Postdoctoral Fellowship
SOFAIR Fellow / SOFAIR Senior Fellow (UCL Grade 7 to Grade 10)
The advert for this fellowship is now closed.
- Closes
- Closed
- Duration
- 12 months with multi-year extension (funding until 15 December 2027 in the first instance)
- Funding
- UCL Grade 7 to Grade 10, depending on experience
A 12-month fellowship at UCL's Department of Computer Science — a top-ranked department, second in the UK for research power in the 2021 REF — with the possibility of a multi-year extension. The fellowship unites interdisciplinary academic expertise to pursue fundamentally new foundation models, moving beyond incremental refinement of existing models, advancing open, distributed, and trustworthy AI systems. Ideally the fellow will be interested in innovation and spinouts.
Eligibility
- PhD awarded or submitted in machine learning, mathematics, statistics, computer science, or a related field
- Familiarity with principled approaches to machine learning and current frontier frameworks
- Strong background in the mathematics of machine learning, optimisation, and coding (PyTorch)
- Senior Research Fellow level additionally requires substantial research independence and the ability to lead research programmes, shape SOFAIR's scientific direction, and mentor researchers
What we provide
- Internationally excellent research as a member of SOFAIR's interdisciplinary research programme
- Testing ideas at significant scale on next-generation foundation models
- A central role in a newly established national research lab's research culture and cross-institutional collaboration
- 41 days' holiday (27 days annual leave, 8 bank holidays, 6 closure days), CARE pension, and UCL reward and benefits
Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
We know that diversity and inclusion are fundamental drivers of creativity, innovation, and excellence, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world's talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong, thrive, and reach our full potential. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL's workforce. These include people from Black, Asian, and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women.
Our department holds an Athena SWAN Gold award, in recognition of our commitment to advancing gender equality.
PhD Studentship
PhD Studentships in Fundamental AI (2027 entry)
- Closes
- Rolling applications
- Duration
- 4 years
- Funding
- £27,805 tax-free stipend (2026/27)
Program structure and location
These PhD positions will be based at the UCL AI Centre in central London, one of the largest academic research and training centres in AI in Europe. PhD candidates will be closely embedded with SOFAIR faculty and postdoctoral researchers, with the opportunity to participate in department seminars, workshops, reading groups, and industry events.
The SOFAIR Lab includes researchers based at other universities, including Oxford, Cambridge, and Edinburgh. PhD students will have the opportunity to engage in an extended research visit to one of these partner institutions.
Students will spend their first year engaged in rotations across Lab research projects, giving the opportunity to work broadly across many aspects of foundational AI research. Each faculty-led project will include the PhD student as a core contributor. The overall thesis topic and supervisory team will be developed during this rotation year, based on the student’s interest and experience.
What we are looking for
We are looking for creative thinkers who would like to make true methodological advances in machine learning and artificial intelligence, not just tinker at the margins or pursue applications based on existing models. Typical academic preparation would be an MSc or MEng in Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Neuroscience or a related field, or related equivalent experience (e.g. through industry).
Eligibility – Home (UK) Applicants Only
- This studentship is restricted to applicants who qualify for Home (UK) tuition fee status under UKRI/EPSRC funding rules.
- We are unable to consider international or overseas fee-status applicants for this position.
If you are unsure of your fee status, please check the relevant UK Government guidance before applying. Applications from candidates who do not meet the Home fee eligibility requirement cannot be progressed.
Funding offered
- Full scholarship for four years, including an enhanced tax-free stipend (£27,805 for 2026/27)
- All tuition fees covered at UK Home rates
- Access to additional research and training funds, including support for conference travel, specialist training, and collaboration activities
How to apply
- Please first send an expression of interest by email to Brooks Paige (b.paige@ucl.ac.uk), including a CV and brief (1–2 page) research statement, with the subject line “SOFAIR Studentship 2027”.
- Your email should clearly state which of the three working groups your proposal is aligned with: Open Source Model Development; Novel Architectures; or AI Grid.
- Please name 1–2 UCL SOFAIR faculty members (as listed at sofair.uk) who you believe would be a good potential fit as primary supervisor for your project.
- Applications will be considered for a February, May, or October 2027 start, on a rolling basis. We will fund at least 7 studentships in total.
Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong, thrive, and reach our full potential. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in workforce. These include people from Black, Asian, and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people.
Our department holds an Athena SWAN Gold award, in recognition of our commitment to advancing gender equality.
