Research Scientist - Ethics & Society

Our Mission

Our mission is to solve the most important and fundamental challenges in AI and Robotics to enable future generations of intelligent machines that will help us all live better lives.

The AI Institute robotics, ethics & society team does forward-thinking, cross-disciplinary research on the societal impact of robotics. Our research aims to ground societal conversations about robotics with evidence, providing the data needed for decision makers to make informed choices about the integration and regulation of robotic systems. 

Our approach is creative, rigorous, and highly collaborative. The research team brings together members from different disciplines, all of whom use scientifically grounded methodologies. The team chooses its own research topics and projects, working to identify and examine under-explored questions at the intersections of law & policy, ethics, market forces, and robotics. We are committed to high-quality work on a few projects at a time, publishing only peer-reviewed research.

Aside from doing independent research, the team is fully embedded at the institute. The team hosts institute-wide workshops and conversations, and engages with all of the research & development at the Institute.

Research Scientists will have a background in empirical, data-driven social science, including disciplines such as anthropology, sociology, economics, political science, STS, and other related fields. We also welcome applicants with an engineering or computer science background who have considerable experience in social science methodologies. All researchers must have a proven track record of cross-disciplinary, collaborative research at the intersection of social and technical systems.

If you are passionate about investigating the societal implications of robots, and excited to be embedded in a cutting-edge robotics institute, this team will be a great fit for you!

• Collaboratively design, execute, and support mixed-method research studies involving data collection and analysis
• Prepare and co-author peer-reviewed publications
• Engage with the robotics research & development teams at the Institute
• Other responsibilities as needed

• MS or PhD in a relevant field (or equivalent training/experience)
• 5+ years of research experience
• Track-record of collaborative, cross-disciplinary research
• Familiarity with qualitative and quantitative social science methodologies, with deep expertise in at least one methodological approach
• Experience with designing and executing data-intensive research studies
• Record of peer-reviewed publishing
• Strong analytical and critical thinking abilities
• Strong interpersonal, organizational, and communication skills, ability to work within a multidisciplinary environment

• Experience with robotic systems
• Deep knowledge of statistics or data science
• Record of impactful peer-reviewed publications in top-tier conferences and journals
• Experience working in both academic and industry research environments

We provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibit discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.