Research Associate in Informatics

Department: Informatics
Institution: King’s College London
Contract Type: Full-time (35 hours per week), fixed-term contract
Duration: Until 31 October 2027
Start Date: As soon as possible

About Us

The Department of Informatics at King’s College London is looking to appoint a Postdoctoral Research Associate or Fellow to work in the area of technical AI safety.

About the Role

The position is funded by the Open Philanthropy grant “Verifiably Robust Conformal Probes.” The project’s goal is to develop methods for latent probing (activation monitoring) of large language models (LLMs) using certification and conformal prediction techniques to provide probabilistic and adversarial robustness guarantees. Applications include detection of misaligned LLM intentions such as deception, harmfulness, jailbreaking, and power-seeking behaviours.

You will work alongside Dr. Nicola Paoletti and a core team that includes a PhD student from Dr. Paoletti’s lab, Prof. Osvaldo Simeone (Department of Engineering, KCL), and Dr. Mehran Hosseini (University of Manchester). You will join a vibrant research environment with several researchers in Dr. Paoletti’s lab working on related topics within a department with a strong track record in AI research.

Applicants for the Associate position should have completed, or be close to completing, a PhD in a relevant discipline. Applicants for the Fellow position should also have prior postdoctoral experience. Commensurate with career stage, applicants should have an outstanding research track record in topics related to the project’s scope, including mechanistic interpretability of LLMs, robustness verification of ML models, and conformal inference.

Applicants should demonstrate scientific creativity, research independence, capacity to support junior team members, and strong written and verbal communication skills.

Research staff at King’s are entitled to at least 10 days per year (pro-rata) for professional development.

About You

Essential Criteria – Grade 6 (Research Associate)

1. PhD in relevant subject area (or near completion).

2. Research experience in relevant techniques and methodologies.

3. Strong publication record commensurate with career stage.

4. Algorithmic and model development skills; familiarity with relevant ML libraries.

5. Ability to work independently and within a team.

6. Effective written and verbal communication.

Desirable Criteria – Grade 6 (Research Associate)

1. Creativity and originality in research.

2. Willingness to engage in dissemination activities beyond conferences (e.g., lab meetings, research visits).

Essential Criteria – Grade 7 (Research Fellow)

1. PhD in relevant subject area.

2. Prior postdoctoral experience.

3. Research experience in relevant techniques and methodologies.

4. Strong publication record commensurate with career stage.

5. Algorithmic and model development skills; familiarity with relevant ML libraries.

6. Ability to work independently and within a team.

7. Effective written and verbal communication.

Desirable Criteria – Grade 7 (Research Fellow)

1. Experience supporting junior colleagues (e.g., MSc or PhD students).

2. Creativity and originality in research.

3. Willingness to engage in dissemination activities beyond conferences.

Note: Candidates who have submitted their thesis and are awaiting award of their PhD will be considered. In such cases, the appointment will initially be at Grade 5, spine point 30, with the title of Research Assistant. Upon confirmation of the PhD, the title will become Research Associate and the salary will increase to Grade 6.

Further Information

King’s College London prides itself on being inclusive and welcoming. We embrace diversity and strive to ensure all members feel connected.

Applicants should submit a CV and supporting statement detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed. Evidence for desirable criteria should also be included where possible.

Interviews are due to be held in late November 2025.

In your application, please refer to Polytechnicpositions.com