Research Associate in AI and Data Privacy

As part of UWE’s Computer Science Research Centre, you will join a national team delivering “TREvolution”. This ambitious project sits at the heart of the UK’s aim to establish a safe and collaborative, AI-enabled network of Trusted Research Environments where approved researchers can efficiently access and analyse sensitive data to advance research for public benefit.

You will be part of a team working at the cutting‑edge where advanced analytics (including federation and AI) meets data privacy. We are creating tools for assessing and managing the vulnerability of research outputs (such as statistics, or trained AI models) produced from sensitive data to subsequent ‘inference attacks’ that might disclose individuals’ confidential data.

• Designing, implementing (in python, extending the SACRO toolkits), and conducting experiments to evaluate the effectiveness of various inference attacks and risk mitigation strategies for trained AI models.
• Assisting in the design and creation of resources to effectively communicate the privacy risk of a trained AI model. These will include novel Risk Visualisation tools, and underpinning ‘hands‑on’ training resources.
• Working with DARE UK’s ‘real‑world exemplar projects’ to understand their needs, and extend the SACRO family of tools to support more use‑cases.
• Incorporating these to deliver step‑changes in scalability and applicability of the SACRO framework and embedding within the wider TREvolution project deliverables.

This role offers an unparalleled opportunity to collaborate with leading academics, policymakers, and industry stakeholders. With access to state‑of‑the‑art research facilities, you will contribute to high‑quality publications, shape national policy discourse, and explore innovative approaches to privacy risk management. This is a rare chance to advance your research career while making a tangible impact on unlocking the potential of data and advanced analytics.

We’re looking for dynamic researchers with the ambition to deliver research that matters. You will be passionate about AI and data science, but respectful of people’s concerns about privacy, and the need to ensure inclusive benefits for all.

You will hold (or be close to completing) a Masters degree in a relevant area of AI or Data Science.

You thrive in collaborative environments and have the communication skills to work with a diverse range of stakeholders. Experience in a range of research methods, and the confidence to select appropriate techniques is essential, and an understanding of secure data environments would be desirable.

This post is based within the School of Computing and Creative Technologies at our lively Frenchay campus where we have invested in the latest facilities and resources to give both our staff and students access to everything they need to succeed.

We are one of the largest providers of Higher Education in the South West with 38,000 students and 4,000 staff from right across the globe. Based in Bristol, one of the UK’s most exciting and forward‑thinking cities, we are regionally embedded and globally connected, with an established network of employer and academic partners.

We offer a wide range of employee benefits including progressive pay rates, generous annual leave and career average pension schemes as well as retail savings, onsite nursery and opportunities for training and personal development.

UWE Bristol recognises the power of a truly diverse university community.

We are proud to be part of a vibrant, multicultural city that celebrates diversity, we’re always looking for talented people from all backgrounds to join us. Our people are our strength, and diversity enhances our creativity and leads to better decision‑making and problem‑solving. Bring your talent and ambition to our growing community and find yourself in a stimulating and supportive environment where you’ll thrive.

We particularly encourage applications from global majority and female candidates as we are currently under‑represented in this area of the organisation, however all appointments are…