Postdoc (ethics and epistemology of AI) (EXPIRED)

Centre for Science Studies, Department of Mathematics, Aarhus University is looking for a postdoc to work within the field of interdisciplinary ethics and epistemology of artificial intelligence (AI). The position is a fixed-term position available for 36 months from 1 August 2024 or as soon as possible thereafter.

Job description

The position is advertised as part of the project TREAT - Towards Responsible Explainable AI Technologies (https://dff.dk/en/apply/supported-research/research-leaders/research-leader-2023/rune-nyrup), hosted at the Centre for Science studies. TREAT examines the ethics and epistemology of Explainable AI (XAI), that is, technologies for generating explanations of AI systems. The project aims to develop a normative framework for distinguishing beneficial from pernicious uses of XAI.
The successful applicant will conduct philosophical research on XAI and contribute to the organization of workshops and other project activities. Their research will contribute to a work package on explanatory legitimacy, focused on XAI in contexts where the recipients of explanations have diverging explanatory interests and values. Since different types of explanations will tend to favor certain interests over others, this work package will examine how legitimate compromises can be reached between different explanatory interests. The postdoc will also develop a case study on the use of XAI within one of the following domains of application: commercial online platforms, legal decision-support, and smart home devices for elderly care.
The postdoc will be free to shape their research agenda and approach to these questions in accordance with their broader interests, expertise, and career development. The various tasks of the position are organized in continuous agreement with the project leader, associate professor Rune Nyrup.
TREAT is an interdisciplinary project, with collaborators in machine learning, human-computer interaction, law and nursing research, including locally in Aarhus and at the Institute of Technology and Humanity and the Faculty of Law at the University of Cambridge, the Dyson School of Design Engineering at Imperial College London, and the Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing at the University of Toronto. There is funding available in the project for the postdoc to conduct a research visit abroad in order to collaborate with researchers at one or more of these institutions.

Qualification Requirements

Employment as a postdoc requires qualifications at PhD level. In the assessment, emphasis will be placed on knowledge of the field of interdisciplinary ethics and epistemology of AI, as well as philosophical expertise relevant to the topic of explanatory legitimacy. This may include, but is not limited to, relevant prior research in philosophy of science, philosophy of technology, or applied ethics/political philosophy (e.g., values in science, explanation and understanding, the ethics of science communication, public health ethics). Applicants are encouraged to explain how their research experience will allow them to contribute to this project.

For further information, please contact Rune Nyrup, email: [email protected]

The application should consist of:

• A cover letter
• A research plan (max 750 words), outlining how your research would address the topic of explanatory legitimacy
• CV, including publication list
• 2 letters of reference

Place of work 

Your place of work is Ny Munkegade 120, 8000 Aarhus C, and area of employment is Aarhus University with related departments.

Application procedure

Shortlisting is used. This means that after the deadline for applications – and with the assistance from the assessment committee chairman, and the appointment committee if necessary, – the head of department selects the candidates to be evaluated. All applicants will be notified whether or not their applications have been sent to an expert assessment committee for evaluation. The selected applicants will be informed about the composition of the committee, and each applicant is given the opportunity to comment on the part of the assessment that concerns him/her self. Once the recruitment process is completed a final letter of rejection is sent to the deselected applicants.

Letter of reference

If you want a referee to upload a letter of reference on your behalf, please state the referee’s contact information when you submit your application. We strongly recommend that you make an agreement with the person in question before you enter the referee’s contact information, and that you ensure that the referee has enough time to write the letter of reference before the application deadline. Unfortunately, it is not possible to ensure that letters of reference received after the application deadline will be taken into consideration.

Formalities and salary range

Natural Sciences refers to the Ministerial Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Danish Universities under the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.

The application must be in English and include a curriculum vitae, degree certificate, a complete list of publications, a statement of future research plans and information about research activities, teaching portfolio and verified information on previous teaching experience (if any). Guidelines for applicants can be found here.

Appointment shall be in accordance with the collective labour agreement between the Danish Ministry of Taxation and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. Further information on qualification requirements and job content may be found in the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Danish Universities.

Salary depends on seniority as agreed between the Danish Ministry of Taxation and the Confederation of Professional Associations.

Aarhus University’s ambition is to be an attractive and inspiring workplace for all and to foster a culture in which each individual has opportunities to thrive, achieve and develop. We view equality and diversity as assets, and we welcome all applicants.

Research activities will be evaluated in relation to actual research time. Thus, we encourage applicants to specify periods of leave without research activities, in order to be able to subtract these periods from the span of the scientific career during the evaluation of scientific productivity.

Aarhus University offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including relocation service and career counselling to expat partners. Read more here. Please find more information about entering and working in Denmark here.

Aarhus University also offers a Junior Researcher Development Programme targeted at career development for postdocs at AU. You can read more about it here.

At the Faculty of Natural Science at Aarhus University, we strive to support our scientific staff in their career development. We focus on competency development and career clarification and want to make your opportunities transparent. On our website, you can find information on all types of scientific positions, as well as the entry criteria we use when assessing candidates. You can also read more about how we can assist you in your career planning and development.

The application must be submitted via Aarhus University’s recruitment system, which can be accessed under the job advertisement on Aarhus University's website.

 

Aarhus University

Aarhus University is an academically diverse and research-intensive university with a strong commitment to high-quality research and education and the development of society nationally and globally. The university offers an inspiring research and teaching environment to its 38,000 students (FTEs) and 8,300 employees, and has an annual revenues of EUR 935 million. Learn more at www.international.au.dk/