Research Assistant - English Language and Literature (AI Learning Assistant Project)

About the role

The National Institute of Education (NIE) is inviting applications for a Research Assistant on a 12-month contract within its English Language and Literature (ELL) Department. The project, titled Enhancing Teacher-AI Collaboration with ALMA, develops an AI Learning Multimodal Assistant (ALMA), a video-based assistant with an interactive avatar that gives real-time formative feedback on student presentations.

Key responsibilities

• Develop ALMA, a speaking and listening AI assistant.
• Test, evaluate and refine the system with students and teachers based on user feedback and study needs.
• Liaise with students, teachers and team members to coordinate study activities and gather feedback.
• Prepare technical documentation and support deployment of ALMA in classroom and research settings.
• Analyse the research data from the study.
• Contribute to the dissemination of research findings through literature reviews, academic publications (conference presentation, paper, book) and research reports.
• Perform other tasks as required by the Principal Investigators.

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in Computing and Data Sciences.
• Interest in Generative AI and Learning.
• Experience in academic research, such as literature reviews, data collection and analysis, and contributions to research papers or reports.

Required skills

• Proficiency in Python; experience with frameworks such as LangChain/LangGraph and FastAPI.
• Familiarity with large language models (LLMs), prompt engineering and API integration.
• Interest in developing chatbots.
• Familiarity with Office tools (PowerPoint, Excel).

Applications (internal and external) are made through Workday; only shortlisted candidates will be notified, and the closing date is 14 calendar days after posting.