Senior Research Associate - AI Agent Security; two

Senior Research Associate – AI Agent Security (Two posts)

School of Computing and Communications

Location: Bailrigg, Lancaster, UK

Salary: £39,906 to £46,049 (Full-Time/Indefinite)

Closing Date: Sunday 28 June 2026

Interview Date: Friday 10 July 2026

Reference: 0449-26

We are seeking candidates to join our AI security group at Lancaster University, becoming part of a rapidly growing research field. This position focuses on AI Agent Security, specifically Shadow AI – the deployment and use of Artificial Intelligence within an organisation without knowledge or approval from security teams. Shadow AI is a major issue within companies, given the rapid uptake of agents within organisations, and introduces threats spanning model backdoors, coordinated attacks, AI safety issues, and data leakage.

• Lead research on defending AI agents from cyber attack, focusing on Shadow AI.
• Contribute to cutting‑edge research on security and privacy of AI applications and processes on the edge within the Edge AI Hub.
• Collaborate with industry researchers at Mindgard and other partners to tackle real‑world problems.
• Develop prototypes and deliver findings rapidly to industry, ensuring rapid dissemination.
• Publish research outcomes in high‑impact venues.

• PhD in Computer Science or related field.
• Expertise in cyber security, artificial intelligence, or distributed systems.
• Experience in AI security, adversarial machine learning, or workload anomaly detection is desirable.
• Strong software development skills and experience in developing prototypes.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

The role offers access to a rapidly growing AI Security lab, a large‑scale GPU datacenter with state‑of‑the‑art foundation models, and collaboration with an award‑winning AI security company. The School of Computing and Communications is highly ranked, and Lancaster University offers a supportive, inclusive environment with excellent employment practices and workplace benefits.

The University recognises and celebrates good employment practice undertaken to address all inequality in higher education whilst promoting the importance and wellbeing for all our colleagues. We warmly welcome applicants from all sections of the community regardless of their age, religion, gender identity or expression, race, disability or sexual orientation, and are committed to promoting diversity, equality of opportunity.