Postdoctoral researcher in DECIDE project – Democratizing AI: Empowering Citizens through Transparent Decision-making

The department of philosophy of the University of Twente (UT) seeks to appoint a Postdoctoral researcher (4 years) to join the DECIDE project – Democratizing AI: Empowering Citizens through Transparent Decision-making. You will combine scientific research with practical design and coordination of activities aimed at the inter- and transdisciplinary research in this project.

About the DECIDE Project
The DECIDE project is a large-scale, NWO-funded interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research initiative coordinated by the University of Twente. It brings together over 50 academic researchers from 10 Dutch knowledge institutions and 30 societal partners to co-develop a new generation of transparent, citizen-empowering AI systems. The project spans domains such as healthcare, mobility, education, law, ethics, and public governance.

The position
You will be based at the UT in Enschede, and you will need to live, or to move, to the Twente region or within a short commute. Within the UT structure, your supervisor will be Prof.dr. M. Boon and co-supervisor Dr. Miles MacLeod.

We are seeking a highly motivated Postdoctoral Researcher to join the DECIDE project at the University of Twente. The postdoc will play a central role in developing and coordinating interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary collaboration across the consortium, with a focus on methodological innovation, training, and knowledge utilization.

This position is embedded in Work Package 1 (WP1), which supports the entire DECIDE consortium in achieving its societal impact goals through integrated collaboration between academic disciplines and societal stakeholders.

The challenge

• Design and implement training programs for PhD candidates and consortium members in interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research methods;
• Develop and facilitate workshops and webinars to build collaborative expertise across technical, social, and humanities disciplines;
• Coordinate citizen engagement strategies, including co-design activities and public outreach (e.g., exhibitions, lectures, alternative social media platforms);
• Contribute to the development of ethical frameworks for responsible collaboration with citizens and societal partners;
• Support knowledge utilization activities, including dissemination of research findings through educational materials, events, and digital platforms;
• Scientific research into societal-impact oriented inter- and transdisciplinary research methods and training;
• Collaborate closely with the postdoc at EWUU alliance and the project management officer to ensure coherence and impact across work packages.

You are/have:

• a highly motivated, positive and hardworking researcher with a PhD in (e.g., philosophy of science, science and technology studies, ethics of AI, interdisciplinary education, or related domain;
• proven experience with interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary research and/or education;
• affinity with citizen science, participatory design, or public engagement;
• the ability to work independently and collaboratively in a complex, multi-stakeholder environment but with a good team spirit, excellent organisational skills and a commitment to interdisciplinary research;
• excellent communication and written skills, both within academia and outside the academy, including English proficiency at C2 level, (Dutch is a plus).

The UT provides a dynamic and international environment, combining the benefits of academic research with a topic of high industrial relevance, excellent working conditions, an exciting scientific environment and a green and lively campus. We offer:

• A postdoc position for four years;
• Full status as an employee at the UT, including pension and health care benefits;
• Gross salary: min. € 3.546,- max € 5.213,- per month, plus holiday allowance (8%) and end-of-year bonus (8.3%);
• Excellent facilities for professional and personal development;
• Good secondary conditions, in accordance with the collective labour agreement CAO-NU for Dutch universities;
• A green campus with lots of sports facilities and an international scientific community.

We stand for life sciences and technology. High tech and human touch. Education and research that matter. New technology which leads change, innovation and progress in society. The University of Twente (UT) is the only campus university in the Netherlands; divided over five faculties we provide more than fifty educational programmes. We have a strong focus on personal development and give hardworking researchers scope for carrying out groundbreaking research.

The Philosophy group is part of the Faculty of Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences (BMS).

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, or disability status. Because of our diversity values we do particularly support women to apply.