Research Assistant

Grade UE06: £34,610 to £39,906 per annum, pro rata if part time

School of Informatics / CSE

Full Time: 35 hours per week

Fixed term: for 12 months with possibility of extension depending on performance and funding availability.

Four Positions Available

The Opportunity:

Push the boundaries of Agentic AI trustworthiness at the intersection of cryptography, privacy enhancing technologies (PETS), agentic systems, and automated verifiable design.

We are hiring four research assistants (pre-doc or equivalent) to join our teaming working building/implementing an agentic security stack that decomposes tasks by security/privacy risks/requirements and functionality boundaries, translates sub-task user requirements into formal specifications, selects or generates suitable cryptographic protocols (e.g. secure comms, MPC, ZK), and verifies their properties (with LEAN, Proverif, etc.). Its goal is an end-to-end workflow in which agents (from orchestrators to sub-agents) can negotiate security needs and connect verified protocol descriptions to executable multi-agent interactions.

The University of Edinburgh is a world-class organisation. We look for the best in the field across all disciplines and provide a working environment where academics can develop their careers and passion for their chosen subject area. We offer the full range of academic roles and have a genuine focus on our researchers’ performance and wellbeing.

As a research assistant, you will significantly contribute to the project deliverables for the work steams you will work within (Cryptography, Formal verification, Agentic systems, and/or Security/Privacy) as well as contribute to academic outputs such as research publications, datasets, and dissemination activities (e.g. presentations and posters). You will work closely with the Investigator team and senior researchers in the planning and execution of project artefacts and deliverables. 

People have always been at the heart of our work. Our people are at the centre of the University community and everything we do. We value colleagues with drive, determination and a passion for what they do. We are a place where everyone is welcome and offer a range of policies and benefits designed to support you in building the right meaningful flexibility that works for you.

A career with us has a range of other benefits that can be tailored to your lifestyle: 

• Professional development and subject matter expertise.
• Opportunities to develop new skills and broaden your experience.
• Leading-edge research.
• Opportunities for publication. 

This post is full-time (35 hours per week); however, we are open to considering part-time or flexible working patterns. We are also open to considering requests for hybrid working (on a non-contractual basis) that combines a mix of remote and regular on-campus working.

View the full job description

How to apply:

Please include the following documents in your application:

• CV
• Cover letter

As a valued member of our team, you can expect: 

• A competitive salary.
• An exciting, positive, creative, challenging and rewarding place to work. 
• To be part of a diverse and vibrant international community.
• Comprehensive Staff Benefits, including generous annual leave entitlement, a defined benefits pension scheme, a wide range of staff discounts, family-friendly initiatives, and flexible work options. Check out the full list on our staff benefits page (opens in a new tab) and use our reward calculator to discover the value of your pay and benefits. 

Championing equality, diversity, and inclusion

The University of Edinburgh holds a Silver Athena SWAN award in recognition of our commitment to advance gender equality in higher education. We are members of the Race Equality Charter, and we are also a Stonewall Proud Employer, actively promoting LGBTQ+ equality. 

Prior to any employment commencing with the University, you will be required to evidence your right to work in the UK. Further information is available on our right to work webpages (opens new browser tab)

On this occasion the University will not consider applicants requiring sponsorship for this role. International workers will therefore only be able to take up this role if they can demonstrate an alternative right to work in the UK.

Key dates to note

The closing date for applications is 14 September 2026. 

Unless stated otherwise the closing time for applications is 11:59pm UK time. If you are applying outside the UK the closing time on our adverts automatically adjusts to your browsers local time zone.  

Interviews will be held mid-September.

Informatics is the study of how natural and artificial systems store, process and communicate information. Research in Informatics promises to take information technology to a new level, and to place information at the heart of 21st century science, technology and society.  The School enjoys collaborations across many disciplines in the University, spanning all three College, and also participates as a strategic partner in the Alan Turing Institute and is home to a number of Centres for Doctoral Training.

The School provides a fertile environment for a wide range of studies focused on understanding computation in both artificial and natural systems. It attracts students around the world to study in our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. Informatics is one of seven schools in the College of Science and Engineering, at the University of Edinburgh. It is recognised for the employability of its graduates, its contributions to entrepreneurship, and the excellence of its research. Since the first Research Assessment Exercise in 1986, Informatics at Edinburgh has consistently been assessed to have more internationally excellent and world-class research than any other submission in Computer Science and Informatics. The latest REF 2021 results have again confirmed that ours is the largest concentration of internationally excellent research in the UK. This contributes to our ranking of consistently being in the top 30 world-wide.

We aim to ensure that our culture and systems support flexible and family-friendly working and recognise and value diversity across all our staff and students. The School has an active programme offering support and professional development for all staff; providing mentoring, training, and networking opportunities.