Logic List Mailing Archive

PhD student position on AI implications for democracy, Umea (Sweden), Deadline: 8 Sep 2019

*WASP HS Program PhD Student Position*
*Research topic: AI implications for democracy and self-determination*

Umeå University, the Department of Computing Science, is seeking outstanding 
candidates for a Wallenberg Autonomous Systems Program (WASP) PhD student 
position in Computer Science with focus on socially intelligent systems for 
human-agent collaboration.*Deadline for application is September 8, 2019.*

In this project, we will investigate to what extent and how AI can be designed 
and used to behave in line with ethical principles and social values. In 
particular, we aim to investigate the impact of AI systems on 
self-determination and on democratic processes and values. We approach this 
challenge by first analysing the expectations of people about the ethical and 
societal impact of AI, on how AI will lead to novel models of democracy, and on 
the capability of people to exert their right to self-determination. We will 
then develop computational theories and methods to design and evaluate AI 
applications such that they meet societal and ethical needs and expectations. 
We will evaluate these systems in a simulation environment that enables us to 
create synthetic communities of artificial agents and test the resulting social 
behaviour as these agents interact with each other and with AI systems. We 
compare these results to those empirically obtained in three case studies: 
about pluralism in political debate, about critical scrutiny in public 
decision-making, and about self-determination in the interaction with virtual 
coaches for improving health.

**

The project is part of the Wallenberg AI, Autonomous Systems and Software 
Program ? Humanities and Society (WASP-HS). The program is initiated and 
generously funded by the Wallenberg Foundations. The vision of WASP-HS is to 
realise excellent research and build competence on the ethical, economic, labor 
market, social and legal aspects of Artificial Intelligence. For more 
information about the research and other activities conducted within WASP-HS 
please visit http://wasp-hs.org/.

The successful candidate is expected to participate in the national graduate 
school provided by WASP-HS, in addition to the local doctoral education 
requirements at Umeå University. The project will take place within the 
research group on Responsible AI, lead by Prof. Virginia Dignum: 
https://www.umu.se/en/research/groups/responsible-artificial-intelligence/

*
*

*About the position*
The successful applicant will be employed by Umeå University and receive a 
competitive salary for a period of four years of full time PhD studies, 
provided that the studies are progressing reasonably well. PhD students are 
typically offered the opportunity to gain teaching experience on suitable 
undergraduate courses. If so, the employment period is extended to cover the 
time spent on teaching (at most 20 %).*Expected starting date is 1st of January 
2020 or as otherwise agreed.*

*Admission requirements*
The applicant is required to have completed a second- cycle level degree (MSc 
or equivalent), or completed course requirements of at least 240 ECTS credits, 
of which at least 60 ECTS credits are at second-cycle level, or have an 
equivalent education from overseas, or equivalent qualifications. To fulfil the 
specific entry requirements for doctoral studies in computing science, the 
applicant is required to have completed courses at second-cycle level degree 
equivalent to 60 ECTS credits in computing science, or in a subject considered 
to be directly relevant for the specialisation in question.

Candidates are expected to have very good knowledge in Artificial Intelligence 
and on the interaction between people and intelligent systems, in particular in 
the health domain. Demonstrable knowledge of systems design and modelling, 
multi-agent systems, or agent-based simulation is an advantage.

Since research is conducted in an international research environment, the 
ability to collaborate and contribute to teamwork, documented experience from 
multidisciplinary collaboration, and a very good command of the English 
language, both written and spoken, are key requirements.

*Application*
A complete application should contain the following documents:
? A cover letter including a description of how you will address the research 
topic, your reasons to apply for the position, and your contact information
? A curriculum vitae
? If applicable, copy of completed BSc and/or MSc thesis and other original 
research publications
? Copies of degree certificates, including documentation of completed academic 
courses and obtained grades
? Contact information for two persons willing to act as references


The application must be written in English or Swedish, and attached documents 
must be written in or translated to English or Swedish. Documents must be in 
Word or pdf format. Applications must be submitted electronically using the 
e-recruitment system of Umeå University, and be received no later 
than*September 8, 2019.*Log on to the system and apply via the button at the 
bottom of the web page.

The procedure for recruitment for the position is in accordance with the Higher 
Education Ordinance (chapter 12, 2§) and the decision regarding the position 
cannot be appealed. The recruitment aims at a balanced gender distribution, and 
in particular women are encouraged to apply.

For additional information, please contact Prof. Virginia Dignum 
virginia@cs.umu.se or Prof. Helena Lindgren helena@cs.umu.se.

*We look forward to receiving your application!*

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