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University of Reading

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Postdoctoral Research Associate in Large Language Models, Philosophy, and Computational Linguistics University of Reading in United Kingdom

Degree Level

Postdoc

Field of study

Computer Science

Funding

Fixed-term full-time post for 12 months. Salary is £37,369 to £40,704 per annum. No explicit tuition or stipend funding is mentioned; this is a paid research job.

Deadline

Nov 20, 2026

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Country

United Kingdom

University

University of Reading

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Keywords

Computer Science
Philosophy
Natural Language Processing
Computational Linguistics
Interpretability
Linguistics
Philosophy Of Languag
Large Language Models
ML

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About this position

Postdoctoral Research Associate opportunity at the University of Reading in the Department of Philosophy, working on the AHRC Catalyst project Large Language Models as Philosophical Inquiry led by Dr Jumbly Grindrod.

This interdisciplinary post sits at the intersection of computer science, computational linguistics, philosophy of language, and linguistics. The successful candidate will design and carry out model-analysis studies focused on how large language models handle linguistic phenomena, using interpretability and representational analysis methods to inform philosophical and linguistic questions.

The role is full time and fixed term for 12 months, with a salary of £37,369 to £40,704 per annum. The post includes opportunities to publish and present findings, support the organisation of a project conference, and contribute to a special issue of Ratio.

Eligibility highlights: applicants should have a doctoral degree awarded or submitted by the start date in NLP, computational linguistics, machine learning, or a cognate discipline; experience with LLM analysis and interpretability; empirical study design and statistical analysis skills; strong Python and ML/NLP library experience; and a publication record. Philosophy of language is desirable but not essential, and applicants from linguistics, cognitive science, digital humanities, or related areas are encouraged.

Deadline: 20 November 2026 at 23:59. Interview date: 10 December 2026.

Visa note: applicants requiring sponsorship should check Home Office eligibility; visa application-related costs such as the Immigration Health Surcharge are not covered by the university.

Funding details

Fixed-term full-time post for 12 months. Salary is £37,369 to £40,704 per annum. No explicit tuition or stipend funding is mentioned; this is a paid research job.

What's required

A doctoral degree awarded or with thesis submitted by the start date in natural language processing, computational linguistics, machine learning, or a cognate discipline. Applicants should have experience analysing internal representations or computational behaviour of large language models using probing, representational analysis, or feature- and circuit-level interpretability techniques; experience designing empirical studies and applying appropriate statistical methods; strong Python programming skills with standard ML/NLP libraries; and a record of peer-reviewed publications. Familiarity with philosophy of language is desirable but not essential, and backgrounds in linguistics, cognitive science, digital humanities, or related fields are welcome.

How to apply

Apply through the jobs.ac.uk vacancy page before 23:59 on 20 November 2026. Review the project details and prepare to discuss your fit for the interdisciplinary research role; shortlisted candidates will be interviewed on 10 December 2026.

More information can be found here

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