Research Fellow on AI and Machine Learning (P-3)

Role Purpose

To build up the inaugural team for the Lab, we are looking for highly motivated candidates who are eager to co-develop and drive its ambitious data-and information-driven research agenda as Research Fellow (2 P-3 positions) or Research Associate (4 PSA positions). All vacancy texts can be found on the UNU website https://unu.edu.

The Research Fellows are expected to guide and manage the Lab’s research program, a role that will include directing and supervising the Lab’s Research Associates, supporting other junior researchers and PhD Fellows at UNU-MERIT, interacting with researchers from the two research units of UNU-MERIT, and actively seeking and acquiring funding for the Lab’s activities. The expected outputs of this work include research articles in high-impact journals, policy reports with partner institutions, stakeholder workshops, conferences, and high-level presentations to government officials. Candidates should be comfortable in actively engaging with practitioners and policy makers on real-world cases. This requires a strong motivation to understand the context of policy problems, and to work with various – often heterogeneous or incomplete – types of data at the micro, meso and macro level.

The new Lab will be formally launched in Spring 2023. In the pre-launch phase of the Lab, the inaugural team of Computational Innovation Lab Research Fellows and Associates will co-create with UNU-MERIT staff a strategy for data analytics, information management and the data analysis platform addressing the complex challenges described above. This strategy process will identify and prioritize ideas and initial projects to maximize impact, visibility and partnerships for the institute.

Responsibilities

Under the overall supervision of the Director of the institute, the Research Fellow on AI and Machine Learning (P-3)  undertakes research, education and outreach activities in support of the institute’s Strategic Plan. The Research Fellow’s responsibilities include the following:

1   Develop and use models, using AI and other methods, in support of the Institute’s program of work

• Develop machine learning methods to extract patterns and trends from the data
• Design and develop geospatial analysis to understand the geospatial distribution of investments, climate impacts, climate governance and sustainable development
• Use clustering techniques to understand the differences between e.g., regions, countries, or districts on e.g., livelihoods, sustainable development, conflicts and humanitarian disasters
• Develop actionable indexes and indicator models based on data analysis

2   Undertake research using AI and other methods in support of the institute’s research program

• Producing research papers individually or in collaboration with others (internally and externally) that fit within the disciplinary research activities of the institute and/or cross-cutting and inter-disciplinary horizontal research initiatives
• Writing policy briefs, blogs, academic journal papers, internal briefing papers
• Contributing to the writing of research reports, including reports for and on behalf of other UN agencies
• Jointly develop research activities with colleagues in the Institute, striving for policy impact in the UN system, at international, regional, and national levels

3   Contribute to the fundraising activities of the Institute

• Lead funding acquisition to develop the computational innovation lab research agenda with respect to its AI research ambitions
• Interact with researchers from the two research units of UNU-MERIT to develop joint research proposals and activities

4   Establish and maintain partnerships and professional relationships

• Build and maintain networks with relevant stakeholders, such as academics, donors, the UN system, governments, and private sector, for potential collaboration internationally
• Engage policy consumers/partners to ensure policy impact of research outputs
• Engage professional networks to raise visibility of the Institute
• Support outreach and the dissemination of results

5  Strategy development and management of the Computational Innovation Lab

• Guide and manage the Computational Innovation Lab’s research program
• Co-direct and supervise the Lab’s Research Associates, support other junior researchers and PhD Fellows
• Co-create a strategy for data analytics, information management and the data analysis platform

6  Perform other tasks as assigned by supervisor

Key Performance Indicators

• Timely and quality research publications
• Timely and quality delivery of planned modeling applications
• Timely and quality delivery of other outputs (dissemination, database development, organization of events, supervision of PhD fellows, etc.)
• Timely and quality delivery of inputs to curated fundraising opportunities
• Quality and level of engagement with other researchers, teams, consultants, and partners
• Quality and level of engagement with partners, related networks and working groups

Competencies

Values:

• Inclusion - Take action to create an environment of dignity and respect for all, regardless of age, culture, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, gender expression, geography, grade, language, nationality, racial identity, religion, sex, sex characteristics, sexual orientation, social origin or any other aspect of identity.
• Integrity - Act ethically, demonstrating the standards of conduct of the United Nations and taking prompt action in case of witnessing unprofessional or unethical behaviour, or any other breach of UN standards.
• Humility - Demonstrate self-awareness and willingness to learn from others.
• Humanity - Act according to the purposes of the United Nations: peace, dignity and equality on a healthy planet.

Behaviours:

• Connect and Collaborate - Build positive relationships with others to advance the work of the United Nations and work coherently as One UN
• Analyse and Plan - Seek out and use data from a wide range of sources to understand problems, inform decision-making, propose evidence-based solutions and plan action
• Deliver Results with Positive Impact - Hold oneself and others accountable for delivering results and making a positive difference to the people and causes that the United Nations serves
• Learn and Develop - Pursue own learning and development and contribute to the learning and development of others
• Adapt and Innovate - Demonstrate flexibility, agility and the ability to think and act in novel ways

Education and certification

A PhD (completed) on AI and machine learning in a relevant quantitative discipline related to data science, information systems, complexity science, or computer science

Experience and other requirements:

Required:

• A minimum of five (5) years of progressively relevant work experience in the area of (humanitarian) crisis management, green transformation or sustainable development, some of which should include managing teams of three or more staff
• A body of research on AI and machine learning, as demonstrated by a record of scientific publications, such as journal articles, book chapters, and scientific advisory reports
• Excellent writing skills and a proven ability to communicate research findings to diverse audiences
• A track record in funding acquisition and outreach as demonstrated through projects funded via public or private organizations
• Strong communication and presentation skills, along with excellent drafting skills
• Good team player with strong interpersonal skills demonstrated by the ability to work in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity
• Professionalism, flexibility and ability to work to realistic deadlines, creative thinking, results driven, foreseeing risks and allowing for contingencies when planning
• Experience working with diverse stakeholders including public, private, non-profit and intergovernmental organizations
• Experience in managing research projects in academia, research or other organizations

Desired:

• Experience in (humanitarian) crisis management, sustainable development or green transformation policy contexts within the UN common system or other international organizations
• Experience in interacting with policy-makers, participatory research, and translating data- driven findings into meaningful insights and policy-focused reports
• Experience in managing research finances and budgets

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English
• Knowledge of another UN official working language is an asset, as is knowledge of Dutch

UNU offers an attractive, tax exempt compensation package including an annual net salary and post adjustment, which reflects the cost of living in a particular duty station and exchange rates (subject to mandatory deductions for pension contributions and health insurance). Other benefits include: 30 days annual leave, dependency benefits, pension plan and health insurance scheme. Benefits for internationally recruited staff may include home leave, travel and removal expenses on appointment and separation, education grant for dependent children, assignment grant and rental subsidy. For more information please see: https://careers.un.org/lbw/home.aspx?viewtype=SAL

 

Duration of contract
This is a full-time, fixed-term appointment. The initial appointment will be for one (1) year with the possibility of renewal on a fixed-term appointment basis, subject to satisfactory work performance.

For academic positions, the combined duration of fixed-term appointments with UNU may not exceed six (6) years. The mandatory age of retirement for United Nations staff is 65 years.

Expected starting date: 
01 January 2023 or sooner

UNU is an international community of scholars engaged in policy-oriented research, capacity development and dissemination of knowledge in furthering the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations. The mission of UNU is to contribute, through research and capacity building, to efforts to resolve the pressing global problems that are the concern of the United Nations and its Member States.

For the past four decades, UNU has been a go-to think tank for impartial research on human survival, conflict prevention, sustainable development, and welfare. With more than 400 researchers in 12 countries, UNU's work spans the 17 Sustainable Development Goals' full breadth, generating policy-relevant knowledge to effect positive global change. UNU maintains more than 200 collaborations with UN agencies and leading universities and research institutions across the globe.

The United Nations University – Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (UNU-MERIT)

The United Nations University – Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (UNU-MERIT) is a research and training institute of the United Nations University (UNU) based in Maastricht in the south of the Netherlands, closely collaborating with Maastricht University (UM).

Through its research agenda on ‘Comprehensive Innovation for Sustainable Development' (CI4SD), UNU-MERIT aims to generate new knowledge on the intricate nature and role of innovation in complex social-economic-technological settings, to translate this knowledge into new methods, tools, policies and governance structures, and to educate and train students, researchers and policymakers to assimilate, apply and implement these new insights. For more information on UNU-MERIT and our work, please visit www.merit.unu.edu.

UNU-MERIT’s Computational Innovation Lab on Crises, Transformation and Sustainable Development

UNU-MERIT is in the process of establishing a Computational Innovation Lab as a new institutional expertise centre on data, AI and computational modelling to strengthen UNU-MERIT’s strategic agenda on comprehensive innovation for sustainable development (CI4SD). Drawing upon the research expertise of the institute, the Lab’s mission is to provide actionable data and computational models for research, education and policymaking on CI4SD.

The Lab’s focus is on the contribution of data, AI and computational models to understand the impacts of significant disruptions such as crises and systemic shocks on ‘the green transformation’ and sustainable development. Such disruptions may be caused by conflict, natural disasters, health crises or major changes in technologies, institutions and markets.

The green transformation aims to bring the economy within the limits of planetary boundaries while ensuring economic and societal progress for the current and future generations. In this context, research in the lab aims to contribute to our understanding of how transformative innovation can contribute to sustainable development goals while responding and adapting to crises and shocks, given diverse institutional and governance landscapes.

For example, how do crises such as extreme climate events (floods and heat waves) impact socio-economic outcomes regarding distributional consequences and between countries and regions e.g., between the global north and south? How do the war in Ukraine and the green transformation affect labour market outcomes, e.g., what are the jobs and occupations that will accompany a green transformation that is resilient against shocks? How does the transformation of global production networks, arising from concerns about carbon footprints (or by protectionist policies in lead markets) affect suppliers in the Global South? How can transformative innovation initiatives mitigate the negative consequences? Can shocks and crises, while entailing short-term adaptation and action, also open unexpected opportunities for longer-term structural change (‘opportunity in crises’)?

The Lab’s research agenda thus focuses on the complex interplay between major disruptions, systemic shocks, green transformation, and sustainable development. Research in the Computational Innovation Lab will have strong empirical grounding, using real-world data and case studies. The resulting data, information and models will be made available on a new data analysis platform, accessible to researchers within UNU-MERIT and globally.