PhD Position: AI-enabled Decision-making of Empowerment

Sociology » Social shaping of technology

Organisation/Company Radboud University Research Field Psychological sciences » Psychology Sociology » Social shaping of technology Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Final date to receive applications 8 Mar 2026 - 22:59 (UTC) Country Netherlands Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Not Applicable Hours Per Week 36.0 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Are you interested in understanding how AI can empower citizens? In this PhD role in organisational/social psychology related to technology, you will be part of a vibrant inter- and transdisciplinary research community, contributing to real-world impact in AI-enabled decisions with stakeholders.

Artificial Intelligence is increasingly interwoven with many aspects of our lives and its impact on us grows steadily. Next to the significant benefits that AI offers, its current rapid deployment can also be harmful to people and society. The impact of AI is particularly pronounced in the context of decision-making: people need to be empowered to understand AI-guided decisions so that they can themselves use AI in empowering ways.

The DECIDE project is a large-scale, NWO-funded research initiative under the Dutch Research Agenda (NWA). It brings together 10 Dutch universities, over 50 academic researchers and 30 societal partners in an ambitious inter- and transdisciplinary collaboration. Our shared mission is to develop strategies towards the design and implementation of a new generation of transparent, citizen-empowering AI systems with a focus on AI-supported decision-making, which contribute to the empowerment and democratic participation of citizens.

The project addresses real-world challenges across domains such as healthcare, mobility, public governance, and healthy lifestyles. By co-developing strategies with societal stakeholders, DECIDE aims to create solutions that have tangible impact on society.

We are seeking a highly motivated PhD researcher in organisational/social psychology to join the DECIDE project at Radboud University. Your research will focus on empowerment in the context of AI (through conceptual and psychometric development) and how it is impacted by attributes of AI. It will involve both qualitative and quantitative research methods. This line of research contributes to the overarching goal of democratising AI through transparent decision-making with a focus on conceptual and measurement development.

Questions that you will answer through your research may include:
What does it mean to be empowered by AI? How is empowerment experienced by citizens in the context of AI? What aspects of AI support empowerment of citizens, and how do they do so?

As part of your role, you will conduct original research, resulting in a PhD thesis. This PhD position comes with a light teaching load (10%), which will enable you to work on your teaching portfolio for the University Teaching Qualification. You will have the opportunity to collaborate with other PhD candidates, postdoctoral researchers and societal partners across the DECIDE project. You will have options to develop your research competencies and participate in DECIDE training programmes, workshops and summer schools, in addition to the training programmes offered by Radboud University.

This role will involve you in interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary activities, including citizen science and co-design initiatives.

Would you like to learn more about what it’s like to pursue a PhD at Radboud University? Visit the page about working as a PhD candidate.

• You hold a Master’s degree in Psychology (with a focus on organisational psychology or social psychology).
• You have an interest to conceptually develop and investigate what it means to experience empowerment in the context of AI and AI transparency’s role in empowerment.
• Emerging competencies in psychometrics are desirable; specifically scale development and validation.
• You value qualitative and quantitative research methods, including focus…