The Tilburg Algorithm Observatory (TAO) at the Department of Cognitive Science and Artificial Intelligence is seeking a highly motivated Ph.D. candidate interested in online security, privacy, and algorithmic monitoring in particular.
Our research aims to understand how algorithms influence society by biasing the information we are exposed to when interacting with, for example, social media, e-commerce websites, and search engines. The successful candidate will be supervised by Dr. Chris Emmery (daily supervisor), Dr. Henry Brighton (daily supervisor and promotor) and Prof. Dr. Marie Šafář (promotor).
Your work will involve extending and maintaining our existing monitoring software, designing new methods to collect data, conducting analyses, and writing up research for publication. As part of a young research group conducting research in a largely uncharted field with high societal relevance, there is much potential to have substantial impact within the academic community and beyond.

A successful Ph.D. candidate should preferably have:

• A master’s degree in computer science, artificial intelligence, data science, cognitive science, or related fields.
• A demonstrable affinity with current societal issues in privacy and security.
• Strong software development skills (preferably in Python).
• Prior experience with (big) data processing, data science projects, and preferably online data collection.
• Basic system administration skills (GNU/Linux) are a strong plus.
• Very good command of English, both spoken and written.
• The ability to collaborate in a diverse and multidisciplinary environment.

What we offer

• A full-time position at the department of Cognitive Science and Artificial Intelligence, of the Tilburg School of Humanities and Digital Sciences, Tilburg University.
• The selected candidate will start with a contract for one year. Upon a positive outcome of the first-year evaluation, the candidate will be offered an employment contract for the remaining three years.
• The PhD candidate will be ranked in the Dutch university job ranking system (UFO) as a PhD-student (promovendus) with a starting full-time salary of € 2.770,- per month up to a maximum of € 3.539,- in the fourth year.
• At least 75% of task assignments will be available for this research. The PhD student can be allocated up to a maximum of 0.2 FTE to be involved in education.
• A holiday allowance of 8% and an end-of-year bonus of 8.3% (annually).
• Researchers from outside the Netherlands may qualify for a tax-free allowance equal to 30% of their taxable salary (the 30% tax regulation). The University will apply for such an allowance on their behalf.
• Assistance in finding accommodation (for foreign employees).
• Tilburg University is rated among the top Dutch employers and offers very good fringe benefits (it is one of the best non-profit employers in the Netherlands). These benefits include an options model for terms and conditions of employment and reimbursement of moving expenses, including excellent technical infrastructure, savings schemes and excellent sport facilities.
• The collective labor agreement of the Dutch Universities applies.
• Tilburg University offers excellent employment conditions. We think flexibility, professional and personal development, and good employee benefits are important. We make clear agreements about career paths and offer all kinds of facilities and schemes to maintain an optimal balance between work and private life. You can also follow numerous training courses, for example, in the areas of leadership skills, personal effectiveness, and career development.
• Tilburg University values an open and inclusive culture. We embrace diversity and encourage the mutual integration of groups of employees and students. We focus on creating equal opportunities for all our employees and students, so that everyone feels at home in our university community.
• Tilburg University has a lively campus in beautiful green surroundings that is easily accessible by public transport. We are committed to a sustainable society and challenge you to make an active contribution.

Please visit working at Tilburg University for more information on our terms of employment.

Tilburg School of Humanities and Digital Sciences

Research and education at the Tilburg School of Humanities and Digital Sciences (TSHD) has a unique focus on humans in the context of the globalizing digital society, on the development of artificial intelligence and interactive technologies, on their impact on communication, culture and society, and on moral and existential challenges that arise. The School of Humanities and Digital Sciences consists of four departments: Communication and Cognition, Cognitive Science and Artificial Intelligence, Culture Studies and Philosophy; several research institutes and a faculty office. Also the University College Tilburg is part of the School. Each year around 275 students commence a Bachelor or (Pre) Master Program. The School has approximately 2000 students and 250 employees.

Department of Cognitive Science and Artificial Intelligence

The Cognitive Science and Artificial Intelligence department (DCA, https://csai.nl/) at Tilburg University is part of the Tilburg School of Humanities and Digital Sciences (TSHD). The department is partially housed on Tilburg University campus (Dante Building) and in the Deprez building (near Tilburg central station) as member of MindLabs. We maintain a close collaboration with the Jheronimus Academy of Data Science (JADS) in ‘s-Hertogenbosch. We are member of the Benelux Association for Artificial Intelligence (BNVKI), participate in the Special Interest Group for AI (SIG AI), contributed to the Dutch AI Manifesto, and participate in the Confederation of Laboratories for Artificial Intelligence Research in Europe (CLAIRE).
The research group offers a vibrant international environment consisting of about 70 researchers that cover a broad range of topics relevant for cognitive science and artificial intelligence. Core research domains include cognitive science, machine learning, deep learning, games, virtual reality, computational psycholinguistics, brain-computer interfaces, robotics, cognitive modeling of language, computational linguistics, educational technologies, computational modeling of evolutionary and adaptive systems, image and signal processing, with a strong emphasis on quantitative methods.