Postdoctoral Research Associate

What makes Goldsmiths unique?

Goldsmiths is a world-renowned university that has a reputation for rigorous and innovative academic work; creativity has long been our hallmark. Academic excellence and imaginative course content combine to make a place where creative minds can thrive.

About the Department  

Goldsmiths’ School of Media, Communications and Cultural Studies is one of the longest established departments for teaching and researching media in the world. Housed in the award-winning Professor Stuart Hall Building, it has an internationally outstanding reputation for creative and radical thinking and practice. We are committed to a vibrant teaching and research programme that combines theory and practice with interdisciplinary engagement with the latest developments in media, communications and cultural studies.  The School is currently ranked 18th in the world (and 3rd in the UK) for communication and media studies (QS World Rankings by subject 2026) and second in the UK for research assessed as 3* and 4* - with 96% of our research evaluated as 'world leading or internationally excellent' in the latest Research Excellence Framework (2021).

About the Role

The post-doctoral research associate will work on the international project ‘Democracy, AI and Big Tech: Assessing corporate activities in the advancement of Artificial Intelligence in the UK, US and Canada [AIDEMOCRACY]’ led by Prof Lina Dencik and funded by the Transatlantic Platform scheme on Democracy, Governance and Trust. The research explores ‘Big Tech’ influence in the spheres of government, policy, media and civil society in key areas of AI strategy, most notably environmental sustainability. The candidate will use desk-based research, including some digital methods or data science, to collect and visualize data relating to public procurement and investment in AI infrastructure and map social networks across the technology industry and political sphere.

About the Candidate

The successful candidate must have a PhD or equivalent in the area of data science, critical data studies or related fields and must have experience using digital methods for social science research. We are particularly looking for someone engaged with AI strategy and interested in mapping elite and power networks. 

We have generous benefits – an agile working environment, 28 days’ annual leave plus 6 paid closure days (4 at Christmas and 2 at Easter) plus all Bank Holidays, great transport links, a defined benefit pension scheme, support for professional development and a broad range of wellbeing initiatives such as staff choir, running club and creative writing classes. 

Equality Diversity and Inclusion

At Goldsmiths, University of London, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion shape how we lead, learn, and work. We are committed to building an inclusive and respectful environment, removing barriers and addressing inequalities so that everyone in our community can belong and thrive.