Postdoctoral Researcher on Algorithmic Governance - A Public Perspective

11 Jan 2024
Job Information

Organisation/Company

UNIVERSITY OF HELSINKI

Research Field

Computer science
Psychological sciences
Sociology
Ethics in social sciences

Researcher Profile

Recognised Researcher (R2)
Established Researcher (R3)

Country

Finland

Application Deadline

8 Feb 2024 - 00:00 (UTC)

Type of Contract

Other

Job Status

Full-time

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Not funded by an EU programme

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Offer Description

The Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Helsinki invites applications for the position of  

POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER ON Algorithmic Governance – A Public Perspective (AGAPP)   

for a fixed term period for the duration of 36 months, starting in April 2024 or as agreed.

This position is part of an ERC Starting Grant awarded to Associate Professor Daria Gritsenko (Principal Investigator) for a project examining how perceptions of legitimacy are shaped and changed in the minds of individuals in the context of algorithmic governance. The AGAPP project integrates methods from cognitive science and Human-Computer-Interaction research with focus groups and survey experiments to explore how people evaluate the legitimacy of algorithmic governance in the context of migration policy. Dr Gritsenko is a political scientist who has carried out qualitative, quantitative, and experimental research on topics of policy and governance, including energy, environment, and digital transformation. The project team will collect quantitative and qualitative data to study how people use heuristics to judge legitimacy of algorithmic systems of rule, with the view to building original theory.

RESPONSIBILITIES

How do individuals evaluate legitimacy of algorithmic governance? The main task of the appointed researcher is to contribute to answering this research question by designing, coordinating and conducting empirical research on the use of heuristics in cognition of algorithmic legitimacy. Working closely with the Principal Investigator, the post-doctoral fellow will play a pivotal role in project implementation individually and jointly with other team members. The appointee will help to develop in-depth understanding of cognitive processes in the context of legitimacy and translate it into concepts that can be operationalised in empirical, especially experimental, studies, and by using focus groups, interviews and think-aloud methods. Other main tasks include writing up joint peer-reviewed publications on methodological and comparative aspects of the project, working on individual peer-reviewed articles, and actively participating in online and onsite research activities of the group. The appointed researcher will also contribute up to 5% of their annual working time to teaching and administrative tasks at the Center for Social Data Science at the University of Helsinki. It is possible to complete the teaching and administrative tasks in English.

QUALIFICATIONS

An appointee to the position must hold a doctoral degree in social or behavioral sciences (incl. human-computer interactions with relevant experience). Applicants must demonstrate experience in experimental work with human participants; possess versatile methodological skills (ideally both quantitative and qualitative); have the ability to work independently and collaboratively in research teams; and have an excellent command of written and spoken English.

The default assumption is that the doctoral degree requirement must be met by the beginning of the employment. The chosen applicant is expected to reside in Finland while employed by the University of Helsinki. The Faculty of Social Sciences provides assistance in relocation.  

ESSENTIAL QUALITIES AND ATTRIBUTES

The ideal candidate would have a proven track-record of creating and deploying mixed-method research designs to study human decision-making. Successful applicants will demonstrate excellent methodological and academic writing skills, experience with data management and confidence in data analysis (R, STATA, etc.). While experience in experimental work with human participants is a must (lab, field, survey, experimental UI/UX, etc.), preference will be given to the applicants who can also demonstrate experience in qualitative research (such as interviews, focus group design and analysis). Strong organizational skills are required in order to plan and conduct fieldwork in two countries (UK and Singapore). Familiarity with ecological rationality framework is a plus. As the postdoctoral researcher will  be working in a team with other researchers, including PhD students, it is essential that applicants demonstrate good communication skills.

WHAT WE OFFER  

The successful candidate will become part of a vibrant research environment of the Center for Social Data Science (CSDS) at the Faculty of Social Sciences. This three-year full-time position provides excellent opportunities for intellectual development, support for additional training, help to build an outstanding publishing record, and opportunities to teach and (co)-supervise MA students. The project offers funding for conferences, fieldwork, and opportunities for developing a strong academic network. We support Open Science and Open Access publications.

University of Helsinki is an equal opportunity employer and offers an attractive and diverse workplace with a variety of development opportunities and benefits. The annual gross salary range will be approx. €42,000 – €47,000, depending on the appointee’s qualifications and experience. Standard Finnish pension benefits and occupational health care are provided for university employees. Further information can be obtained online . The employment contract will include a probationary period of six months.

The Faculty of Social Sciences is Finland’s leading research and education institute in the social sciences, and the country’s most diverse social sciences faculty in terms of the range of its disciplines and fields of research. The Faculty has a strong international research profile and an international master’s programme, and several of its disciplinary units have been rated among the top 50 in the world. The Faculty has approximately 500 research and teaching staff, and each year it awards some 350 bachelor’s degrees, 400 master’s degrees and more than 40 doctoral degrees.

Finland is a member of the European Union, has high quality free schooling (also in English) and generous family benefits and healthcare. Finland was recently ranked as the best country in the world for expat families, and Helsinki in the world’s top ten most livable cities. Finland and the Helsinki region feature leading research and innovation facilities, clean environment, affordable accommodation, and excellent international, national, and local transport connections. For more information about working at the University of Helsinki and living in Finland, please see this website .

HOW TO APPLY

Please submit your application, together with the required attachments, through the University of Helsinki Recruitment System via the link "Apply now" (“Hae nyt”). Applicants who are currently employed by the University of Helsinki are requested to submit their application via the SAP Fiori portal at https://msap.sap.helsinki.fi . The closing date for applications is 8 February, 2024.

Applicants are requested to enclose with their applications the following documents in English:

Attachment 1) A curriculum vitae that includes the names, positions and contact details of two referees;
Attachment 2) A statement (max. 600 words) outlining how the applicant would contribute to the AGAPP project;
Attachment 3) A numbered list of publications on which the applicant has marked in bold their one to three key publications to be considered during the review;
Attachment 4) An outline (max. 300 words) of the applicant’s methodological skills (quantitative, qualitative, experimental), experience with software, fieldwork experience, etc, with reference to publications (Attachment 3).

Applicants of any gender, nationality and cultural background are welcomed.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Further information about the positions and the research project may be obtained from Dr. Daria Gritsenko, [email protected] .  

SYNOPSIS OF THE PROJECT  

In our digitalising world, algorithmic systems are widely used in public governance. However, evidence suggests that algorithmic governance is perceived as less legitimate compared to governance that involves humans. Despite well-known deficiencies and biases in human decision-making, perceived legitimacy of algorithmic governance increases when humans are present in some capacity (so-called humans-in-the-loop). In order to explain the legitimizing effect of humans-in-the-loop we need a theory of how people judge the legitimacy of algorithms used in governance. To this end, AGAPP infuses the study of political legitimacy with a theory of ecological rationality stemming from cognitive science.

AGAPP focuses its empirical investigation on a new European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS). ETIAS is a paradigmatic case of algorithmic governance as it relies on big data and algorithms to perform risk profiling and implement migration policy. The AGAPP team will collect empirical data on how individuals assess the legitimacy of ETIAS by means of rigorous mixed-method research design. AGAPP will develop a protocol that integrates methods from cognitive science and Human-Computer-Interaction research with interviews, focus groups and survey experiments to unpack how legitimacy judgments are created and changed in different contexts. While AGAPP focuses on ETIAS as a case of algorithmic governance, its ambition is to develop a theory that would accurately portray legitimacy judgment processes and contribute to the study of cognition of legitimacy more broadly.

Requirements
Additional Information
Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

UNIVERSITY OF HELSINKI

Country

Finland

City

Helsinki, Finland

Geofield

Where to apply

Website

https://www.timeshighereducation.com/unijobs/listing/362805/postdoctoral-resear…

Contact

City

Helsinki, Finland

STATUS: EXPIRED