Casual research assistant in Privacy-Enhancing Technologies

[Job Description and Selection Criteria]

We are looking to appoint a Casual Research Assistant (maximum 12 weeks, up to 20 hours per week) to support a collaborative research project led by Dr Luc Rocher, dedicated to better examine, audit, and evaluate the impact of privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs) such as ‘differential privacy’ and ‘synthetic data generation’ on scientific reproducibility.

Privacy technologies are crucial for facilitating the secure sharing of sensitive data with third parties for research and investigation led by journalists, researchers, and non-governmental organisations. The appointed RA will join a research project dedicated to critically examine the reproducibility of investigations and analyses performed through privacy technologies. Our overall goal is to empower independent researchers and make providers of anonymised data accountable. This is part of an interdisciplinary effort at the intersection of machine learning, privacy and security, policy, and social sciences.

Ideal candidates should be well organised, have good command of software engineering and Python scientific programming, experience working with large-scale data, and interest in studying the impact of AI and algorithms.

The RA will be a co-author on any of the work they contribute to using the CRediT system (https://credit.niso.org/) for recognising contributions.

Application: To apply for this position please send an email to recruit@oii.ox.ac.uk by 12noon UK time on 19th February 2024 attaching an up-to-date CV and a supporting statement, explaining how you meet the selection criteria outlined above and why you are applying for this role.

Any questions about the role please speak to: Dr Luc Rocher (luc.rocher@oii.ox.ac.uk).

Subject to completion of payroll paperwork and satisfactory right to work check, the position(s) are available from 4 March and will be on a casual engagement for a maximum 12 weeks and up to 20 hours per week. The hourly rate is £19.59 per hour.

Please note a valid right to work in the UK will be required for this role. A right to work check is a Home Office process to establish that each employee/casual worker has the right to work in the UK. Under the 2006 Immigration, Nationality and Asylum Act the University has a duty to prevent illegal working by carrying out document checks to confirm that a person has the right to work in the UK. All employees, casual workers and Tier 5 sponsored visa holders must have their right to work checked before they start work at the University.