PhD Environmental justice in generative A.I.

26 Jan 2024
Job Information

Organisation/Company

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR)

Research Field

Cultural studies

Researcher Profile

First Stage Researcher (R1)

Country

Netherlands

Application Deadline

18 Feb 2024 - 22:59 (UTC)

Type of Contract

Permanent

Job Status

Not Applicable

Hours Per Week

40.0

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

In this PhD project you will do social research on one of the biggest challenges of using generative AI (such as Chat GPT): its ecological footprint. For instance, training AI language models consumes a lot of power and data centres require large amounts of cooling water. How are these problems currently addressed, and how can we support environmental justice in generative AI? You will do this research as part of the pioneering Feminist Generative AI Lab, which offers an interdisciplinary environment combining artificial intelligence, design, and social sciences.

Job description
We invite applications for a fully-funded PhD position in the social sciences, focusing on developing a theory of environmental justice in generative AI. Applicants are invited to prepare and execute an independent PhD project that can include the empirical analysis of debates, practices or power dynamics around the ecological footprint of generative AI. The research should lead to theories, concepts and principles for design and activism in line with data feminism or feminist AI principles.

Research Context
The environmental costs of online large-scale generative AI usage are increasingly recognised. Concerns include carbon emission and energy usage associated with training large language models (LLMs); cooling water required by data centers; and lithium mining to power our devices. In response, various stakeholders have proposed visions and solutions for sustainability in generative AI. Some visions are directed towards users, e.g. limiting user queries, while others call for structural change, e.g. addressing consumer cultures. However, environmental justice concerns are rarely addressed. Environmental justice is about finding just and fair alternatives to the inequalities that affect how the ecological space and resources of a finite planet are shared.

As a starting point, the study empirically investigates imaginaries and practices around the environmental costs of generative AI. It can ask how environmentally friendly generative AI is shaped in discussions, debates and practices. What are the consequences for different groups? How are the relations between technology and ecological decline framed? Which assumptions about ecology and society underly debates in this field? Such insights can inform a feminist theory of environmental justice in the area of generative AI, and form the groundwork for design and activism.

Methodologies and Activities
The research can be conducted through case studies, ethnographic research, discourse analysis, digital methods, participative methods, design research or combinations. Activities will include:

• Design an independent PhD project
• Conduct fieldwork, analyse results
• Translate results into theoretical and practical lessons
• Participate in the ESSB graduate school’s training program
• Engage and develop activities with the staff and other PhDs in the Feminist Generative AI Lab
• Publish and present research results on workshops and conferences
• Communicate research findings to a broader audience

Requirements
Specific Requirements

• Master’s degree in Sociology, Anthropology, Political Science, Science and Technology Studies, Environmental Humanities, or a related field
• Excellent research skills and a strong methodological profile
• Excellent verbal and writing skills in English
• A demonstrable interdisciplinary and collaborative orientation
• Familiarity with (generative) artificial intelligence and an interest in data feminism or feminist AI principles

This PhD position offers a unique opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge research at the intersection of social science, design, feminism, and artificial intelligence, with the potential to shape the future of inclusive and just technological landscapes. We encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds and experiences to apply.

Additional Information
Benefits

We offer you an internationally oriented and varied job in an enthusiastic team, with excellent working conditions in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU).

The start date of this position is 1 April 2024 and you will be based at Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences (ESSB). This position is for 0.8 fte - 1 fte FTE. The salary ranges from a minimum of € 2.770 to a maximum of € 3.539 gross per month on a fulltime basis (38 hours), in accordance with Scale P of the CAO-NU. The contract is entered into for the duration of one year, to be continued based on good progress and good performance with three more years, leading to a total appointment of four years.

Everything else we offer you, you can find below!

• Everything you need for a good work-life balance : the option to work from home in consultation with your manager, 41 days of paid leave with a 40 hour contract, 8% holiday pay and an 8.3% end-of-year bonus, and a significant discount on a subscription for our on-campus sports centre !
• Sustainable, inclusive and diverse work environment with an open culture, where you can be yourself and we pay attention to each other and to the world around us. Make the most of our bicycle budget, or join networks such as Young@EUR , FAME or QuEUR.
• Time and space for your development in the broadest sense: development days and a personal career budget , foreign exchange opportunities with most costs paid by EUR, and free access to our university library .
• Good pension with ABP that EUR contributes 2/3rds towards, discounts on various collective insurances with Zilveren Kruis Achmea, Loyalis, and Allianz, and compensation for travel, working from home and home internet use.
• Are you currently combining your job with parenthood, or do you want to do so in the future? EUR offers partially paid parental leave and fully paid additional birth leave for partners , and our campus features a daycare .
• Moving to the Netherlands for your job with EUR? Then you may be eligible for the 30%-ruling if you meet the requirements of the Belastingdienst (Dutch tax agency), and with our Dual Career Programme we will also help your partner find the right job for them.

Selection process

Please submit your application, consisting of a motivation letter and CV, before the vacancy closing date.

The selection procedure consists of 2 interviews. Interviews are expected to be held in the week number 9 and 10.

You can find more information about the EUR on our website www.eur.nl . For more information about this vacancy, please contact Prof.dr. Claartje ter Hoeven via [email protected] .

We look forward to receiving your application.

Persons of all gender identities or expressions, sexual orientations, religions, ethnicities, ages, neurodiversities, functional impairments, citizenships, or any other aspect are welcome to apply and join the EUR community.

Additional comments

Feminist Generative AI Lab

The Feminist Generative AI Lab is a joint research Lab based at TU Delft and Erasmus University of Rotterdam. The Lab pioneers research at the intersection of generative AI, design, and data feminism. Recognizing the recent developments in generative AI technology and its widespread impact, the Lab addresses the ethical challenges and opportunities inherent in this transformative field through a theoretical feminist lens. A feminist approach to technology goes beyond gender. Broadly understood, it is an approach that aims for less dominating alternatives, thinks beyond binary oppositions and embraces pluralism and difference

Website for additional job details

https://www.academictransfer.com/337055/

Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

Erasmus University Rotterdam

Country

Netherlands

City

Rotterdam

Postal Code

3062PA

Street

Burgemeester Oudlaan 50

Geofield

Where to apply

Website

https://www.academictransfer.com/en/337055/phd-environmental-justice-in-generat…

Contact

City

Rotterdam

Website

http://www.eur.nl/

Street

Burgemeester Oudlaan 50

Postal Code

3062 PA

STATUS: EXPIRED