Assistant professor in Responsible and Ethical AI

The Faculty of Humanities provides education and conducts research with a strong international profile in a large number of disciplines in the 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 on interdisciplinary collaboration and are active in several teaching programmes.

The Faculty of Humanities offers assistant professors the opportunity to collaborate with leading researchers at research institutes that - partly as a result of their interdisciplinary approach - are world-renowned. Moreover, you will be teaching in a dynamic context in which new teaching methods are being developed.

In 2019, the University of Amsterdam established a new Research Priority Area Human(e) AI, which synthesises ongoing work and stimulates new research at the UvA on the societal consequences of the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) and automated decision-making (ADM) in a wide variety of societal areas. The goal of the RPA is to enable Humane AI: AI and digital technologies contributing to new forms of knowledge production, understanding new forms of agency and intersubjectivity, enhancing cultural and socio-economic equality, improving fairness and respect for fundamental rights in decision-making both in the public and commercial sector, and realizing opportunities for digital citizenship. Within the context of this new RPA, the Faculty of Humanities now has room for a new Assistant Professor in the area of Responsible and Ethical AI. 

Job description

The position is placed within the Department of Philosophy in the capacity group Logic and Language and the candidate’s research will be part of the Institute for Language, Logic and Computation (ILLC) within the Faculty of Humanities. The ILLC enhances curiosity-driven research and serves as a rallying point for information scientists across traditional research fields. An important part of the core business of the ILLC focusses on computational models of human information processing. When gaining a deeper understanding of the nature of information and the processes of reasoning and interaction, we use logic as one of our main driving forces. This research is situated in the interdisciplinary territory between humanities (philosophy, linguistics, media studies), cognitive science, artificial intelligence and computer science.

The candidate will be expected to teach in different BA and MA programs in the faculty of Humanities including in Philosophy, Media Studies, Msc in Logic and can offer guest lectures in UvA’s courses on Human(e) AI within different educational programmes. The candidate is expected to be active as the supervisor of bachelor or master theses. In addition the candidate is expected to play an important role in the design of new educational initiatives on the topic of AI for students in the Humanities.

Possible courses in Philosophy include both introductory and more advanced courses in Logic, in particular the course on Logic and the Linguistic Turn, as well as specialized courses in Philosophy and AI, Formal Epistemology and Philosophy of Science.

In Media Studies, possible courses include Analyzing Digital Culture, Media Research, Digital Methods and Information Analytics, Current Themes in Media Studies and Philosophy of the Humanities.

Tasks:

• Develop an independent line of research in her/his area of expertise, resulting in contributions published at leading international venues;
• actively participate in the RPA Human(e) AI, by contributing to its management and administration tasks, by collaborating on research within the RPA and by (co)-supervising PhD candidates;
• actively pursuing external funding for research, notably funding from research councils, national as well as European;
• actively contributing to and developing national and international research networks and other forms of cooperation;
• contribute to research valorization and outreach activities;
• teach (in Dutch and in English) and develop teaching activities in the fields mentioned above;
• take on coordination and/or management tasks in the relevant teaching programmes ;
• supervising BA and MA theses and tutoring students;
• taking part in departmental meetings and activities.

Requirements

The assistant professor:

• has a PhD in a relevant field with a strong connection to the Humanities (e.g. in Philosophy, Logic, or related field), completed or with a defense date scheduled before the start of the contract; an international research network in the research area concerned;
• has experience with studying AI technology from a Science and Technology Studies or Theoretical Philosophy perspective;
• has experience with the development and/or formal analysis of technological systems in the field of AI;
• has an excellent research record, evidenced by publications in top international venues; the candidate’s area of Research Expertise includes at least one of the following: Logic for AI (including logics for multi-agent systems, deontic logic and normative systems), Formal Ethics, Formal Epistemology, Formal Ontology fit for AI, Philosophy of Information/AI;
• has demonstrable ability and ambition to obtain external research grants;
• has given contributions and/or invited lectures at international conferences/workshops;
• has strong experience in different forms and levels of university teaching, at BA and MA level; the candidate’s area of Teaching Competence includes at least Logic and either Philosophy of Science (including Philosophy of AI) or Epistemology;
• has ideally some experience with (co-)supervision of BA/BSc, MA/MSc and/or PhD students;
• is a good team worker and versatile at all levels, capable of multidisciplinary co-operation;
• has experience of digital and audiovisual teaching facilities; affinity with ICT in university teaching;
• has the Dutch Basic Teaching Qualification (UTQ/BKO), or the willingness to acquire this within the first two years;
• has an excellent command of English and Dutch. Non-Dutch speakers are expected to learn Dutch and be fluent in Dutch within two years, by passing the state examination for Dutch as a Second Language (NT2), programme II.

Our offer

The contract is temporary for a period of four years. The contract will commence preferably between 1 September 2020 and 1 January 2021.

The UFO profile for this position is, dependent on relevant experience, Universitair docent 2 (scale 11) or Universitair docent 1 (scale 12).

The gross monthly salary will range from €3,637 (start scale 11) to €5,656 (end scale 12), based on a full-time appointment (38 hours a week).

The Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities applies.

Further information

For further information, please contact:

• prof. Sonja Smets, director of ILLC
  or
• prof. Beate Roessler, chair of the department of Philosophy

Would you like to learn more about working at the University of Amsterdam? Visit our website.

Job application

The UvA is an equal-opportunity employer. We prioritise diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for everyone. We value a spirit of enquiry and perseverance, provide the space to keep asking questions, and promote a culture of curiosity and creativity.

The Faculty of Humanities wants to improve the diversity of its research community with respect to ethnicity, gender, sexuality and class. Applications that contribute to this are particularly encouraged.

Applications, including a motivation letter, a detailed curriculum vitae, a list of publications, and the names and email addresses of two referees who can provide letters of recommendation, should be submitted electronically no later than 15 June 2020 to the Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, Prof. Fred Weerman, by using the link below.

Only complete applications received via this link will be considered.

The interviews will be held in the month of June. A trial lecture will be part of the application procedure. #LI-DNP