The Faculty of Humanities and the Research Priority Area in Humane AI at the University of Amsterdam (https://humane-ai.nl/) currently has a vacant Postdoc researcher position as part of the broader field Humane AI. Within this field the focus is on data and platforms for social, cultural, and economic innovation. The post is to be affiliated with one of the five Research Schools within the Amsterdam Institute for Humanities Research or the Institute for Logic, Language and Computation.

What are you going to do

AI is transforming our lives. Important work in the domain of AI ethics, transparency, and accountability have sharpened our view for potential impacts on individuals and communities, but the question remains how to react to these insights as a society. Legislation like the GDPR or AI Act propose elements of government regulation, but we need to go further with new forms of citizen participation or design guidelines.

This postdoc position is dedicated to exploring possibilities how to bridge the gap between often abstract AI principles such as transparency and responsibility and strategies for the democratisation of AI that reach citizens. AI democratization cannot be limited to expert engineers auditing or controlling technologies from a detached vantage point but needs to involve everyone and especially those communities that are most affected by AI but lack a voice in its design. Driving this involvement can be a key role for the humanities in the further development of AI.

Practically, this process can involve strategies of co-design and co-research, efforts in deliberating with and educating citizens, and technical interfaces that allow for re- configuration and intervention in algorithmic logic. The candidate will approach such novel participatory spaces both conceptually, providing a robust theoretical frame for the transformation of insight into impact, as well as practically, for example through the organization of datathons and participatory workshops, connecting directly to the Faculty's internationally renowned tradition in organizing these kinds of transdisciplinary events.

Your tasks and responsibilities:

• Develop, conduct, and publish research on co-designing and co-researching responsible AI in the humanities;
• Contribute to the overall Humane AI research focus within the university and faculty;
• conducting research, presenting intermediate research results at workshops and conferences and publishing two single-authored, peer reviewed articles;
• participating in meetings of the project research group and developing a shared database;
• co-organising knowledge dissemination activities.

Your experience and profile:

• a PhD in any field relevant to research in responsible AI from the perspective of human science;
• excellent research skills demonstrated by a track record of publishing in high-ranking journals and/or with leading presses or a demonstrable capacity to develop such a record;
• a strong cooperative attitude and willingness to engage in collaborative research;
• enthusiasm for communicating academic research to non-academic audiences;
• excellent command English.

The Postdoc researcher will be appointed at the Department of Media Studies of the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Amsterdam and will conduct the research in one of the Faculty's research schools. The employment contract will be for one year. Contingent on a positive performance evaluation the contract will be extended with one year. The employment contract is for 30,4-38 hours a week. Preferred starting date is 01 October 2022.

The gross monthly salary, based on 38 hours per week and relevant experience, ranges between € 3,974 to € 5,439. This sum does not include the 8% holiday allowance and the 8,3% year-end allowance. A favourable tax agreement, the '30% ruling', may apply to non-Dutch applicants. The Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities is applicable.

What else do we offer

• excellent possibilities for further professional development and education, including participation in a dedicated Research Training group;
• an enthusiastic, inspiring and professional academic team;
• the opportunity to collaborate with leading researchers at research institutes that - partly as a result of their interdisciplinary approach - are world renowned.

Faculty of Humanities

The University of Amsterdam is the Netherlands' largest university, offering the widest range of academic programmes. At the UvA, 30,000 students, 6,000 staff members and 3,000 PhD candidates study and work in a diverse range of fields, connected by a culture of curiosity.

The Faculty of Humanities provides education and conducts research with a strong international profile in a large number of disciplines in de field of language and culture. Located in the heart of Amsterdam, the faculty maintains close ties with many cultural institutes in the capital city. Research and teaching staff focus on interdisciplinary collaboration and are active in several teaching programmes.

Want to know more about our organisation? Read more about working at the University of Amsterdam.