Assistant Professor in Fair and Responsible Artificial Intelligence

Job number

ENG03889

Faculties

Faculty of Engineering

Departments

Dyson School of Design Engineering

Salary or Salary range

Competitive

Location/campus

South Kensington Campus - Hybrid

Contract type work pattern

Full time - Open ended

Posting End Date

19 Oct 2026

About the role

Do you want to change the world for the better? Do you believe this can be done through research and education? At the Dyson School of Design Engineering, our motto is “from making better things to making things better”. Join an internationally leading institution, aiming to shape the future of engineering, at the interface between technology, people and society.

The Dyson School of Design Engineering is the newest engineering department at Imperial College London and we strive to bring a unique value proposition to our students, research/industry partners, and to society as a whole. It was founded in 2014 and was partly funded through a generous donation from the James Dyson Foundation. Our vision is to empower innovators and decision-makers to harness rigorous and creative disciplines towards constructing better social and technical systems using new technologies as building blocks. By fusing the technical to the human, we aim to help solve global problems with emphasis on people, sustainability, entrepreneurship and societal impact.

We are seeking to appoint one academic staff member at Assistant Professor level to conduct high-impact research and to deliver outstanding teaching and student experience in areas relating to Design Engineering, defined broadly, in both the School and across Imperial. We are looking to invest in future research and academic leaders who have the ambition to make a substantial impact in the UK and globally.

The role is within Fair and Responsible Artificial Intelligence, part of Imperial's Science for Humanity strategy, which seeks to maximise the College's contribution as a force for good in the world. We are seeking candidates who develop novel AI methods and systems that are technically rigorous, trustworthy and deployable in practice, advancing areas such as fairness, interpretability, robustness, safety, privacy and human-AI interaction while contributing to the next generation of AI technologies.

This post is unlikely to be the right fit for candidates whose research primarily uses existing AI tools or models as instruments within human factors, sustainability or social-impact studies, without making a substantive contribution to the design, development, adaptation, evaluation or responsible deployment of AI systems.

What you would be doing

Research – As a part of the Dyson School of Design Engineering, you will actively develop and lead your own research programme, in line with our research themes and vision. You will be expected to undertake high-quality research and to publish in well-regarded journals/conferences in your field. You will be active in the pursuit of external funding to support your research, while enhancing the reputation of our institution through your external engagements. Since the School promotes a strong collaborative and inclusive research environment, you will be expected to initiate and expand research collaborations with colleagues at the School, at Imperial College London, and beyond. Most importantly, we want your research to have a meaningful impact in the world through translation, patents, policy influence, spin-outs, and wider public and industry engagement.

Teaching – The Dyson School of Design Engineering provides exceptional learning experience and environment to our students, and is continuously recognised for it. As our new Faculty staff member, you will contribute to the School’s teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. You will also undertake supervision of undergraduate and MRes/MSc projects. And, in view of our new programmes and of our continuously evolving teaching portfolio, you may be expected to contribute, as appropriate, to the development of new teaching materials at all levels.

Administration – As part of a collegial and inclusive academic community, you will be expected to make a contribution to the day-to-day running of the School when required. This will translate to taking on School-wide administrative role(s) commensurate with the level of appointment. You will also attend School-wide meetings and contribute to student recruitment activities. You will support with promoting equality, diversity and inclusion. Eventually, you may be expected to undertake other duties appropriate to the grade as specified by the Head of School.

Responsibilities will be allocated in a way that is proportionate to career stage, with mentoring and workload planning during probation to support development in research, education and citizenship.

This post is unlikely to be the right fit for candidates whose research primarily uses existing AI tools or models as instruments within human factors, sustainability or social-impact studies, without making a substantive contribution to the design, development, adaptation, evaluation or responsible deployment of AI systems.

What we are looking for

We invite applications from candidates whose research and teaching interests align with Fair and Responsible AI (including trustworthiness, explainability, robustness, safety, privacy and governance), as applied to:

Human-centred AI, including methods that explicitly model human needs, behaviours, preferences, values and decision-making.

Human-AI collaboration, including interactive, collaborative and adaptive AI systems that augment human capabilities.

Behavioural modelling and computational understanding of human behaviour, including AI methods for modelling cognition, perception, decision-making, social interaction and human adaptation.

Multimodal AI for understanding people and environments, including learning from language, audio, touch, vision, physiological, behavioural and other multimodal data.

AI for societal impact, including applications that address challenges in healthcare, wellbeing, accessibility, sustainability, energy, education, manufacturing, business and the public sector.

AI assurance, risk and insurance, including methods for evaluating and managing the technical, human and societal risks associated with AI systems.

Candidates are expected to demonstrate a track-record of executing research which combines deep knowledge of state-of-the-art AI with design thinking, evidencing a shared ethos to the School’s approach to societal challenges. Design engineers develop their research and teaching with the human at the centre. The research portfolio and vision should combine methodological contributions and focus on relevant application areas (e.g., healthcare, sustainability, etc.).

Besides these research-focused areas, we expect the successful candidate to be able to contribute to our teaching portfolio, particularly on the topic of state-of-the-art machine learning methods (for example, explaining the latest foundation models). We additionally are keen for the successful candidate to have a flair for entrepreneurship and innovation through, e.g., engagements with industry, spin-off companies, advising roles, etc.

What we can offer you

The Dyson School of Design Engineering will offer you:

The opportunity to grow your leadership in research and teaching at one of the World's top universities.

The opportunity to connect within our urban campus in the middle of London with a huge network of world-leading researchers, groups and facilities.

Opportunities to influence industry, policy and institutions worldwide, and for high-profile engagement with leading external bodies including industry and government.

Supported opportunities to develop technology transfer, via consultancy, licensing and spin-outs.

A merit-based structure for promotion, with a wide range of opportunities for training and support.

The opportunity to shape the research agenda of a young and dynamic department.

Being part of a diverse, inclusive and collaborative work culture with various staff networks and resources designed to support your personal and professional wellbeing.

A welcome package that includes one PhD studentship that can be recruited immediately.

We offer an attractive sector-leading salary and remuneration package (with 41 annual leave days per year), including a pension scheme with additional employer contribution and generous conditions of service with flexible and family-friendly working policies. The School and its members have an open-minded and diverse culture, based on a shared ambition, constructive feedback and respect. This is a rare opportunity for you to continue your career at a world-leading institution.

Further information

This is a full-time, open-ended position, subject to probation.

How to apply:

Please apply online, uploading the following supporting documents (observing page limits):

Cover letter (1 page), detailing your motivations and suitability to join the School

Research statement on past impact and future vision (3 pages), highlighting the applicant’s 3 most important publications to date (only refer to papers that are already published (i.e. not “in preparation”) and accessible to the panel) and describing their impact within academia, industry and society, then detailing expected future directions, funding, and any necessary equipment and infrastructure.

Teaching and supervision statement (2 pages) detailing past teaching experience (offering examples and evidence where possible) and future teaching vision, as well as past supervision and mentorship roles.

Full CV, with degrees (including subject, universities and dates), past and present employment, a complete list of publications (only those publicly available, not “in preparation”), past and current funding (please state your role in the project and make clear what share of the funding was awared to you personally vs the consortium as a whole), supervision, contribution to the scientific community, public engagements, teaching contributions etc.

Imperial is a signatory to DORA, and so applicants are discouraged from offering contrived metrics like cumulative impact factor as evidence of impact; these will be ignored.

Please use a size 11 font, with reasonable spacing and margins, for all documents (except the CV, which can be as you wish).

Please refer to the attached ENG03889 How to apply - Structure questions for longlisting document for further information on the application requirements.

Applications without all the requested information will not be considered.

Enquiries should be directed to

the Head of School, Prof. Robert Shorten – r.shorten@imperial.ac.uk or

the hiring lead, Prof. Sam Cooper – designeng-recruitment@imperial.ac.uk

All candidates will be contacted after the shortlisting is completed.

Application Closing Date: 19 October 2026

Provisional Interview Dates: 8-12 February 2027

Expected start date: between May and September 2027

Available documents

Attached documents are available under links. Clicking a document link will initialize its download.

Please note that job descriptions are not exhaustive, and you may be asked to take on additional duties that align with the key responsibilities mentioned above.

We reserve the right to close the advert before the stated closing date, should we receive a high volume of applications. It is therefore advisable that you submit your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

If you encounter any technical issues while applying online, please don't hesitate to email us at support.jobs@imperial.ac.uk. We're here to help.

About Imperial

Welcome to Imperial, a global top-ten university where scientific imagination leads to world-changing impact.

Join us and be part of something bigger. From global health to climate change, AI to business leadership, here at Imperial we navigate some of the world’s toughest challenges. Whatever your role, your contribution will have a lasting impact.

As a member of our vibrant community of 22,000 students and 8,000 staff, you’ll collaborate with passionate minds across nine London campuses and a global network.

This is your chance to help shape the future. We hope you’ll join us at Imperial College London.

Our Culture

We work towards equality of opportunity, to eliminating discrimination, and to creating an inclusive working environment for all. We encourage applications from all backgrounds, communities and industries, and are committed to employing a team that has diverse skills, experiences and abilities. You can read more about our commitment on our web pages.

Proud signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant. We welcome applications from the Armed Forces community.

Our values are at the root of everything we do, and everyone in our community is expected to demonstrate respect, collaboration, excellence, integrity, and innovation.