Job Title: Research Assistant - Creative x AI
Start Date: ASAP - July 2026
End Date: 31st March 2027
Pay rate: £17.20 per hour
Hours: 7 hours per week - 1 day a week (Half on Monday, Half on Friday)
Location: Cambridge
Role Overview:
The Research Assistant (RA) will play a central role in the delivery of the ARU × AVEVA creative commissioning programme, supporting the co-design, development, and implementation of a major arts and creativity initiative for AVEVA’s new global headquarters in Cambridge Science Park. Working closely with Dr Idrees Rasouli (alongside Design Lab, AVEVA stakeholders, Create Cambridge, artists, students, and community partners), the RA will contribute to research, artist engagement, programme coordination, documentation, and evaluation activities.
The role will help ensure that the programme successfully explores the intersections of creativity, artificial intelligence, industrial intelligence, sustainability, and place-based innovation. The RA will support the development of a high-quality, inclusive, and ethically grounded programme that translates complex technological and industrial systems into meaningful cultural and creative outputs.
Key Responsibilities:
1. Research and Creative Development
• Support research activities exploring the relationships between creativity, AI, industrial systems, sustainability, and human-centred innovation.
• Assist with the development and refinement of curatorial themes related to:
- Art and Creativity
- Technology and Engineering
- City and Community
• Conduct literature reviews, environmental scans, and background research relevant to creativity, AI, cultural placemaking, and
workplace innovation.
• Contribute to the integration of SAGE AI (Slow AI for Generative Ethics) principles within programme activities and artist development processes.
• Support the documentation of emerging insights from workshops, artist development sessions, and stakeholder engagement activities.
2. Artist Engagement and Programme Delivery
• Support the planning and delivery of the open call process for artists, designers, technologists, and interdisciplinary practitioners.
• Assist in coordinating artist development workshops, mentoring sessions, and technical consultations.
• Maintain communication with participating artists and creative practitioners throughout the programme lifecycle.
• Help organise artist briefing sessions and support materials.
• Contribute to the administration and monitoring of commissioned projects.
3. Data Collection, Documentation, and Analysis
• Collect and organise qualitative data from workshops, interviews, artist feedback sessions, and stakeholder consultations.
• Conduct transcription, coding, thematic analysis, and synthesis of programme findings.
• Maintain organised project records, creative documentation, and evaluation datasets.
• Support analysis of participant feedback from the public Living Lab showcase and engagement activities.
• Contribute to evaluation reports that capture project impact, learning, and legacy outcomes.
4. Public Engagement and Living Lab Activities
• Support the planning and delivery of the public Living Lab showcase and associated engagement activities.
• Assist with exhibition logistics, audience engagement, and participant coordination.
• Gather and analyse audience feedback to inform commissioning decisions.
• Support inclusive and accessible engagement with artists, students, industry partners, and members of the public.
• Help facilitate dialogue around creativity, technology, sustainability, and innovation.
5. Project Coordination and Partnership Support
• Assist with scheduling meetings, maintaining project timelines, and coordinating programme activities.
• Prepare meeting notes, briefing papers, workshop summaries, and progress reports.
• Support communication between ARU, AVEVA, Create Cambridge, artists, and external stakeholders.
• Monitor project documentation, risk management processes, and governance requirements.
• Assist in ensuring ethical, accessibility, and inclusion considerations are embedded throughout delivery.
6. Communications, Dissemination, and Legacy
• Support the creation of programme communications and promotional materials.
• Assist with documentation activities including photography, filming coordination, interviews, and storytelling.
• Contribute to the development of publications, reports, and digital resources capturing programme outcomes.
• Support preparation of materials for conferences, public events, and stakeholder presentations.
• Assist in documenting lessons learned and opportunities for future ARU–AVEVA collaborations.
Role Contribution to the Project:
The Research Assistant will play a critical role in ensuring that the programme's creative, research, and engagement activities are delivered eVectively and documented rigorously. Their contribution will support all stages of the programme—from co-design
and artist development through to commissioning, installation, and legacy evaluation. By helping capture and analyse creative processes, stakeholder insights, and public engagement outcomes, the RA will contribute to establishing AVEVA’s headquarters as a distinctive cultural environment where creativity, technology, and human-centred innovation intersect.
The role will also support the wider ambitions of DesignLab, the Creativity × AI Forum, and ARU's Sustainable Futures agenda by generating valuable knowledge about how creative practice can help humanise industrial intelligence, foster responsible innovation, and strengthen connections between technology, culture, and society.
Essential Person Specification:
• Postgraduate degree (or working towards MPhil/PhD qualification) in arts, design, humanities, social sciences, creative
technologies, geography, cultural studies, or a related field.
• Experience supporting research, community engagement, creative projects, or cultural programmes.
• Strong organisational and communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and work collaboratively with diverse stakeholders.
• Experience with qualitative research methods, including interviews, observation, transcription, or thematic analysis.
• Confidence using Microsoft Office and digital collaboration tools.
Desirable
• Knowledge of participatory arts, cultural placemaking, public engagement, or creative research.
• Experience supporting exhibitions, workshops, or artist development programmes.
• Familiarity with AI, digital creativity, sustainability, or innovation related research.
• Experience producing reports, publications, or dissemination materials.
• Interest in interdisciplinary collaboration across arts, technology, and industry sectors.
Closing Date: Wednesday 1st July, 9am
Interviews: w/c 29th June
Please apply online with an up-to-date CV and a 300-500 covering letter based on the above job description - covering how you would fit the role and what skills and experience can you bring to the project.
Please note that due to the large amount of applications received, we will not be able to respond back to everyone - only those who are successful will be contacted.