Heriot-Watt University Malaysia
Location
Edinburgh | United Kingdom
Job description
Salary: £36,023–£44,263 (Grade 7)
Status : Full Time
Duration: 22 months
About our team:
The post will be in the Interaction Lab at Heriot-Watt University's School of Mathematics and Computer Science (MACS), see . The successful candidate will join a group of about 20 people, consisting of postdoctoral and PhD researchers and faculty with expertise in NLP, NLG, Ethics in AI, Reasoning, Generative AI, Multimodal and Embodied AI, machine learning, and conversational interfaces. The project affiliated with this position is part of a successful series of projects in Ethics in NLP and involves the close collaboration with 6 members with an expertise in NLP, NLG, Ethics, Multimodality, Generative AI, and Psychology. It also involves collaborations with the University of Edinburgh (main collaborator; Social Science, and Education), as well as numerous charities focused on Gender-Based Violence including “EmilyTest”, and “End Violence Against Women”. We also have established and ongoing collaborations with the Alan Turing Institute , Bocconi University Milan, Fondazione Bruno Kessler, University of Turin, Amazon Science, and Google Research. [IK1] We also competed in the Amazon Alexa Challenge 2017 and 2018, on conversational AI, having reached the final on both occasions, and competed in the Simbot Alexa Challenge in 2022/3. We have also recently spun-out a conversational AI company, Alana AI (see ).
The advertised position will be part of the “Equally Safe Online” EPSRC-funded project (EP/W025493/1). The focus is on Ethics In AI, NLP, and Generative AI methods for identifying, and mitigating instances of online gender-based violence (GBV). To achieve this, we will build on our success in the EPSRC project “Designing Conversational Assistants to Reduce Gender Bias” (EP/T023767/1). In contrast to previous approaches to address GBV and other similar societal issues, we follow a co-creating approach with experts and stakeholders in the field (aka social scientists, 3 rd sector charities on GBV). In other words, we do not only focus on *how* to automatically detect online abuse, but also re-think *what* it is we need to detect, how we can *support* the victims and how to *prevent* online GBV through promoting digital citizenship (i.e. prevention and intervention aimed at perpetrators and bystanders).
A core outcome of the project is an online GBV framework backed by existing local (Scottish) and international (UN) legislation, as well as social science theory. This will inform both the technical artefacts of the project this position is required to focus on as outlined below, and aid in creating impact by increasing digital literacy concerning the safe use of social media from an early age (through our partners at the University of Edinburgh).
The main duties of this position include a) implementing models to detect online GBV, and generate counter narratives aimed at perpetrators and bystanders, b) collecting high-quality annotation data both via crowdsourcing and in collaboration with experts from our charity partners.
The successful applicant is expected to perform collaborative research on AI, NLP and machine learning within an international consortium, publish at high-impact conferences and journals in their field, and disseminate their work at national and international conferences and outreach events. Experience with machine learning methods in NLP, Generative AI, and Ethics in NLP are highly desirable.
The position is available, at grade 7, for 22 months initially, with opportunities for extension dependent on performance and future funding applications.
In “Equally Safe Online”, we address the timely topic of online gender-based violence (GBV): Almost 1 in every 2 women and non-binary people (46%) reported experiencing online abuse since the beginning of COVID-19 (Glitch report, 2020). Our aim is to create 'equally safe' online spaces by prevention, intervention and support for online GBV through the development of advanced Machine Learning algorithms. Our methodology is based on the Scottish Government's Equally Safe strategy and implements a Responsible Innovation Approach in a close collaboration with 3rd sector charities with a long-standing track record in this domain.
Key duties and responsibilities:
Essential Criteria:
Desirable Criteria:
How to Apply
Applications can be submitted until midnight on the 26th February 2024.
When applying, please include a CV and cover letter addressing these selection criteria.
For more information about the advertised position, please contact Ioannis Konstas ([email protected]) and Gavin Abercrombie ([email protected]).
At Heriot Watt we are passionate about our values and look to them to connect our people globally and to help us collaborate and celebrate our success through working together. Our research programmes can deliver real world impact which is achieved through the diversity of our international community and the recognition of creative talent that connects our global team.
Our flourishing community will give you the freedom to challenge and to bring your enterprising mind and to help our partners with solutions that can be applied now and in the future. Join us and Heriot Watt will provide you with a platform to thrive and work in a way that also helps you live your life in balance with well-being and inclusiveness at the heart of our global community.
Heriot-Watt University is committed to securing equality of opportunity in employment and to the creation of an environment in which individuals are selected, trained, promoted, appraised and otherwise treated on the sole basis of their relevant merits and abilities. Equality and diversity are all about maximising potential and creating a culture of inclusion for all.
Heriot-Watt University values diversity across our University community and welcomes applications from all sectors of society, particularly from underrepresented groups. For more information, please see our website and also our award-winning work in Disability Inclusive Science Careers .
We welcome and will consider flexible working patterns e.g. part-time working and job share options.
Use our total rewards calculator: to see the value of benefits provided by Heriot-Watt University.
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