2 postdocs in public administration & digital governance

Your function

The positions are offered as a postdoc researcher position (0.75/0.8 FTE). The option of adding teaching activities (Master thesis supervision) as a lecturer in public administration (up to a full 1.0 FTE) can be explored.

The first postdoc position (0.8 FTE) is part of the NWA-funded project “Exploring the Promises and Pitfalls of AI Technology in Civil Service Provision (VALUE-AI)”, lead by dr. Kristina S. Weißmüller, in collaboration with prof. dr. Gjalt de Graaf and the Amsterdam Intelligence, the AI-thinktank of the City Amsterdam. You can find more information on the project here.

The overall objective of the project is to gain a deeper understanding of the risk involved in using AI technology in citizen-state interactions. How can we design fair algorithms, and how can we govern AI-related risks?

The position is funded for a period of 18 months, preferably starting on 1 December , or by mutual agreement.

The second postdoc position (0.75FTE) is part of the NWO-funded project “AI4ALL: Value-aligned AI for Public Organizations”.

This work package the postdoc is part of, revolves around the actual and intended use of AI in public organizations, researching the intended reasons and expected impact of AI in the public sector, and empirically measuring public values affected by the use of AI in public governance. More specifically, the postdoc focuses on understanding the reasons given by public organizations for using AI technology and identifying which public values are considered to be affected. The research hypothesizes that efficiency and effectiveness are important values for introduction, but aims to verify this and explore other potential values and their relationships.

The position is funded for a period of 24 months, preferably starting on 1 January , or by mutual agreement.

For further information about this position, please contact dr. Kristina S. Weißmüller () for the first position, and prof. dr. Gjalt de Graaf () for the second position.

Your profile

As a university, we strive for equal opportunities for all, recognising that diversity takes many forms. We believe that diversity in all its complexity is invaluable for the quality of our teaching, research and service. We are always looking for talent with diverse backgrounds and experiences. This also means that we are committed to creating an inclusive community so that we can use diversity as an asset.

We realise that each individual brings a unique set of skills, expertise and mindset. Therefore, we are happy to invite anyone who recognises themselves in the profile to apply, even if you do not meet all the requirements.

What do we offer?

A challenging position in a socially engaged organisation. At VU Amsterdam, you contribute to education, research and service for a better world. And that is valuable. So in return for your efforts, we offer you:

We also offer you attractive fringe benefits and regulations. Some examples: