![Department for Science, Innovation & Technology](https://patchworkhub.org/uploads/0000/770/2024/05/31/screenshot-2024-05-31-144711.png)
Research Scientist / Research Engineer - Safeguards, Controls, and Mitigations (AI Safety Institute)
- Public sector
- 15/07/2024
- £65,000.00 - £135,000.00 /yearly
- Fixed Term Contract
Job Type
Salary
Date Posted:
Expiration date:
Job ID
About the AI Safety Institute
The AI Safety Institute is the first state-backed organisation focused on advancing AI safety for the public interest. We launched at the Bletchley Park AI Safety Summit in 2023 because we believe taking responsible action on this extraordinary technology requires a capable and empowered group of technical experts within government.
We have ambitious goals and need to move fast.
Our staff includes senior alumni from OpenAI, Google DeepMind, start-ups and the UK government, and ML professors from leading universities. We are now calling on the worlds top technical talent to join us. This is a truly unique opportunity to help shape AI safety at an international level.
As more powerful models are expected to hit the market over the course of 2024, AISIs mission to push for safe and responsible development and deployment of AI is more important than ever.
What we value:
ABOUT THE SAFEGUARDS TEAM
As AI systems get more powerful and integrated into society, the safeguards that prevent a bad actor from misusing a system will become more important. The AI Safety Institutes Safeguard Analysis Team assesses the susceptibility of advanced AI systems to attack, including by testing system safeguards.
The Safeguard Analysis Team is different to other AISI research teams it evaluates attacks that unlock unsafe model capabilities, as opposed to evaluating unsafe capabilities themselves. The team takes a holistic view of security, meaning both ML-based and traditional security attacks and protections are in-scope for the Teams work.
The Teams priorities include research-oriented responsibilities like assessing the threats to frontier systems and developing novel attacks and engineering-oriented ones, such as building infrastructure for running evaluations.
ABOUT THE ROLE
The Safeguard Analysis Team is hiring specialists with skillsets that lean in the direction of either or both of Research Engineer and Research Scientist. We're hiring for all of our sub-teams:
Were hiring at various seniority levels within the team, including in Senior Research Engineer / Research Scientist positions. Calibration on final title, seniority and pay will take place as part of the recruitment process.
As a Research Scientist/Research Engineer in the Safeguard Analysis Team, you will be part of the team that defines AISIs approach to measuring and improving frontier AI security. You will contribute to a research portfolio that makes frontier AI systems more secure, with responsibilities that could include:
A strong applicant for this role will have conducted technical research in machine learning, computer system security, or information security.
We expect experts at the intersection of these areas to be rare, so we encourage you to apply no matter what research expertise youre excited to bring to the Institute.
We look for some of the following skills, experience and attitudes:
CORE REQUIREMENTS
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology offers a competitive mix of benefits including:
Application:
To apply for this post, please send us the following documents:
Why are you interested in joining the AISI right now?
What are the most important technical projects UK government needs to undertake within the next few months to advance AI Safety?
What do you want to be doing to drive those projects forward?
Is there anything else about your skills, experience or background youd like us to be aware of?
Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
The interview process may vary candidate to candidate, however, you should expect a typical process to include some technical proficiency tests, discussions with a cross-section of our team at AISI (including non-technical staff), conversations with your workstream lead. The process will culminate in a conversation with members of the senior team here at AISI.
Sift and interview process
Candidates should expect to go through some or all of the following stages once an application has been submitted:-
We reserve the right to close this vacancy with a two week notice period if we have received a sufficient number of applications. Please submit your application as early as possible to ensure that you are considered for the role.
Nationality Requirements
If you do not meet the standard nationality requirements as detailed below, then we would still encourage you to submit an application. We may be able to explore other options such as seconding you in from either your current employer or a third party organisation.
Not meeting the nationality rules set out below should not be seen as an automatic barrier to applying for this role.
Further Information
Reasonable Adjustment
We are proud to be a disability confident leader and we welcome applications from disabled candidates and candidates with long-term conditions.
We fully support adjustments throughout our recruitment process and we encourage candidates to discuss their adjustment needs by emailing the job contact which can be found under the contact point for applicants section.
We do not have an exhaustive list of adjustments that we support but just some examples include additional time to complete your application form, behaviour questions up to 72 hours prior to interview and having extra time at interview.
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.
If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.
Please note terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.
Any move to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk
DSIT does not normally offer full home working (i.e. working at home); but we do offer a variety of flexible working options (including occasionally working from home).
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf.
However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing [email protected] stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicants details held on the IFD will be refused employment.
A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.
Feedback
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
DSIT T&Cs v1.2 Opens in new window (docx, 179kB) |
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