Classification: Academic Level B
Salary package: $107,475 - $121,857 per annum plus 17% superannuation (pro rata for part-time staff)
Terms: x2 Positions available (1 full-time and 1 part-time 0.8 FTE), Fixed term (up to 2 years)
Location: Canberra for campus-based role OR Sydney for on-site work with the Gradient Institute. Partially remote work arrangements also available by negotiation.
Position Description & Selection Criteria: AcademicLevelB_ResearchFellow_PD.pdf

Position overview

The ANU is seeking two high potential scholars to join the Australian Research Council Linkage Project 'Socially Responsible Insurance in the Age of AI', led by Professor Seth Lazar, with associate lead Jenny Davis (Sociology, ANU), Damian Clifford (Law, ANU), Kimberlee Weatherall (Law, Sydney), Chris Dolman (IAG), and Tiberio Caetano (Gradient).

This project aims to discover the social costs and benefits of using Artificial Intelligence in insurance and to design practical interventions based on foundational research that help realise the benefits while mitigating the costs. It expects to generate new advances drawing on philosophy, law and sociology, working closely with practitioners at the forefront of deploying AI in insurance.

Our method is the normative sociolegal study of technology, drawing on philosophy, sociology, law and computer science. Sociology is vital for developing a clear picture of Australians' revealed attitudes to novel uses of data for insurance, and for creating workshops to facilitate responsible design by industry practitioners. Moral and political philosophy are crucial to enable the diagnosis of the social functions of insurance and the moral costs and benefits of deploying AI in this sector. Law affords an alternative lens on concepts like privacy and power; it is also critical to understanding and reshaping the regulatory regimes governing whether and how AI is adopted by insurers in Australia.

We anticipate appointing one scholar with a technical focus, and one with a humanistic focus. Both researchers will have a base in their home discipline at ANU, and will become part of the Machine Intelligence and Normative Theory Lab (mintresearch.org), and the Humanising Machine Intelligence project (hmi.anu.edu.au). The scholar with a technical focus will also be part-seconded to the Gradient Institute (gradientinstitute.org), and for this role we are also open to Sydney-based applicants as Gradient Institute has offices in both Sydney and Canberra.

The ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences (CASS) is one of seven Colleges at ANU. The College, which is structured into two main research schools, offers degrees in more than 20 discipline areas and excels in research across the creative arts, humanities and social sciences. The College has a substantial international research presence and is a major source of national policy advice. Our academic staff are internationally recognised for their research, and 57 are members of the Australian Academy of the Humanities, the Academy of the Social Sciences of Australia, or both. We also host 13 Australian Research Council Future Fellows and three ARC Laureates. A hub of vibrant activity, we host more than 270 lectures, concerts and exhibitions each year, most of which are open to the public. Our students, staff and graduates come from more than 60 nations, bringing a diversity of perspective to campus life.

For further information, please contact Professor Seth Lazar, E: seth.lazar@anu.edu.au 

The University actively encourages applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. For more information on employment opportunities, contact our Indigenous Employment Consultant on indigenous.employment@anu.edu.au 

ANU values diversity and inclusion and is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to those of all backgrounds and identities. For more information about staff equity at ANU, visit https://services.anu.edu.au/human-resources/respect-inclusion

Application information

The position is open with respect to field, but candidates should have a background suited to working closely with philosophers, lawyers, sociologists and technologists, and to making first-order advances in their own field. We do not expect candidates to have prior knowledge of insurance specifically—we will support the candidate to develop knowledge of this area of practice—but we do expect a track record of research on normative questions concerning AI and related technologies. In other words, those with technical backgrounds should also have worked on ethical questions; those with humanistic or social science backgrounds should also have worked on AI or a related technology specifically.

We expect one of the research fellows to be in a position to contribute materially to generating actionable ideas that can be practically implemented.

We strongly encourage applications from candidates from backgrounds that have historically been unrepresented in academia.

In order to apply for this role please make sure that you upload the following documents:

• A statement addressing the selection criteria.
• A current curriculum vitae (CV) which includes the names and contact details of at least three referees (preferably including a current or previous supervisor). If your CV does not include referees, you can complete these online when prompted in the application form.
• Other documents, if required.

Applications which do not address the selection criteria may not be considered for the position.

Please note: The successful candidate will be required to undergo a background check during the recruitment process. An offer of employment is conditional on satisfactory results. 

Closing date: 05 March 2023.