{"id":22775,"date":"2026-04-10T10:58:35","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T08:58:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nordmedianetwork.org\/?post_type=vacant-positions&p=22775"},"modified":"2026-04-10T10:58:35","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T08:58:35","slug":"postdoc-in-citizens-encounters-with-ai-in-the-danish-welfare-state-dtu-management","status":"publish","type":"vacant-positions","link":"https:\/\/nordmedianetwork.org\/fr\/latest\/vacant-positions\/postdoc-in-citizens-encounters-with-ai-in-the-danish-welfare-state-dtu-management\/","title":{"rendered":"Postdoc in Citizens\u2019 Encounters with AI in the Danish Welfare State – DTU Management"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you would like to advance new knowledge about how AI is transforming accountability in welfare state encounters \u2013 and you have expertise in Science and Technology Studies (STS), organization studies, sociology, anthropology, or related fields \u2013 this post doc position offers a unique opportunity. 

As part of the research project AI in the Welfare State: Accountability and Responsibility at Stake (AWARE)<\/em>, led by Professors Helene Friis Ratner and Brit Ross Winthereik, you will investigate how citizens experience encounters involving AI (e.g., algorithmic profiling, chatbots) as part of municipal services and co-develop a framework for responsible AI encounters in Danish municipalities.   

The project examines how AI reconfigures accountability by focusing on state-citizen relations in the digitalized welfare state. While AI tools are increasingly implemented, for instance in citizen-facing chatbots to optimize communication and guide access to benefits and public services, little is known about how these systems shape citizens\u2019 possibilities for understanding, contesting, and acting upon specific encounters and administrative decisions. You will be responsible for conducting ethnographic work with citizens in marginalized positions and for leadership of one of AWARE\u2019s subprojects (SP2). 

Responsibilities and qualifications<\/strong>
The overall aim of SP2 is to generate in-depth empirical knowledge about how citizens experience and negotiate their position when encountering AI in the welfare state. The project pays particular attention to citizens in socially marginalized positions, recognizing that digitally mediated encounters with the authorities may exacerbate inequalities in access, agency, and rights.

You will conduct a qualitative longitudinal study involving 15 citizens, who will be interviewed and followed over an 8-month period. The project includes at least eight observations per participant as they engage with genAI systems in everyday settings (e.g., at home or in supported environments). Recruitment will take place in collaboration with civil society organizations, including the Danish Red Cross and DaneAge Association.

The study combines interviews and real-time observation of citizen\u2013AI interactions, enabling close analysis of how AI-mediated welfare encounters \u2013 and their breakdowns \u2013 affect accountability, responsibility, and access to welfare services. Particular attention will be paid to ethical considerations and the power asymmetries involved in researching digitally marginalized populations.

The position includes responsibility for two high-quality international journal articles, responsibility for co-organizing participatory workshops with citizens and case workers. 

You will work under the supervision of Ratner and Winthereik and will collaborate closely with one other postdoc. You are expected to contribute actively to the conceptual development of accountability in AI-mediated welfare provision across the AWARE project, the research environment in which the project is hosted and various writing and dissemination activities.

Applicants are required to document:<\/p>\n\n\n\n