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Recruiting computational social sciences and AI research engineer

The Sciences Po medialab is recruiting a research engineer to support researchers in developing new social science research projects in AI.

Notice, Job

Deadline:

  • Contact: recrutement.medialab@sciencespo.fr

The project

This position is part of the NextGenAI project, a research consortium bringing together international universities and OpenAI with the aim of advancing research with the help of artificial intelligence. The research conducted at Sciences Po as part of this project will examine the relationship between artificial intelligence and democracy.

As part of this project, Sciences Po will benefit from significant computing resources, both in terms of credits for access to OpenAI's API and computing hours on several types of servers, some hosted locally, others accessed through institutional partnerships.

Missions

The successful candidate will be responsible for contributing to the design and deployment of research projects in the humanities and social sciences that rely on the use of generative AI models. The projects to be developed as part of NextGenAI, in collaboration with political scientists, economists, and sociologists, among others, aim to model the dynamics of public issues in Europe (immigration, the environment, social policy) and to test the role of LLMs in social networks.

The successful candidate will also be responsible for ensuring that researchers have access to these computing resources. In this capacity, they will be required to organize training sessions, provide technical and methodological support, and set up tools to monitor GPU/ad hoc credit usage.

In addition, the successful candidate will join the team of engineers at Sciences Po's medialab and will be expected to participate in the team's general tasks. This involves contributing to the development of the medialab's open source software and supporting the research work carried out at the laboratory, potentially by participating in the writing of scientific articles.

Required experiences and skills

  • Technical skills

The successful candidate will have previous experience in using libraries and training platforms for neural models (HuggingFace, PyTorch, TensorFlow, etc.), as well as proficiency in high-performance computing (HPC) environments and/or GPU servers, and Linux operating systems. Knowledge of task orchestration or scheduling solutions would be an advantage.

  • Teaching and interpersonal skills

We are looking for someone who is able to explain technical issues to a wide range of audiences (researchers, post-doctoral fellows, doctoral students, students, engineers) and who is comfortable establishing links with different research teams across five Sciences Po research centers. Fluency in French and English, both spoken and written, is required for this position.

  • Desired profile and experience

Ideally, the candidate should hold a degree from an engineering school or a master's degree in a discipline such as computer science, applied mathematics, or physics. Individuals with a background in social sciences and proven experience in programming and AI models are also encouraged to apply. In addition, familiarity with one or more of the disciplines taught at Sciences Po (sociology, economics, political science, law, history) or an interest in the humanities and social sciences in general would be an additional asset. Experience in social science research would be ideal. Professional or community involvement demonstrating an interest in issues of democracy will of course be viewed favorably.

Working environment

The candidate will join Sciences Po's interdisciplinary medialab team and will be part of the laboratory's team of engineers. The position requires a minimum of three days per week in the 7th arrondissement of Paris (remote working possible two days per week from the third month onwards). The position is available from December 2025 for a period of 30 months. The gross salary offered ranges from €45,000 to €50,000 per year, depending on experience. The position includes comprehensive health insurance, 40 days of paid leave per year, 5 days of RTT (reduced working time), 55% of public transport costs and meal vouchers.

To apply

Send a CV and cover letter detailing your relevant experience and skills for the position to recrutement.medialab@sciencespo.fr before 30 November 2025. Interviews will be conducted as responses to this offer are received, with the position to be filled as soon as possible.