Research Associate on Non-human communication and animal linguistics
| Posting date: | 18 July 2025 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £38,674 to £46,913 per year, pro rata |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 17 August 2025 |
| Location: | Oxford, Oxfordshire |
| Remote working: | Hybrid - work remotely up to 2 days per week |
| Company: | University of Oxford, Dept of Computer Science |
| Job type: | Contract |
| Job reference: | 180803 |
Summary
We are excited to offer this fixed-term Research Associate position at the University of Oxford, under the supervision of Professor Michael Bronstein. The Research Associate will be part of the international Project CETI. The successful candidate will be located in the Department of Computer Science.
Reporting to Professor Michael Bronstein, the post holder will be responsible for conducting novel research in the field of machine learning applied to deciphering the communication system of sperm whales. The post holder will collaborate with other partners of Project CETI (MIT, Harvard, UC Berkeley) and will have opportunities to participate in field work in Dominica.
Project CETI is an international initiative to understand the communication of sperm whales using advances in ML. The project has an interdisciplinary scientific board including marine biologists, artificial intelligence researchers, roboticists, theoretical computer scientists, and linguists.
This post is based at the Department of Computer Science and on-site working is required. Remote working can be possible in agreement with Professor Michael Bronstein.
What We Offer
As an employer, we genuinely care about our employees’ wellbeing and this is reflected in the range of benefits that we offer including:
• An excellent contributory pension scheme
• 38 days annual leave (pro-rata for part-time jobs)
• A comprehensive range of childcare services
• Family leave schemes
• Cycle loan scheme
• Discounted bus travel and Season Ticket travel loans
• Membership to a variety of social and sports clubs
Diversity
Committed to equality and valuing diversity.
Application Process
You will be required to upload an up-to-date CV and a supporting statement together with your research statement as part of your online application.
Your supporting statement must clearly demonstrate how you meet each of the essential selection criteria listed in the job description. Applications that do not include a supporting statement or CV, or fail to address the criteria in sufficient detail, will not be considered.
While we recognise the value of AI tools in assisting with application preparation, submissions that are clearly AI-generated without personalisation or insight will be rejected. It's crucial that your application reflects your own experiences and understanding of the role.
The closing date for applications is noon on 27th August 2025. Interviews are expected to be held in September.
Reporting to Professor Michael Bronstein, the post holder will be responsible for conducting novel research in the field of machine learning applied to deciphering the communication system of sperm whales. The post holder will collaborate with other partners of Project CETI (MIT, Harvard, UC Berkeley) and will have opportunities to participate in field work in Dominica.
Project CETI is an international initiative to understand the communication of sperm whales using advances in ML. The project has an interdisciplinary scientific board including marine biologists, artificial intelligence researchers, roboticists, theoretical computer scientists, and linguists.
This post is based at the Department of Computer Science and on-site working is required. Remote working can be possible in agreement with Professor Michael Bronstein.
What We Offer
As an employer, we genuinely care about our employees’ wellbeing and this is reflected in the range of benefits that we offer including:
• An excellent contributory pension scheme
• 38 days annual leave (pro-rata for part-time jobs)
• A comprehensive range of childcare services
• Family leave schemes
• Cycle loan scheme
• Discounted bus travel and Season Ticket travel loans
• Membership to a variety of social and sports clubs
Diversity
Committed to equality and valuing diversity.
Application Process
You will be required to upload an up-to-date CV and a supporting statement together with your research statement as part of your online application.
Your supporting statement must clearly demonstrate how you meet each of the essential selection criteria listed in the job description. Applications that do not include a supporting statement or CV, or fail to address the criteria in sufficient detail, will not be considered.
While we recognise the value of AI tools in assisting with application preparation, submissions that are clearly AI-generated without personalisation or insight will be rejected. It's crucial that your application reflects your own experiences and understanding of the role.
The closing date for applications is noon on 27th August 2025. Interviews are expected to be held in September.