, policy and institutions worldwide, and for high profile engagement with leading external bodies including industry and government.
• Supported opportunities to develop technology transfer, via consultancy, licensing and spin-outs.
• A merit-based structure for promotion, with a wide range of opportunities for training and support.
• The opportunity to shape the research agenda of a young and dynamic department.
• Being part of a diverse, inclusive and collaborative work culture with various staff networks and resources designed to support your personal and professional wellbeing.
• A welcome package that includes one PhD studentship that can be recruited immediately.

We offer an attractive sector-leading salary and remuneration package (with 41 annual leave days per year), including a pension scheme with additional employer contribution and generous conditions of service with flexible and family-friendly working policies. The School and its members have an open-minded and diverse culture, based on a shared ambition, constructive feedback and respect. This is a rare opportunity for you to continue your career at a world-leading institution.

How to apply:

Apply via the ‘Apply’ button above, uploading the following supporting documents (observing page limits):

• Cover letter (1 page), detailing your motivations and suitability to join the School
• Research statement on past impact and future vision (3 pages), highlighting the applicant’s 3 most important publications to date (only refer to papers that are already published (i.e. not “in preparation”) and accessible to the panel – include hyperlinks to each paper) and describing their impact within academia, industry and society, then detailing expected future directions, funding, and any necessary equipment and infrastructure.
• Teaching and supervision statement (2 pages) detailing past teaching experience (offering examples and evidence where possible) and future teaching vision, as well as past supervision and mentorship roles.
• Full CV, with degrees (including subject, universities and dates), past and present employment, a complete list of publications (only those publicly available, not “in preparation”), past and current funding (please state your role in the project and make clear what share of the funding was awarded to you personally vs the consortium as a whole), supervision, contribution to the scientific community, public engagements, teaching contributions etc.

Imperial is a signatory to DORA and so applicants are discouraged from offering contrived metrics like “cumulative impact factor” as evidence of impact - these will be ignored.

Please use size 11 font as well as reasonable spacing and margins for all documents (except the CV, which can be as you wish).

Please refer to the attached ENG03889 How to apply - Structure questions for longlisting document for further information about the application requirements. 

This is a full-time, open-ended position, subject to probation.

Enquiries should be directed to

• The Head of School, Prof. Robert Shorten – shorten@imperial.ac.uk or
• The hiring lead Prof. Sam Cooper – designeng-recruitment@imperial.ac.uk

All candidates will be contacted after the shortlisting is completed.

Provisional Interview Dates: 8-12 February 2027

Start date:  Expected start date between May and September 2027