Postdoctoral Research Fellow (Human Centred Digital Design)

• School of Social Science

• Research Academic Level A

• Full-time, fixed term for three years

• Closing date: Monday, 31 October 2022 at 11.00pm AEST (R-17312)

About This Opportunity 

A highly motivated researcher, passionate about human-digital relationships is sought to work in a multidisciplinary, multi-institutional team to identify and co-design human centred digital solutions with disadvantaged social service users. This is an exciting opportunity for a Postdoctoral Research Fellow to focus their research into the design of responsible, ethical and inclusive automated decision making and Artificial Intelligence in government and social services. Social services include welfare payments, child and family services, education, disability services, employment services, criminal justice and parole, migration services, etc. While applicants may be trained in STEM or HASS fields, a researcher who can work across disciplines is desired. The incumbent will be employed by the University of Queensland node of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Automated Decision Making and Society (ADM+S ) and be located in the School of Social Science, and will work with researchers across the Centre and industry partners, such as Economic Justice Australia and Red Cross Australia’s Humanitech .

Key responsibilities will include: 

Research

• Conduct productive, collaborative, partnership research that progresses the Machines project Ethical, responsible and inclusive ADM in social services

• Develop a personal research program related to the Centre, including applying for external funding

• Publish high quality scholarly journal articles, conference papers, book chapters, and research reports

• Present research at relevant conferences and other professional and community fora

• Work with colleagues and postgraduate students across the Centre and within UQ in the development of joint research projects

Supervision and Researcher Development

• Contribute to the effective supervision of Honours and Higher Degree by Research students (as appropriate).

• As appropriate, manage research support staff effectively throughout the employee lifecycle in accordance with University policy and procedures.

• Work to promptly resolve conflict and grievances when they arise in accordance with University policy and procedures.

Teaching and Learning

• Contribute to the UQ Node and Centre’s professional development program of research training and research translation

• Contribute to a limited amount of coursework teaching, as appropriate

Citizenship and Service

• Demonstrate citizenship behaviours that align to the UQ and CoE ADM+S values.

• Contribute to the processes that enable the UQ Node and the Centre to manage the work, including participating in Centre activities and serve on committees

• Foster and build UQ Node’s relationships with other Centre Nodes, Partner Organisations and relevant industry, government departments, professional bodies and the wider community.

• Promote the Centre’s research programs and activities

This role is subject to The University’s Code of Conduct .  

About the UQ Node of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision Making and Society

The UQ node of the ARC Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Automated Decision Making and Society (ADM+S) is located in the School of Social Science. It is led by Professor Paul Henman , with Associate Investigators Associate Professor Philip Gillingham (Adjunct, School of Social Science), Associate Professor Paul Harpur (Law School), Associate Professor Nicholas Carah (School of Communications and Arts), Dr Robert Mullins (Law School) and Dr Amelia Radke (Centre for Policy Futures).

The ARC CoE ADM+S was established in August 2020, with funding of AUD$31.8 million from the Australian Research Council (ARC) over seven years, 2020-2026. An additional AUD$39.3 million in cash and in-kind support has been committed by the Centre partners. The Centre is hosted at RMIT, with Professor Julian Thomas as Director and Professor Jean Burgess (QUT) as Associate Director.

The Centre’s Investigators are internationally renowned experts in the core disciplines essential to the Centre’s collaborative approach, coming from across the humanities, social and technological sciences, with strong records of innovation, impact and external engagement.

The recent rapid expansion of automated decision-making, enabled by a wide range of technologies from machine learning to the blockchain, has given rise to new risks to human rights and welfare. Potential harms range from data discrimination against disadvantaged communities to the spread of disinformation for political and commercial ends. Increasing inequality, lower productivity and diminished economic security have all been highlighted as risks in the coming decade. 

The Centre aims to contribute to the mitigation of these social and economic risks in the development and implementation of ADM, and to improve outcomes and efficiencies in four key focus areas where automation is already well advanced – news and media, transport and mobility, health care, and social services. The research is being conducted in four research programs – Machines, Data, People, and Institutions.

Further details about the Centre can be found at: https://www.admscentre.org.au/ .

About You  

• Completion or near completion of a PhD in in a relevant discipline relating to the UQ Node’s work, including HASS or STEM, but particularly with a design component, such as Human Computer Interaction (HCI), Interaction Design or User Experience (UX).

• Demonstrable competence in human-centered design and/or co-design of tools or services in digital collaboration environments

• An emerging research track record of high-quality publications, and grant applications.

• Demonstrated ability to work harmoniously and collaboratively within a team, while maintaining an individual profile in a research area and contributing to the collegial life of the Centre within and beyond UQ

• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to represent and promote the Centre (where appropriate) at a university and wider community level, including industry, government and professional bodies

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English, the language of instruction at The University of Queensland

Desirable

• Demonstrated knowledge in a social service area such as: child and family services; disability services; welfare benefits/social security; criminal justice.

• Strong capacity to deploy both qualitative and quantitative research methods.

• A strong understanding of algorithms, and an ability to program/code, such as in R or python.

What We Can Offer 

This is a full-time, fixed term position for three years.

The full-time equivalent base salary will be in the range $72,144 – $96,530 plus super of up to 17%. The total FTE package will be in the range $84,408 – $112,940 per annum. 

The following flexible employment options may be available for this role:  ​Part time; some working from home; variable start or finish times; purchased leave.

For further information about UQ’s benefits, please visit Why Work at UQ and review The University of Queensland’s Enterprise Bargaining Agreement 2018 – 2021 . 

 
Questions? 

To discuss this role please contact Professor Paul Henman via email [email protected] . 

For application queries, please contact [email protected] stating the job reference number in the subject line. 
 

Want to Apply? 

All applicants must upload the following documents in order for your application to be considered:

• Cover letter addressing the ‘About You’ section  

• Resume

• Your proposed research project relating to human centred design of ADM/AI in social services (for presentation and discussion at interview) 

Please note that you will be asked to add all documents into the one upload box labelled ‘resume’, which is step one of the application form.

To satisfy pre-requisite questions and ensure your application can be considered in full, all candidates must apply via the UQ Careers portal by the job closing deadline or will not be accepted. 

Other Information 

Sponsorship: Visa sponsorship may be available for this appointment.  

Background Checks: All final applicants for this position may be asked to consent to a criminal record check. Please note that people with criminal records are not automatically barred from applying for this position. Each application will be considered on its merits.  
 

We value diversity and inclusion, and actively encourage applications from those who bring diversity to the University. Our Diversity and Inclusion webpage contains further information if you require additional support. Accessibility requirements and/or adjustments can be directed to [email protected] . 

If you are a current employee of the University, or hold an unpaid or affiliate appointment with the University, please login to your staff Workday account and visit the internal careers board to apply for this opportunity. Please do NOT apply via the external job board.