Assistant Professor in AI & Behaviour

The AI & Behaviour group is dedicated to responsibly advancing AI to benefit society. Our mission is to design, develop, and evaluate AI-based techniques and algorithms related to human behaviour. Our aim is to analyse, predict and support human behaviour, while respecting societal values.

Our primary focus areas include applications for health, wellbeing, safety, and sustainability. We utilize a variety of computational approaches such as model-based simulation, serious gaming, Virtual Reality-based systems, personalized advice apps, chatbots, and large language models (LLMs).

We are committed to developing ethically responsible AI approaches that respect user autonomy, are transparent and that are based on user consent.

As a new Assistant Professor, you will be a member of the broader Computer Science department, which is conducting cutting-edge research on key topics within a coherent program. In the department, we combine fundamental, strategic, and application-oriented research to ensure that our work is highly relevant to both the scientific and societal spheres. This results in high-impact publications and research software. Our inter- and multidisciplinary research contributes to various societal domains, including humanities, social sciences, and health. You will contribute to the teaching in our very popular undergraduate and graduate AI programmes.

Your duties

• conduct cutting-edge research in AI and human behaviour
• develop innovative AI solutions that contribute to societally relevant applications
• collaborate with a experts within and outside our research group
• contribute to teaching and mentoring AI students
• perform management tasks within the department

Requirements:

• a PhD in AI, Computer Science, Cognitive Science or a related field
• a research background in human-centered AI, e.g. in a post-doc position
• proven interest in the safety, sustainability or health domain
• expertise in one or more of the following research areas: computational modelling, reasoning and knowledge representation, behaviour change technology, and/or machine learning
• experience with practical implementations with meaningful impact
• a commitment to ethical AI practices
• ambition to be part of a collaborative working environment

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.

Salary Benefits:

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:

• a salary of minimum € 4.332,00 (Scale 11) and maximum € 5.929,00 (Scale 11) gross per month, on a full-time basis This is based on UFO profile Assistant Professor 2. The exact salary depends on your education and experience
• a position for at least 1 FTE. Your employment contract will initially last 18 months and will be changed into a permanent contract if you perform well, after which your career track will continue.

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

• A full-time 38-hour working week comes with a holiday leave entitlement of 232 hours per year. If you choose to work 40 hours, you have 96 extra holiday leave hours on an annual basis. For part-timers, this is calculated pro rata
• 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
• solid pension scheme (ABP)
• contribution to commuting expenses
• optional model for designing a personalized benefits package

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