Research Fellow

Monash University European Research Foundation ETS
Organisation/Company Monash University European Research Foundation ETS Research Field Communication sciences > Media studies Communication sciences > Audiovisual communication Sociology > Social shaping of technology Arts > Other Cultural studies > Other Architecture > Design Anthropology > Communication anthropology Researcher Profile Recognised Researcher (R2) Positions Postdoc Positions Application Deadline 19 Oct 2026 - 23:55 (Europe/Rome) Country Italy Type of Contract Other Type of Contract Extra Information Co.Co.Co. (Collaborazione Coordinata e Continuativa), tied to objectives and deliverables Job Status Other Job Status Extra Information As a Co.Co.Co., the collaboration is organised around agreed objectives and deliverables rather than fixed working hours. Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Horizon Europe Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No
Offer Description
Job No.:
Location: Prato, Italy (on-site)
Employment type: Co.Co.Co. (Collaborazione Coordinata e Continuativa), tied to objectives and deliverables
Duration: November 2026 – 31 August 2030
Remuneration: €36,722.00 annual gross
Applications close: Monday 19 October 2026, 11:55pm (Italian time)
The Monash University European Research Foundation ETS (MUERF), based in Prato, Italy, invites applications for a Research Fellow (Co-Designing Creative AI and Audiovisual Practice) to lead its participatory and community-embedded research within CULTURAI, a Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Action (Grant Agreement No. , HORIZON-CL ).
About MUERF
MUERF was established in 2022 to expand Monash University's research and innovation footprint in Europe. As a beneficiary in Horizon Europe consortia, MUERF is Monash University's main vehicle for taking part in the European Research Area. It manages pre- and post-award activities, consortium partnerships and the delivery of collaborative research in multi-country projects. MUERF works closely with Monash University in Melbourne, one of Australia's leading research institutions.
About CULTURAI
CULTURAI is a four-year project (1 September 2026 – 31 August 2030) funded by the European Research Executive Agency (REA). It studies how artificial intelligence is being adopted across Europe's cultural and creative sectors, and what impact it has. The project focuses on the audiovisual (AV) sector and on galleries, libraries, archives and museums (GLAMs), and turns its findings into evidence-based sector recommendations, policy and capacity-building.
The consortium is coordinated by the Koninklijke Bibliotheek (KB, Netherlands) and has eleven partners: MUERF (Italy), IDEA Consult (Belgium), TU Delft (Netherlands), IRMO (Croatia), the University of Edinburgh (United Kingdom), the University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa), UNESCO (France), the University of Luxembourg (Luxembourg), the Europeana Foundation (Netherlands) and the National Research Council (CNR, Italy).
The project aims to:
Map and analyse the impact of AI on the European audiovisual sector through a pan-European survey and a set of comparative case studies
Examine AI best practice and literacy across the GLAM sector
Contribute to global AI governance and cultural policy debates
Design and deliver a network of participatory Living Labs, including one in Prato, that co-develop and test AI-related practices with cultural and creative practitioners and communities
Synthesise findings into sector recommendations and policy papers, and establish a Competence Centre to sustain the project's outcomes
Within CULTURAI, MUERF leads the European audiovisual research strand (WP5–WP6), the Prato Living Lab (WP11) and the synthesis of sector recommendations and policy papers (WP13). It also contributes to the design of the Living Labs (WP10), global AI governance work (WP9) and the launch of the Competence Centre (WP15). MUERF's team is based at the Prato campus and works in both Italian and English, in close coordination with the consortium and with Monash University in Melbourne.
The role
The Research Fellow will lead MUERF's participatory and community-embedded research in CULTURAI. Their main focus is designing, facilitating and implementing the CULTURAI Living Labs (WP10–WP11), including the Prato Living Lab. Working with cultural institutions, audiovisual and creative practitioners, community members and policymakers, the Fellow will explore, co-design and experiment with creative and responsible applications of AI. They will document and analyse findings from the Prato Living Lab and feed them into CULTURAI's wider comparative research, policy work and outputs.
The role is grounded in relational accountability and in inclusive, ethically grounded engagement. It makes sure that local insights from Prato inform broader European and global discussions on AI, cul