Postdoctoral Legal Researcher: Fair and Non-discriminatory AI

Employment

0.8 - 1.0 FTE

Gross monthly salary

€ 2,960 - € 4,670

Required background

PhD

Organizational unit

Faculty of Science

Application deadline

18 January 2023

Apply now
Are you a researcher with an interest in AI and its risks of unfairness and discrimination? As a legal postdoc, you will conduct legal research in the context of an interdisciplinary project ('FINDHR') that aims to develop fair and non-discriminatory AI for recruitment. You will be part of iHub, Radboud University's interdisciplinary research hub on digitalization and society, an inspiring and friendly research environment.
FINDHR is a Europe-wide consortium that conducts research into developing fair and non-discriminatory AI for human resources (HR). FINDHR is managed by Prof. Carlos Castillo (link is external) (Barcelona). FINDHR stands for 'Fairness and Intersectional Non-Discrimination in Human Recommendation'. iHub is one of the 13 partners of the FINDHR consortium.
FINDHR aims to develop AI that does not lead to discrimination against certain groups (ethnicity, gender, sexual preferences etc.), or to intersectional discrimination. FINDHR will also design and deliver specialized skills training for developers and auditors of AI systems. FINDHR will engage with underrepresented groups. FINDHR will ground its project in EU regulation and policy.
With the help of Prof. Frederik Zuiderveen Borgesius, you will conduct legal research in the context of FINDHR. As a legal postdoc, your role will include the following tasks. You will conduct and collaborate on interdisciplinary research. (i) iHub leads research into the tension between non-discrimination goals and the GDPR's strict rules on using special categories of personal data (sensitive data), such as data regarding people's ethnicity, religion or sexual preferences. With Eticas (link is external) and other partners, iHub is developing a monitoring protocol describing a GDPR-compliant way to check whether AI systems have discriminatory effects.
iHub is collaborating with other partners on, for instance, the following tasks. (ii) Erasmus University is developing intersectional anti-discrimination methodologies for AI in recruitment, producing an impact assessment and auditing framework. (iii) The University of Amsterdam (UvA) will develop a software development guide. (iv) AlgorithmWatch (link is external) will develop a toolkit with policy recommendations. (v) iHub manages Work Package 1 (WP1), which covers the four aforementioned tasks.
We will help you devise a publication strategy that aligns with your career objectives. You will be expected to publish peer-reviewed papers (authored and/or co-authored). We provide support if you write personal grant proposals (e.g. for an ERC starting grant). iHub has much experience with writing successful grant proposals, and Radboud University offers excellent grant writing support.
Profile

• You should hold a PhD degree in law (from a European university), in a relevant field such as data protection. law, non-discrimination law, information law, ICT law, or human rights.
• You have a good scientific publication record in relevant journals.
• You have an excellent command of written and spoken English.
• You have an interest and ideally experience in interdisciplinary research.

Researchers who do not meet all the requirements are also encouraged to apply. We value a diverse workforce; female candidates are therefore particularly encouraged to apply.
We are
iHub is Radboud University's interdisciplinary research hub on digitalisation and society. iHub brings together a diverse range of academic researchers from the humanities, social sciences, engineering and natural sciences to tackle urgent questions arising from the increasing digitalisation and datafication of science and society. iHub's mission is to better understand the effects of digitalisation on our society and to help steer digital transformations in ways where public values are central.
iHub is housed on the 19th floor of the Erasmus building at the Radboud University campus in Nijmegen. iHub offers an inspiring and friendly research environment. If you are interested in fairness, discrimination, and human rights aspects of digitalisation and AI, you will feel at home at iHub. Many of your future colleagues work on human rights aspects of AI. A number of iHub's PhD candidates, supervised by Professor Zuiderveen Borgesius, conduct research on discrimination risks of AI, across disciplines such as law, anthropology and computer science. A group of ten iHub researchers who are interested in human rights aspects of automated decision-making (ADM) and AI meet every week to exchange news and discuss ongoing research.

Radboud University
We want to get the best out of science, others and ourselves. Why? Because this is what the world around us desperately needs. Leading research and education make an indispensable contribution to a healthy, free world with equal opportunities for all. This is what unites the more than 24,000 students and 5,600 employees at Radboud University. And this requires even more talent, collaboration and lifelong learning. You have a part to play!
We offer

• It concerns an employment for 0.8 - 1.0 FTE.
• The gross monthly salary amounts to a minimum of € 2.960 and a maximum of €4,670 based on a 38-hour working week, depending on previous education and number of years of relevant work experience (salary scale 10 ).
• You will receive 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus.
• It concerns a temporary employment for 3 years.
• You will be able to use our Dual Career and Family Care Services . Our Dual Career and Family Care Officer can assist you with family-related support, help your partner or spouse prepare for the local labour market, provide customized support in their search for employment and help your family settle in Nijmegen.
• Working for us means getting extra days off. In case of full-time employment, you can choose between 30 or 41 days of annual leave instead of the legally allotted 20.

Additional employment conditions
Work and science require good employment practices. This is reflected in Radboud University's primary and secondary employment conditions . You can make arrangements for the best possible work-life balance with flexible working hours, various leave arrangements and working from home. You are also able to compose part of your employment conditions yourself, for example, exchange income for extra leave days and receive a reimbursement for your sports subscription. And of course, we offer a good pension plan. You are given plenty of room and responsibility to develop your talents and realise your ambitions. Therefore, we provide various training and development schemes.
Would you like more information?
For questions about the position, please contact Frederik Zuiderveen Borgesius, Professor of ICT and Law at  [email protected] .
Practical information and applying
You can apply until 18 January 2023, exclusively using the button below. Kindly address your application to Frederik Zuiderveen Borgesius. Please fill in the application form and attach the following documents:

• A letter of motivation.
• Your CV, including a bibliography of published work.
• A writing sample.

The first round of interviews will take place on Wednesday 1 February. You would preferably begin employment on 1 March 2023.
We can imagine you're curious about our application procedure . It offers a rough outline of what you can expect during the application process, how we handle your personal data and how we deal with internal and external candidates.
Apply now Application deadline 18 January 2023

We would like to recruit our new colleague ourselves. Acquisition in response to this vacancy will not be appreciated.

Prof. Zuiderveen Borgesius, F.J. (Frederik)
Professor of ICT and Law
[email protected]

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• Work at Radboud University (i.e. have an employment contract with Radboud University).
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• Currently work as a student employee at Radboud University through the campus employment office.
• Work as a temporary employee at, or have been seconded to, Radboud University.

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Last modified: 05 December 2022
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