PhD Position Organizational Learning Around AI in the Security Sector

PhD Position Organizational Learning Around AI in the Security Sector
PhD Position Organizational Learning Around AI in the Security Sector

Published	Deadline	Location
today	30 Sep	Delft

Do you have a background in law, public administration or social sciences and an affinity with digital technologies? And are you interested in doing a PhD?
Job description

TU Delft is a top tier university and is exceedingly active in the field of Artificial intelligence. The Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management at TU Delft will start a research project on 'Hybrid Explainable Workflows for Security and Threat Intelligence' and is looking for a PhD student for the socio-legal part of the project. The position will be hired as part of the TU Delft AI Futures lab on Rights and Justice , which is part of the TU Delft AI Labs programme.

This new PhD position at TU Delft will work closely together with our colleagues at Leiden university, which have also published a related position.

The research

Security professionals often make risk evaluations with the support of AI. These evaluations need to be shared with other professionals, inside and outside of their organization. However accurate representations of risk-based decision making in security communities are rare due to highly restricted information sharing. This leads to information being lost or only being available to a highly limited group of individuals, limiting possibilities of information-sharing. At the same time there are numerous legal, organizational and technical constraints that limit what and how information can be shared.

The research focus of this PhD candidate will look at how existing legal constraints can be implemented more systematically to enable organizational learning. Building on the work of Linda Argote (2012) on organizational learning and Mikkel Flyverbom on transparency (2016), we will study the “management of visibilities” (Flyverbom 2016) within the intelligence and security services. Our research will have a particular focus on current and upcoming legal constraints, as these have a considerable effect on the ways in which data can be managed and shared.

This PhD position is part of the project 'Hybrid Explainable Workflows for Security and Threat Intelligence', in which five PhD students will work on this issue as a team. Three PhD students will have a more technical focus, while the two working at Leiden University and TU Delft will have more of a social science or legal focus. We are looking for innovative researchers who want to collaborate with your colleagues and be open to new and innovative concepts and relationships between different academic disciplines.

Within this multidisciplinary project, we have a vacancy for a PhD research project on how key privacy, oversight and data minimization constraints are integrated into internal socio-technical processes and how organizational learning can take place despite limited information sharing.

Tasks and responsibilities

• Conducting innovative legal and social science research in the context of a multidisciplinary project and in cooperation with technical researchers;
• Publish and present scientific articles in international journals and conferences;
• Contribute to educational activities;
• Write a dissertation (monograph or paper-based);

AI Futures Lab: Rights and Justice

The AI Futures Lab is a TU Delft Artificial Intelligence Lab. Artificial Intelligence, Data and Digitalisation are becoming increasingly important when looking for answers to major scientific and societal challenges. In a TU Delft AI Lab, experts in ‘the fundamentals of AI technology’ along with experts in ‘AI challenges’ run a shared lab.

Specifications

• 38—40 hours per week
• €2541—€3247 per month
• Delft View on Google Maps

Delft University of Technology (TU Delft)

Requirements

Selection criteria

• A Masters degree in law, public administration or the social sciences or another field relevant to the research project;
• Experience conducting empirical research on the relationship between human beings and technology
• Experience with socio-legal research is not necessary but would be a significant bonus;
• Highly motivated to conduct interdisciplinary research as well as to apply the developed methods to real world problems;
• Creative, 'make things work' mentality, independent and communicative team player;
• Good academic writing skills;
• Affinity with AI, data, and digitalisation;
• Proficiency in expressing yourself verbally and in writing in English; please see https://www.tudelft.nl/onderwijs/opleidingen/phd/admission for requirements;
• proficiency in Dutch language would be helpful but is not required;
• Interested in participating in interdisciplinary educational activities;
• An affinity with teaching and guiding students.

Doing a PhD at TU Delft requires English proficiency at a certain level to ensure that the candidate is able to communicate and interact well, participate in English-taught Doctoral Education courses, and write scientific articles and a final thesis. For more details please check the Graduate Schools Admission Requirements .

Conditions of employment

Fixed-term contract: 48 months.

Doctoral candidates will be offered a 4-year period of employment in principle, but in the form of 2 employment contracts. An initial 1,5 year contract with an official go/no go progress assessment within 15 months. Followed by an additional contract for the remaining 2,5 years assuming everything goes well and performance requirements are met.

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, increasing from € 2541 per month in the first year to € 3247 in the fourth year. As a PhD candidate you will be enrolled in the TU Delft Graduate School. The TU Delft Graduate School provides an inspiring research environment with an excellent team of supervisors, academic staff and a mentor. The Doctoral Education Programme is aimed at developing your transferable, discipline-related and research skills.

The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, discounts on health insurance and sport memberships, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged. For international applicants we offer the Coming to Delft Service and Partner Career Advice to assist you with your relocation.

Employer
Delft University of Technology

Delft University of Technology is built on strong foundations. As creators of the world-famous Dutch waterworks and pioneers in biotech, TU Delft is a top international university combining science, engineering and design. It delivers world class results in education, research and innovation to address challenges in the areas of energy, climate, mobility, health and digital society. For generations, our engineers have proven to be entrepreneurial problem-solvers, both in business and in a social context.

At TU Delft we embrace diversity as one of our core values and we actively engage to be a university where you feel at home and can flourish. We value different perspectives and qualities. We believe this makes our work more innovative, the TU Delft community more vibrant and the world more just. Together, we imagine, invent and create solutions using technology to have a positive impact on a global scale. That is why we invite you to apply. Your application will receive fair consideration.

Challenge. Change. Impact!

Department
Faculty Technology, Policy and Management

With its excellent education and research at the intersection of technology, society and policy, the Faculty of TPM makes an important contribution to solving complex technical-social issues, such as energy transition, mobility, digitalisation, water management and (cyber) security. We combine insights from the engineering sciences, the social and the humanities. We develop robust models and designs, are internationally oriented and have an extensive network with knowledge institutions, companies, social organisations and governments.

Click here to go to the website of the Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management.

Additional information

For more information about this vacancy, please contact Dr. Ben Wagner ([email protected] ).

Working at TU Delft

Join the oldest and largest technical university in the Netherlands. Work on clever solutions for worldwide challenges, to change the world and make an impact. Ready to bring your energy to our research?

Challenge, change, impact!

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Application procedure

Are you interested in this vacancy? Please apply no later than 30 September 2022 via the application button.

Please submit the following:

• 1-page Motivation letter;
• Your CV;
• (part of your) M.Sc. thesis or a paper that you have written, in which you demonstrate your writing (and scientific) skills.
  
• You can apply online. We will not process applications sent by email and/or post.
• A pre-Employment screening can be part of the selection procedure.
• Acquisition in response to this vacancy is not appreciated.

For information about the application procedure, please contact Martine van de Vorst ([email protected])