National AI Awards 2025Discover AI's trailblazers! Join us to celebrate innovation and nominate industry leaders.

Nominate & Attend

Research Scientist/Research Engineer

AI Safety Institute
London
4 months ago
Applications closed

Related Jobs

View all jobs

Research Engineer, Data (Foundational Research, Machine Learning)

Research Engineer, Data (Foundational Research, Machine Learning)...

Research Scientist / AI Engineer - London, UK/Hybrid Machine Learning · Main Office ·

Research Scientist, Computer Vision & GenAI

Research Scientist (Machine Learning, Cell and Tissue Biology), London

Research Scientist (Machine Learning, Cell and Tissue Biology), London London, England, United [...]

Find out more about the daily tasks, overall responsibilities, and required experience for this opportunity by scrolling down now.Role DescriptionThe AI Safety Institute research unit is looking for exceptionally motivated and talented people to join its Safeguard Analysis Team.

Interventions that secure a system from abuse by bad actors will grow in importance as AI systems become more advanced and integrated into society. The AI Safety Institute’s Safeguard Analysis Team researches such interventions, which it refers to as 'safeguards', evaluating protections used to secure current frontier AI systems and considering what measures could and should be used to secure such systems in the future.

The Safeguard Analysis Team takes a broad view of security threats and interventions. It's keen to hire researchers with expertise developing and analysing attacks and protections for systems based on large language models, but is also keen to hire security researchers who have historically worked outside of AI, such as in - non-exhaustively - computer security, information security, web technology policy, and hardware security. Diverse perspectives and research interests are welcomed.

The Team seeks people with skillsets leaning in the direction of either or both of Research Scientist and Research Engineer, recognising that some technical staff may prefer work that spans or alternates between engineering and research responsibilities. The Team's 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.

In this role, you’ll receive mentorship and coaching from your manager and the technical leads on your team. You'll also regularly interact with world-famous researchers and other incredible staff, including alumni from Anthropic, DeepMind, OpenAI and ML professors from Oxford and Cambridge.

In addition to Junior roles, Senior, Staff and Principal RE positions are available for candidates with the required seniority and experience.

Person SpecificationYou may be a good fit if you have

some

of the following skills, experience and attitudes:

Experience working on machine learning, AI, AI security, computer security, information security, or some other security discipline in industry, in academia, or independently.

Experience working with a world-class research team comprised of both scientists and engineers (e.g. in a top-3 lab).

Red-teaming experience against any sort of system.

Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Comprehensive understanding of large language models (e.g. GPT-4). This includes both a broad understanding of the literature, as well as hands-on experience with things like pre-training or fine-tuning LLMs.

Extensive Python experience, including understanding the intricacies of the language, the good vs. bad Pythonic ways of doing things and much of the wider ecosystem/tooling.

Ability to work in a self-directed way with high agency, thriving in a constantly changing environment and a steadily growing team, while figuring out the best and most efficient ways to solve a particular problem.

Bring your own voice and experience but also an eagerness to support your colleagues together with a willingness to do whatever is necessary for the team’s success and find new ways of getting things done.

Have a sense of mission, urgency, and responsibility for success, demonstrating problem-solving abilities and preparedness to acquire any missing knowledge necessary to get the job done.

Writing production quality code.

Improving technical standards across a team through mentoring and feedback.

Designing, shipping, and maintaining complex tech products.

Salary & BenefitsWe are hiring individuals at all ranges of seniority and experience within the research unit, and this advert allows you to apply for any of the roles within this range. We will discuss and calibrate with you as part of the process. The full range of salaries available is as follows:

L3: £65,000 - £75,000

L4: £85,000 - £95,000

L5: £105,000 - £115,000

L6: £125,000 - £135,000

L7: £145,000

There are a range of pension options available which can be found through the Civil Service website.

Selection ProcessIn accordance with the Civil Service Commission rules, the following list contains all selection criteria for the interview process.

Required ExperienceThis job advert encompasses a range of possible research and engineering roles within the Safeguard Analysis Team. The 'required' experiences listed below should be interpreted as examples of the expertise we're looking for, as opposed to a list of everything we expect to find in one applicant:

Writing production quality code

Writing code efficiently

Python

Frontier model architecture knowledge

Frontier model training knowledge

Model evaluations knowledge

AI safety research knowledge

Security research knowledge

Research problem selection

Research science

Written communication

Verbal communication

Teamwork

Interpersonal skills

Tackle challenging problems

Learn through coaching

#J-18808-Ljbffr

National AI Awards 2025

Subscribe to Future Tech Insights for the latest jobs & insights, direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of service.

Industry Insights

Discover insightful articles, industry insights, expert tips, and curated resources.

AI Jobs UK 2025: 50 Companies Hiring Now

Bookmark this guide – we refresh it every quarter so you always know who’s really scaling their artificial‑intelligence teams. Artificial intelligence hiring has roared back in 2025. The UK’s boosted National AI Strategy funding, record‑breaking private investment (£18.1 billion so far) & a fresh wave of generative‑AI product launches mean employers are jockeying for data scientists, ML engineers, MLOps specialists, AI product managers, prompt engineers & applied researchers. Below are 50 organisations that have advertised UK‑based AI vacancies in the past eight weeks or formally announced growth plans. They’re grouped into five easy‑scan categories so you can jump straight to the kind of employer – & culture – that suits you. For each company you’ll find: Main UK hub Example live or recent vacancy Why it’s worth a look (tech stack, culture, mission) Use the internal links to browse current vacancies on ArtificialIntelligenceJobs.co.uk – or set up a free job alert so fresh roles land in your inbox.

Return-to-Work Pathways: Relaunch Your AI Career with Returnships, Flexible & Hybrid Roles

Stepping back into the workplace after a career break can feel like embarking on a whole new journey—especially in a cutting-edge field such as artificial intelligence (AI). For parents and carers, the challenge isn’t just refreshing your technical know-how but also securing a role that respects your family commitments. Fortunately, the UK’s tech sector now boasts a wealth of return-to-work programmes—from formal returnships to flexible and hybrid opportunities. These pathways are designed to bridge the gap, equipping you with refreshed skills, confidence and a supportive network. In this comprehensive guide, you’ll discover how to: Understand the booming demand for AI talent in the UK Leverage transferable skills honed during your break Overcome common re-entry challenges Build your AI skillset with targeted training Tap into returnship and re-entry programmes Find flexible, hybrid and full-time AI roles that suit your lifestyle Balance professional growth with caring responsibilities Master applications, interviews and networking Whether you’re returning after maternity leave, eldercare duties or another life chapter, this article will equip you with practical steps, resources and insider tips.

LinkedIn Profile Checklist for AI Jobs: 10 Tweaks That Triple Recruiter Views

In today’s fiercely competitive AI job market, simply having a LinkedIn profile isn’t enough. Recruiters and hiring managers routinely scout for top talent in machine learning, data science, natural language processing, computer vision and beyond—sometimes before roles are even posted. With hundreds of applicants vying for each role, you need a profile that’s optimised for search, speaks directly to AI-specific skills, and showcases measurable impact. By following this step-by-step LinkedIn for AI jobs checklist, you’ll make ten strategic tweaks that can triple recruiter views and position you as a leading AI professional. Whether you’re a fresh graduate aiming for your first AI position or a seasoned expert targeting a senior role, these actionable changes will ensure your profile stands out in feeds, search results and recruiter queues. Let’s dive in.