Assistant/associate professor (career track) in human-aware artificial intelligence

Algorithms are pervading society at a rapid pace. They are used in a variety of contexts, ranging from the replacement of certain tasks humans prefer to offload or cannot handle at large scale, to systems that support or advise humans. With the advent of these systems, their downsides also become more and more prominent. Systems that do not treat certain groups fairly and include biases, for example, have a huge impact on society. We are looking for an assistant/associate professor that focuses on algorithmic solutions for these problems. Examples of such adaptive, responsible and explainable AI may include learning bias-free models from biased data, evaluation approaches to estimate algorithmic fairness, formal norms and constraints on algorithms to guarantee fair treatment, culturally inclusive- and socially-aware AI, or explainable AI methods, as well as other relevant algorithmic approaches and solutions. We are looking for a colleague who is a leader in the field, and can contribute to a stream of high quality publications in this area, acquire external research grants, conduct excellent teaching, and act as a bridge builder within the Department. The position will be embedded in one of the existing AI research groups in the Department.

Your duties
The career track position starts at the level of assistant or associate professor (depending on the experience) in the areas of research, education, and management (40%:40%:20%), and contains the following duties:

• setting up a research line in the area of human-aware AI
• performing research in the field of human-aware AI
• teaching courses in the Bachelor and Master Artificial Intelligence and other relevant programs
• supervision of Bachelor, Master, and PhD students
• initiating and contributing to research grant proposals
• contributing to administrative tasks

We will base our selection on the following components:

• A PhD degree in Artificial Intelligence, Computer Science, or a related area;
• An international research profile, demonstrated by publications in relevant journals and conferences;
• Academic teaching experience including experience in the supervision of BSc and MSc theses;
• Experience in the supervision of PhD students;
• Experience with attracting research funding

A challenging position in a socially involved organization. On a full-time basis the remuneration for the assistant professor level, the remuneration amounts to a minimum gross monthly salary of € 4.332 (scale 11) and a maximum € 5.929 (scale 11), again depending on your education and experience. For the associate professor level amounts to a minimum gross monthly salary of € 6.002 (scale 13) and a maximum € 7.305 (scale 13), depending on your education and experience.

This is a career track position; the initial appointment will be for a period of 1.5 years, which will be turned into a tenured position after the initial period, if the performance indicators agreed at the start of the appointment are met.

Additionally, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam offers excellent fringe benefits and various schemes and regulations to promote a good work/life balance, such as:

• a maximum of 41 days of annual leave based on full-time employment,
• 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus,
• solid pension scheme (ABP),
• contribution to commuting expenses,
• optional model for designing a personalized benefits package,
• good paid parental leave arrangement;
• the possibility to work partly from home (hybrid working);
• on campus child daycare, sport facilities, family support programs including: dual career workshops, Dutch language class, tax & insurance workshop (some might have additional costs);
• certain tax benefits (30% ruling) might apply to international candidates;
• help and assistance with relocation (international candidates).

The ambition of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is clear: to contribute to a better world through outstanding education and ground-breaking research. We strive to be a university where personal development and commitment to society play a leading role. A university where people from different disciplines and backgrounds collaborate to achieve innovations and to generate new knowledge. Our teaching and research encompass the entire spectrum of academic endeavor – from the humanities, the social sciences and the natural sciences through to the life sciences and the medical sciences.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is home to more than 31,000 students. We employ over 5,000 individuals. The VU campus is easily accessible and located in the heart of Amsterdam’s Zuidas district, a truly inspiring environment for teaching and research.

Diversity
We are an inclusive university community. Diversity is one of our most important values. We believe that engaging in international activities and welcoming students and staff from a wide variety of backgrounds enhances the quality of our education and research. We are always looking for people who can enrich our world with their own unique perspectives and experiences.

The Faculty of Science
Working at the Faculty of Science means working together with students, PhD candidates and scientists who are focused on their discipline, yet also have a broad view of the world. We are proud of the collegial working environment within the faculty, which is characterised by an ambitious and pragmatic attitude with commitment to the bigger picture. At the Faculty of Science, scientists and students work on fundamental and complex social issues for a sustainable and healthy future. From forest fires to big data, from obesity to malnutrition, from genetics to pharmaceuticals and from molecules to the moon: our teaching and research cover the full breadth of the natural sciences. Scientific teaching and research is highly experimental, technical, computational and interdisciplinary in nature. This is why we collaborate extensively with leading research institutes and industry. The faculty has over 11,000 students studying across 40 educational programmes and employs over 1,600 staff spread over 10 scientific departments, making us the largest science faculty in the Netherlands.

The VU Department of Computer Science has approximately 250 members, including 35 tenured staff members and 80 PhD students. The tenured staff members form the essential basis for the functioning of the department. A tenured staff member is required to make significant contributions to the research and education programmes, and to spend effort on specific tasks at the department level.