Effective team building is the backbone of most successful projects. Yet, forming effective teams is far from trivial. The latest advances in AI are further expanding our understanding of what constitutes an ideal team and how to support it, for example with emerging types of teams comprising not only humans but also humans and AI.

This PhD project will investigate how AI can facilitate, optimise, and scale the collaboration of human-human and human-AI teams, with focus on teams working on creative and complex tasks. Scientific questions that will be addressed include among others:

• (How) can we design algorithms and systems that help decision-makers build better teams while ensuring the agency and well-being of all team members?
• How can AI support teams during their development process, for example helping them to build common ground, mitigate non-constructive frictions, and think outside the box?
• What is the role that AI can play in augmenting human collaborative capabilities?
• How can we adapt the support that AI can provide teams with to the application setting (e.g. business versus education)?

To tackle these research questions, you will use a variety of AI and HCI methods, such as optimisation and agent-based simulations, as well as controlled experiments with human-human and human-AI teams. You will collaborate with colleagues within the university as well as external research partners and have the unique opportunity to explore the application of your research in a variety of settings, including business, education, and crowdsourcing. 

This is a PhD position for 5 years, which includes research as well as teaching. You will spend approximately 30% of your time on varying teaching support activities.

You have a passion for scientific research and aim to understand human-AI collaboration from both a theoretical perspective and an applied perspective. Next to that we would like you to bring:

• a (nearly) completed MSc degree in a relevant area such as Artificial Intelligence, Computing Science, Human-Computer Interaction, Computer Engineering, or Information Sciences;
• demonstrable experience with computing science and/or engineering methods, such as optimisation or agent-based simulations, and comfort with rapid prototype development;
• a good understanding of HCI methods, including experimental design, conducting controlled experiments with human subjects, and statistical analyses of empirical data;
• strong written and oral communication skills in English.

We offer a position for 5 years, which includes the following:

• a full-time gross salary that starts at €2,770 and increases to €3,539 per month (scale P of the Collective Labour Agreement Dutch Universities (cao));
• 8% holiday bonus and 8.3% end-of-year bonus;
• a pension scheme, partially paid parental leave, and flexible employment conditions based on the Collective Labour Agreement Dutch Universities.

In addition to the employment conditions from the CAO for Dutch Universities, Utrecht University has a number of its own arrangements. These include agreements on professional development, leave arrangements and sports. We also give you the opportunity to expand your terms of employment through the Employment Conditions Selection Model. This is how we encourage you to grow.

For more information, please visit working at the Faculty of Science. 

Are you an international applicant? Our International Service Desk can answer your questions about living in the Netherlands as international staff.

A better future for everyone. This ambition motivates our scientists in executing their leading research and inspiring teaching. At Utrecht University, the various disciplines collaborate intensively towards major strategic themes. Our focus is on Dynamics of Youth, Institutions for Open Societies, Life Sciences and Pathways to Sustainability. Sharing science, shaping tomorrow.

At the Faculty of Science, there are 6 departments to make a fundamental connection with: Biology, Chemistry, Information and Computing Sciences, Mathematics, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Physics. Each of these is made up of distinct institutes that work together to focus on answering some of humanity’s most pressing problems. More fundamental still are the individual research groups – the building blocks of our ambitious scientific projects. Find out more about us.

You will work at Utrecht University’s Department of Information and Computing Sciences under the supervision of Dr. Ioanna Lykourentzou (i.lykourentzou@uu.nl). More information about Dr. Lykourentzou’s research can be found on her website and the Collaborative Technologies Lab. You will be further embedded in the Software Technologies for Learning and Teaching (ST4TL) group of Prof. Johan Jeuring , and the associated AI in Education lab. You will benefit from collaborations with an interdisciplinary research partner network, with backgrounds in HCI, Computing Sciences, Social Sciences and the Humanities.