Research Associate in Music and AI at the University of Cambridge (Faculty of Music)
Job Description
The University of Cambridge’s Faculty of Music is appointing a Research Associate in Music and AI for a five-year, fixed-term post from 1 January 2027, for a machine-learning researcher who will lead a multi-year project on music AI in the Centre for Music and Science.
At a glance
- Position: Research Associate (postdoc), fixed term for five years (reference GT51091)
- Where: Faculty of Music, University of Cambridge, UK
- Pay: £37,694 to £46,049 a year
- Start: 1 January 2027 or as soon as possible after
- Interviews: Planned for Thursday 29 October 2026
- Apply: midnight (BST) on Wednesday 21 October 2026
What the Research Associate in Music and AI will do
- Lead a multi-year research project in music and AI, likely in one of three suggested areas (other topics are welcome)
- Empowerment versus automation: how generative AI can support expert musicians’ creativity and agency rather than replace their decisions
- Artificial creativity: how music models could learn to produce the unexpected choices later recognised as creative breakthroughs
- Music AI for health and wellbeing, through music’s effects on emotion, memory and physical entrainment
- Teach at undergraduate and postgraduate level if you wish
Why this role matters
Five-year research posts are rare at postdoc level, and this one gives a machine-learning researcher the time to build a real programme in a music faculty. The post links to the Centre for Human-Inspired AI, the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence and the Department of Computer Science and Technology.
What University of Cambridge is looking for
- A relevant PhD in machine learning, computer science or a related discipline
- Strong computational skills, with experience developing, adapting or evaluating machine-learning systems
- A record of, or clear potential for, outstanding research
- Interest in working with colleagues from other disciplines
Pay and location
The salary is £37,694 to £46,049 a year. The post is fixed term for five years, based in the Faculty of Music, Cambridge. The University must make sure all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.
How to apply
Apply through the official University of Cambridge page. The closing date is midnight (BST) on Wednesday 21 October 2026. Register with the University’s recruitment system through the job page and apply online, quoting reference GT51091.
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Hiring institution: University of Cambridge
Official advertisement: www.jobs.cam.ac.uk
How to prepare for this application
- Pick one of the three suggested themes (or your own) and write a concrete five-year plan with first-year milestones
- Show a music or audio model you built or evaluated, and how you judged musical quality beyond standard metrics
- Read the further-information document on the job page for exactly what to include
- Be ready to explain your work to musicians and music scholars, not only to ML researchers
- Prepare for a 29 October interview, and think about which Cambridge centres you would work with and why
About the University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Its Faculty of Music includes the Centre for Music and Science, which works on music cognition, computational musicology and music AI.
