Description
Description:
We are seeking a post-doctoral researcher with a strong background in data protection and privacy law to join the core team for the ERC-funded iManage project, led by Principal Investigator (PI) Prof Jeremias Adams-Prassl.
Algorithmic Management at Work
Amidst important debates about the gig economy and the automation of jobs, scant attention has been paid to the rise of algorithmic management: the increasingly pervasive reliance on monitoring technology and sophisticated algorithms to measure, control, and sanction workers (also know as ‘People Analytics’ or ‘Big Data HR’). This poses a fundamental threat to the legal regulation of our labour markets. Automated management allows the exercise of hitherto impossibly granular employer control. At the same time, however, the absence of clear decisions and traditional management structures appears to disperse responsibility ‘into the cloud’.
How can regulation – from data protection and discrimination to employment law – respond to a world in which automation has not replaced workers—but their bosses? iManage will develop a systematic account of the challenges and potential of algorithmic management, examine its implications for legal regulation, and develop concrete solutions to avoid harmful path-dependencies. Looking at a range of jurisdictions across the European Union and beyond, the project team will work at the intersection of data science and law. In articulating the underlying structures of automated management control, it develops a new and positive role for the law in ensuring algorithmic accountability, and shaping the responsible use of technology in the workplace. The results will be published both in the form of traditional academic writings and toolkits for regulators, developers, and social partners. A full project description and details of envisaged outputs are available from the PI on request.
About the Role
The researcher will work collaboratively with the PI and other members of the research group to accomplish the aims of the iManage project. They will lead on work package III, exploring the privacy implications of algorithmic management, from collecting and storing to processing employee data, as well as providing guidance to junior members of the research group, including research assistants. This will include work on both the technical and legal challenges, surveying European Regulatory Regimes (notably the GDPR) as well as broader comparative perspectives on employee privacy.
Expected outputs include both independent papers and collaborative writing with the PI, as well as participation in workshops, congresses, and broader project activities. A relocation and IT allowance are available, as is funding for conference attendance and research travel. In the third year of the Fellowship, the researcher will have the opportunity of participating in short-term placements with project partners. The successful candidate will also benefit from regular interaction with the project advisory board, which includes Prof Ifeoma Ajunwa (UNC Law), Azeem Azhar (Exponential View), Dr Janine Berg (International Labour Organisation), and Prof Krishna Gummadi (Max Planck Institute for Software Systems, Saarbrücken).
Qualifications:
The postholder should hold, or be close to completion of, a PhD/DPhil in Law or a related field; have demonstrated expertise in the field of data protection (including the GDPR); outstanding research and writing skills, including the ability to assist in the design and development of joint publications, ideally demonstrated in previous publications and/or participation in research projects; the ability to manage own academic research and associated activities, communicate well and explain key legal concepts and data protection developments to audiences that have limited knowledge of the subjects.
The post is full time and fixed-term for three years, to commence in the autumn of 2021 or as soon as possible thereafter. The postholder will be based at the Bonavero Institute of Human Rights, Mansfield College, Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3TF.
Application:
Interested applicants can view the posting here.
Applications for this vacancy are to be made online via www.recruit.ox.ac.uk and enter vacancy ID:. 149339. You will be required to submit a covering letter and CV as part of your application.
You will also need to submit a sample of written work in English as well as three referees’ reports to recruitment@law.ox.ac.uk by the closing date.
Closing date for applications is midday on 1 March 2021. Interviews are likely to be held in the week commencing 8 March 2021.
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