Researcher in Political Theology and AI Science

Part-time (0.5)

Fixed-term (36 months / 3 years)

The post holder is a member of the research team for the God and the Machine project, with responsibility for theological research on political loyalty within Workstream 2 (Influence).

God and the Machine:
Frontier Interactions between AI Science and Theology is a research project in the Ian Ramsey Centre for Science and Religion, Faculty of Theology and Religion, University of Oxford, funded by the John Templeton Foundation.

The project develops a theological framework for understanding artificial intelligence as a mediating tool, working across two interrelated work streams:
Workstream 1 (Interpretation), which uses large language models as a computational hermeneutic tool, and Workstream 2 (Influence), which develops a theology of AI’s mediation of human formation. The post holder will contribute to Workstream 2, focusing on political loyalty: how AI recommender systems shape human desires and, in particular, the formation of political loyalties.

The successful candidate will bring theological expertise in human formation and relationships, ideally with a specialisation in political theology.

The gross annual salary has been set at Point 31 of the National Pay Spine, as appropriate for the career stage and experience of the post, and increments one scale point each October, in line with University of Oxford policy. The project runs from August 2026 2 1 December 2026 to 30 November 2029; for the post is available for up to 36 months within this period, with the exact start date to be agreed with the successful candidate.

You will hold or be close to completing a PhD/DPhil in a closely related field, and have specialist expertise in political theology, the ordering of loves, and the theology of human formation including the formation of political loyalties.

The closing date for applications is 12.00pm on Wednesday, 21 October.

£39,424 to £41,336 per annum (pro-rata: £19,712 - £20,668) Grade 7, point 1-3