Postdoctoral Researcher in Open AI research for social sciences and humanities

The Humane AI research priority area of the University of Amsterdam is looking for a new PostDoc to amend our existing team (https://humane-ai.nl/). AI is everywhere. Chatbots, translation tools, shopping assistants, hyper-personalised services - as Large Language Models become widely accessible, they're reshaping how we live, work, play and connect. This rapid shift sparks big questions: Whose norms and values shape this AI-driven society—and who gets left behind? What are the rules that govern the development and deployment of Generative AI different sectors of society, and towards what kind of society will they steer us? Is the risked-based approach to AI.

Develop a new critical understanding of Open AI for humanities and social sciences
The Humane AI research priority area of the University of Amsterdam is looking for a new PostDoc in Open-source AI for Social Sciences and Humanities to amend our existing team (https://humane-ai.nl/). The RPA is dedicated to research on an AI that is everywhere. Chatbots, translation tools, shopping assistants, hyper-personalised services - as Large Language Models become widely accessible, they're reshaping how we live, work, play and connect. This rapid shift sparks big questions: Whose norms and values shape this AI-driven society—and who gets left behind? What are the rules that govern the development and deployment of Generative AI different sectors of society, and towards what kind of society will they steer us?

For this post, we are interested in a PostDoc that works at the cutting edge of new AI methodological challenges. Scholars in the Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) are facing a critical methodological juncture. While commercial AI tools like ChatGPT offer powerful capabilities for text analysis and coding, they act as black boxes that obscure how data is processed, pose severe ethical risks regarding participant privacy and threaten the reproducibility of scientific work. We aim to reclaim the research process by trying to move to a new open SSH AI Commons. We are aiming for a research environment where scholars can utilize state-of-the-art Large Language Models (LLMs) to interrogate their data with open infrastructure, ensuring that the future of SSH research remains open, transparent and ethically sound. The role will thus sit at the intersection of AI engineering and academic inquiry.

This is what you will be doing
You are asked:

• to conduct independent research drawing on approaches with AI for social sciences and humanities;
• to work with the community to develop small prototype in open source AI.
• to publish and present research results in leading international conferences and journals;
• to participate in project meetings and relevant networks;
• to participate in knowledge dissemination activities with academic and other stakeholders;
• to contribute to the organisational and administrative work on the project.

This is what we ask of you
Required:

• a completed PhD with a background in Digital Humanities, Computational Social Science, or Computer Science (with a strong interest in how technology shapes society).
• proficiency in Python, with hands-on experience in the open-source AI stack (HuggingFace, etc.).
• understanding that data in SSH is often messy, subjective, and sensitive. You appreciate that a wrong answer from an AI isn't just a bug.
• strong belief that academic tools should be transparent. You prefer open standards and community-driven development over proprietary lock-in.
• you are eager to collaborate with non-technical domain experts to solve their specific research challenges.
• a strong cooperative attitude and interest in working collaboratively with other researchers and external stakeholders.
• a professional command of English and good presentation skills.

This is what else we offer you

• excellent possibilities for further professional development and education;
• 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.
• The employment will be for one year. Contingent on a positive performance evaluation the contract will be extended with 1 years. The preferred starting date is 1 June 2026.

This is where you'll be working
The University of Amsterdam is the largest university in the Netherlands, with the broadest spectrum of degree programmes. It is an intellectual hub with 42,000 students, 6,000 employees and 3,000 doctoral students who are all committed to a culture of inquiring minds. 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.

Questions?
For questions about the position or department, you can contact us during office hours at:

• Prof. Tobias Blanke, Professor AI and Humanities

Application
If you recognize yourself in the profile and are interested in the position, we look forward to receiving your application. Please send your cover letter and CV as a single PDF file. The cover letter should outline how you fit the project and position and initial research ideas.

The vacancy closes on 03-04-2026. The first round of interviews will take place in the two weeks after.