Thank you for your interest in the role of Director of the Ada Lovelace Institute.
This is an important and exciting moment to interrogate and shape the impact of data and AI on people and society, and the Ada Lovelace Institute is uniquely positioned to develop the research and policy agenda in this field. In the five years since the Ada Lovelace Institute was founded by the Nuffield Foundation, the organisation has established itself as a highly-respected research body with a growing team of interdisciplinary researchers and subject-matter experts. Its impressive body of research has informed and shaped policy and practice related to the governance of biometric technologies, such as facial recognition; the roll out of pandemic technologies such as contact tracing apps and vaccine passports; and the emergence of AI in the health system and in genomics research, to name but a few areas of impact.
Ada has played an important role in establishing the centrality of people and society to debates which are often technocratic, and has successfully argued for the inclusion of public voice, particularly underrepresented groups, in policy and technical debates. As the regulation and governance of cutting-edge AI technologies increasingly becomes an issue of domestic and international focus, Ada is privileged to have a seat at the table of some of the most important policy debates around the world, contributing its unique brand of evidence-based recommendations which centre people and society.
The organisation is advantaged by its many institutional partnerships with learned societies, research bodies and foundations, and particularly by the institutional support it receives from the Nuffield Foundation, within which it is housed. As a result, Ada has a strong and sustainable financial foundation from which to build for the years ahead.
A new Director will step in to lead an energetic and relevant organisation at the conclusion of its second strategy cycle. They will have the opportunity to bring their leadership and vision to the next life stage of the organisation, developing a new three-year strategy which cements the organisation at the forefront of the research agenda in the field of technology and society. The Director will be supported by an expert and thoughtful senior leadership team, an enthusiastic and diverse staff cohort, and a Board comprised of leading thinkers from across academia, industry, the media and the non-profit sector. The Director will also join the Leadership Team of the Nuffield Foundation, and contribute to the good governance and strategic leadership of the Foundation as a whole.
Ada’s next Director will know what it takes to lead an organisation, develop strategies designed for influence, and initiate and manage research geared towards policy and practical impact. They will be fluent in the lexicon and concepts relevant to data, AI and emerging technologies, and will be able to demonstrate thought leadership about the relationship between people, society and technology. They will relish working in teams and with diverse stakeholders, be enthusiastic about working with an expert Board and a motivated staff, and be willing to bring their experience and expertise to the wider Nuffield Foundation.
We look forward to working with you.
Julie Maxton
Chair, Ada Lovelace Institute Oversight Board