Part-Time Research Support Officer I or II

Funded by the DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY PROGRAMME 2025 of Xjenza Malta

And any other projects undertaken by the Department of Civil Law, Faculty of Laws

Applications are invited for a Research Support Officer (RSO) to carry out duties in relation to the PQ-LENS project. The RSOs may also be required to work on other projects undertaken by the Department of Civil Law, Faculty of Laws.

Applicants must be in possession of a first degree or a Master’s degree in Law, the Social Sciences, or the Human Sciences, including (but not limited to) Sociology, Social Policy, Economics, Human Geography, or related disciplines.

The ideal candidate will ideally demonstrate experience and familiarity with:

• Research relating to the property and housing, including rental and ownership sectors;
• Socio-demographic analysis, particularly in relation to housing demand and supply;
• An understanding of public policy, especially in areas connected to housing, social policy, or urban development;
• Experience working with or researching legal and regulatory frameworks, particularly in housing, planning, or social regulation;
• Proven ability to undertake empirical and desk-based research, including the analysis of qualitative and quantitative data;
• A working knowledge of Maltese, together with strong analytical, drafting, and organisational skills.

The University of Malta is an Equal Opportunity employer.

The initial remuneration per hour (inclusive of any cost-of-living adjustments) is €13.08 (RSO I); or €14.58 (RSO II).

The selected candidate must be living in Malta for the period of employment.

The post is for a period of up to 12 months and will entail 20 hours of work per week, or according to the availability of the successful candidate.

Candidates must upload their covering letter, curriculum vitae, and certificates (certificates should be submitted in English) and contact details of at least two referees through this form by not later than Monday, 2nd November 2026.

Late applications will not be considered.

Further information may be obtained from https://www.um.edu.mt/hr/recruitment/projects/ and should you have any queries, please send us an email on projects.hrmd@um.edu.mt.

Further Information

PQ-LENS builds upon the PQ Dashboard (https://pq.ir.mt), an AI-powered platform developed within the Department of Artificial Intelligence to analyse Maltese Parliamentary Questions (PQs) in both Maltese and English. While the current system focuses on PQs from the current legislature, this project will extend coverage to include previous legislatures and introduce new functionalities driven by Large Language Models (LLMs).

In addition to its technical objectives, this project has a strong humanities and social science dimension, particularly in relation to democratic governance, public policy analysis, and transparency. The Research Support Officer engaged on this task will contribute directly to a key deliverable demonstrating how, in practice, the use of advanced digital tools can enhance understanding of local policy-making through parliamentary questions. This will involve engaging with PQs as substantive political and legal texts, situating them within their social and policy contexts, and illustrating how technological analysis can reveal patterns, priorities, and gaps in parliamentary scrutiny.

The project will explore the fine-tuning of open-source LLMs for Maltese parliamentary discourse, benchmark them against commercial systems, and identify sustainable pathways for deployment. The enhanced dashboard will also connect PQ data with external sources, such as news archives, to uncover relationships between parliamentary discourse and real-world events. By combining artificial intelligence with humanities-based inquiry, social science analysis, and public law perspectives, PQ-LENS aims to promote transparency, civic engagement, and an evidence-based understanding of parliamentary activity. This will help researchers, journalists, civil society and citizens to foster engagement and strengthen the democratic process through the interdisciplinary application of AI, Social Sciences and Public Digital Applications. Further information may be obtained from Dr. Kurt Xerri at kurt.xerri@um.edu.mt, or Prof. Joel Azzopardi at joel.azzopardi@um.edu.mt. The RSOs may also be required to work on other projects undertaken by the Department of Civil Law, Faculty of Laws.

The main duties and responsibilities of the appointee will consist of carrying out research duties including:

• working closely with the project coordinator and project partners, particularly in relation to the humanities, policy, and governance components of the research;
• supporting the preparation and delivery of project outputs and deliverables within the time frames specified in the project description;
• contributing to the drafting of academic outputs, including conference papers and journal articles, from an interdisciplinary humanities, social science, or public policy perspective, and assisting in their presentation where necessary;
• performing any other project-related tasks as may be assigned by the project coordinator in line with the objectives of the project; and
• assisting in dissemination and knowledge-transfer activities related to the project, including engagement with academic and non-academic stakeholders, where appropriate.

The appointees will be expected to work at such places and during such hours as may be determined by the University authorities.

The selection procedure will involve:

• scrutiny of qualifications and experience claimed and supported by testimonials and/or certificates (copies to be included with the application);
• shortlisting; and
• an interview and / or extended interview.

The post is for a period up to 12 months, which will be subject to a probationary period and to the provisions of the Statutes, Regulations and Bye-Laws of the University of Malta which are now or which may hereafter be in force.

Office of the University, Msida, 19th October 2026

Requirements

Research Field: Sociology » Other; Juridical sciences » Other

Education Level: Bachelor Degree or equivalent

Skills/Qualifications: Applicants must be in possession of a first degree or a Master’s degree in Law, the Social Sciences, or the Human Sciences, including (but not limited to) Sociology, Social Policy, Economics, Human Geography, or related disciplines. The ideal candidate will ideally demonstrate experience and familiarity with: research relating to the property and housing, including rental and ownership sectors; socio-demographic analysis, particularly in relation to housing demand and supply; an understanding of public policy, especially in areas connected to housing, social policy, or urban development; experience working with or researching legal and regulatory frameworks, particularly in housing, planning, or social regulation; proven ability to undertake empirical and desk-based research, including the analysis of qualitative and quantitative data; a working knowledge of Maltese, together with strong analytical, drafting, and organisational skills.

Specific Requirements: Live in Malta

Work Location(s)

• Number of offers available: 1
• Company/Institute: University of Malta
• Country: Malta

Contact

City: Msida
Website: http://www.um.edu.mt/hrmd/recruitment
Street: University of Malta Msida MSD 2080 MALTA
E-Mail: projects.hr@um.edu.mt