Senior Research Associate (0765-25)

The Department of Psychology at Lancaster University is seeking to appoint a full time Senior Research Associate, to work on the Protecting Ordinary People from Deepfakes Project. This project is funded by the UKRI as part of Dr Nightingale’s Future Leaders Fellowship and focuses on mapping and mitigating the threats to ordinary people from deepfake technology.

The role involves designing and conducting a range of qualitative (or mixed method) studies to better understand how deepfake technology is being used to cause harm through the creation and sharing of non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII). The body of work will include, for example, conducting interviews and focus groups with stakeholder partners including the police, policy makers, and those who have been targeted with NCII. You will also be expected to propose follow-on research based on the initial programme of work and to use the results to feed into the wider project team’s agenda.

You will be responsible for the development and day-to-day management of the Project, from coordinating the design and set up of studies through to analysis, dissemination and impact activities. As such, the successful candidate will be expected to have excellent knowledge and experience of leading research programmes, as well as competence in handling sensitive and confidential data. Given the speed of technical innovation in the deepfake space, you must be able to take an evaluative, critical, and dynamic approach and evolve according to emerging trends. You will join an interdisciplinary lab and are expected to work closely with other team members.

You will:

Have a strong grounding in qualitative or mixed methods research, ideally with a criminal focus Have experience of working with vulnerable populations or sensitive dataHave experience of data collection (both in-person and online testing) and data managementBe an excellent team playerHave experience of mentoring other researchersHave excellent communication and organization skills

The Psychology Department is a busy teaching and research active Department.  It is home to a friendly group of around 40 Academic staff, with teams of Research and Professional Services and Technical staff.  The Department supports a large cohort of Undergraduate students; a thriving group of Masters and Postgraduate research students; and a wide range of research projects including several cross-institution grants. 

Further information about the Department is available at: http://www.psych.lancs.ac.uk

Please upload a cover letter with your application.

For this full-time post, we expect a January 2026 start. This role is indefinite, subject to funding, which is currently only available until November 2028.

Informal enquiries are welcome and should be addressed to Dr Sophie Nightingale, s.nightingale1@lancaster.ac.uk.

Closing Date: 03 Nov 2025

Department: Research

Salary: £39,906 to £48,882 (Full time, indefinite with end date)