PhD position AI Governance & Regulation – Work Package 6 in the DECIDE Project (Democratizing AI: Empowering Citizens through Transparent Decision-making (1.0 fte)
Apply nowPhD position AI Governance & Regulation – Work Package 6 in the DECIDE Project (Democratizing AI: Empowering Citizens through Transparent Decision-making (1.0 fte)
We are offering a fully funded position for a PhD researcher to conduct empirical legal research on the governance of Artificial Intelligence (AI), with a focus on the Netherlands and the EU.
Your work will be interdisciplinary, collaborating with AI researchers, legal scholars, political economists, and stakeholders from healthcare, business, public governance, and civil society organisations representing different communities. Besides publications in academic journals, you will create widely-accessible reports and policy briefs relating to the democratization of AI use and deployment.
As a PhD candidate, you will be part of a multidisciplinary team of PhD students and become part of a vibrant inter- and transdisciplinary research community. This PhD project offers a unique opportunity to work in an international environment and to acquire valuable research experience.
PhD position AI Governance & Regulation – Work Package 6 in the DECIDE Project (Democratizing AI: Empowering Citizens through Transparent Decision-making (1.0 fte)
Apply now
What are you going to do?
- Collaborate across disciplines with other PhD candidates, postdocs, and with societal stakeholders to achieve real-world impact.
- Participate in joint training programs on interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research methods, citizen engagement, and summer schools.
- Contribute to cutting-edge research that bridges theory and practice.
- Map the rapidly evolving AI regulatory landscape, including the EU AI Act, any associated and implementing legislation/policies, and adjacent frameworks such as data protection laws.
- Investigate how AI regulations can be made practical and tangible for citizens, businesses, and public institutions.
- Communicate with computer sciences to investigate how legal requirements can be technically implemented.
- Engage with stakeholders through surveys, workshops, and co-creation sessions to identify challenges and opportunities in AI adoption.
- Develop policy recommendations and guidelines to enhance transparency, accountability, and trust in AI systems.
- Publish research findings in academic journals and present at conferences.
Who are you?
You are curious, proactive, and passionate about making AI work better for society. You are flexible and thrive in collaborative settings. You are eager to translate complex regulations into actionable insights. You are excited to explore how AI regulation and governance can empower citizens and shape a fairer and better digital future.
Qualifications
Essential:
- A Master’s degree with a focus on AI Regulation and Governance.
- A strong interest and passion for working in interdisciplinary settings, especially with colleagues from law, political economy, data science and philosophy, or a combination of those.
- Strong analytical and writing skills, with expertise/experience in legal and empirical research (interviews, focus groups, survey design, etc.).
- Interest in working with data and data science methods (to generate insight from measurements for AI system evaluation).
- Excellent proficiency in English.
Desirable:
- Knowledge of AI ethics, data protection, or digital rights.
- Familiarity with policy analysis or stakeholder engagement.
- Mastering Dutch is an asset as the project is focused on citizen participation/engagement.
What can you expect from us?
- In accordance with the collective labor agreement for Dutch universities, we offer a salary of at least € 3.059 up to a maximum of € 3.881 (promovendus) gross per month for a full-time employment contract.
- 232 vacation hours per year, based on a 38-hour workweek (1.0 FTE). You can also work more or fewer hours in exchange for more or fewer free hours. For example, with a 40-hour workweek, you save 96 extra free hours, and with a 36-hour workweek, you lose 96 hours.
- End-of-year bonus of 8.3% and 8% holiday allowance.
- Extensive opportunities for personal and professional development.
- PhD candidate: 18 months + 2.5 years
Where will you be working?
At the University of Groningen (UG), researchers from all fields of academia and technology are working on academic challenges and societal questions. Lecturers prepare their students for meaningful careers within or outside the academic world. Interdisciplinary research and teaching, sharing of knowledge, collaboration with businesses, government institutions, and societal organizations are aspects that are of the utmost importance to this European top university. The UG aims to be an open academic community with an inclusive and safe working climate that invites you to add your value.
Campus Fryslân (CF) is the eleventh and youngest faculty of the University of Groningen, located in Leeuwarden. With over 100 staff members, approximately 350 students, and 45 PhD students, it forms a small-scale community in which both working and studying is enjoyable. Students benefit from innovative teaching, and passionate researchers investigate global themes for which we seek local solutions. This aligns with our motto: Global challenges, local solutions. We collaborate with various regional, national, and international partners to connect teaching, research, and practice. Our teaching and research focus on the themes of Circular Society and Economy, Sustainable Environment and Wellbeing, and Responsible Governance and Technology. If you would like to learn more about Campus Fryslân, visit rug.nl/cf
The DECIDE project (https://decideproject.nl) is a large-scale, NWO-funded research initiative under the Dutch Research Agenda (NWA). It brings together 10 Dutch universities, over 50 academic researchers, and 30 societal partners in an ambitious inter- and transdisciplinary collaboration. Our shared mission is to develop strategies towards the design and implementation of a new generation of transparent, citizen-empowering AI systems, with a focus on AI-supported decision-making that contribute to the empowerment and democratic participation of citizens.
The project addresses real-world challenges across domains such as healthcare, mobility, public governance, and healthy lifestyles. By co-developing strategies with societal stakeholders, DECIDE aims to create solutions that have tangible impact on society.
DECIDE is organized into 10 work packages (WPs): Six WPs focus on disciplinary perspectives in psychology, education, computer sciences, law, and philosophy; four WPs address citizen-empowerment-scenarios (CES) in healthcare, mobility, public governance, and healthy living.
We are seeking a highly motivated PhD researcher to join the University of Groningen. You will be an inter-Faculty PhD student jointly based at the interdisciplinary Faculty Campus Fryslân in Leeuwarden and the Faculty of Arts in the city center of Groningen. The supervision will be carried out in collaboration with colleagues from the University of Twente, with a background in computing sciences, and who have technical AI knowledge and experience with applying AI in practical settings such as healthcare.
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Application procedure
After submitting your application, you will receive a confirmation by email.
The selection committee assesses your application and you will be notified as soon as possible whether you are invited for an interview.
We would like to get to know each other better in a first interview, which can take place either online or on location.
We may schedule a second interview with you. Depending on the position, this interview can be complemented with an assessment or guest lecture.
After a positive interview, we will discuss the terms of employment together. When everything is completed, we are happy to welcome you at the University of Groningen!
Interested?
Does this vacancy appeal to you? If so, click on the button below and apply straightaway.
Please add the following documents to your application:
- A recent curriculum vitae.
- A motivation letter of maximum two A4 pages.
- A research proposal of max 1500 words, responding to the question how the regulation and governance of Artificial Intelligence can enable the empowerment of (Dutch) citizens. You could focus on one type of citizen and describe one type of AI used in the medical sector, relevant in the context of the project. The proposal should cover the state of the art, main research question, key objectives, and relevance, the proposed (methodological) approach, a brief description of the relevant literature and a provisional timetable.
- If available, a copy of an article, book chapter or other academic text that you feel best represents your work.
- A copy of your diplomas with a list of course grades.
- Proof of English proficiency, more information in this link.
- Reference letters from two academic referees.
- Generic and obviously AI-generated applications will not be considered.
Do you have any questions or need more information?
-
Questions about the content of the job?
Oskar Gstrein
Associate Professor
O.J.Gstrein@rug.nl -
Questions about your application process?
Oskar Gstrein
Associate Professor
O.J.Gstrein@rug.nl
Information about applying
When scheduling meetings, we will take your schedule into account as much as possible.
The University of Groningen considers social safety important. We strive to be a university where staff and students feel respected and at home, regardless of differences in background, experiences, perspectives, and identity. For more information, see also our page about our diversity policy.
Acquisition is not appreciated.
Our selection procedure follows the guidelines of the NVP Application Code.
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