About the position
A PhD position in artificial intelligence and political communication is available at the Faculty of Computer Sciences, Engineering and Economics at Østfold University College (ØUC).
The project will have a multidisciplinary approach and will be linked to the research activities both on communication and on AI technology.
The doctoral position is part of the research initiative “The Digital Society” at ØUC.
Project description
The project seeks to explore and describe how artificial intelligence is being used to communicate politics in Norway. It seeks not only to map, and describe, the use and consequences of AI in political communication, it also takes a development- oriented perspective to the use of AI in political communication. The project will explore ways in which AI can be used to detect and counteract AI, and given that there will only be more examples of AI-generated political communication this project aims to develop tools that can help users detect AI-generated content. Thus, the project is in the intersection of politics, communication and AI. The project is multimethodological, meaning that both quantitative and qualitative methods will be used to gather and analyse data. In addition, Large Language Models, Large Foundation models and methods for digital watermarking are methods that might be used for this project. In early phases literature reviews, interviews, questionnaires and statistics might be relevant too depending on the direction of the project.
The goal of the position is for the candidate to obtain a doctoral degree and contribute to our understanding of the use of AI in political communication. The duration of the PhD position is three years.
The candidate will be part of an interdisciplinary research environment, and the AI hub at ØUC. Overall, these support the research initiative “The Digital Society”. The candidate must be interested in both the socio-political part of the project as well as the technical aspect.
About Research fellowship
The Doctoral Research Fellowship is a full time (100%) fixed term position for 3 years funded by Østfold University College.
The candidate will be employed at Østfold University College. The candidate is expected to apply and be accepted in our Doctoral Programme “Digitalisation and Society”. Read more on our website: Digitalisation and Society
Estimated starting date: 1st of September 2024
The candidate is expected to:
- actively take part in inter- and multi-disciplinary research activities relevant to AI Hub hosted by Østfold University College.
- disseminate research results on the project through high-quality scientific publications.
Qualification requirements
The successful candidate is required to have
- completed a master’s degree or second degree (equivalent to 120 credits according to Norwegian standard definitions) within fields relevant to politics, communication or computer science or other fields relevant for the position. Candidates that are close to completion may also be evaluated. Documentation of the completed master’s degree must be submitted within three weeks after the application deadline.
- been awarded the grade B or better for the Master thesis – in terms of the Norwegian grading scale. If the research summary is of excellent quality, grade C candidates can be considered.
- excellent oral and written communication skills in English and sufficient oral and written communication skills in a Scandinavian language. For international candidates (outside of EU/EEA area), approved TOEFL English proficiency test with min score 90 or IELTS test with min. score 7.5.
- solid programming skills.
Desired qualifications
We would like you to have
- an average grade point for courses included in the Master’s degree of B or better in terms of the Norwegian grading scale.
- relevant work and/or academic experience.
- relevant background in either political science, communication, sociology or machine learning.
- documented experience with machine learning research and/or development.
- solid skills in both qualitative and quantitative methods
Personal qualifications
The successful candidate has
- motivation and potential in the field of research.
- the ability to work in a project team and take responsibility for own research goals.
- good communication and collaboration skills
- the ability to join interdisciplinary academic communities.
Emphasis will be placed on the following
In the evaluation of the applicants, emphasis will be placed on education, experience and personal and interpersonal qualities. Motivation, ambitions, and potential will also count in the assessment of the candidates.
Furthermore, we will also consider:
- quality of the research experience and publications.
- prior academic output and/or research performance (Master thesis and papers in journals/conferences and citations).
- the applicant’s own ideas of research themes and research design that would be relevant for the project, and the quality and relevance of the project sketch.
We offer
- a gross annual salary of minimum NOK 532 200,- and automatically development with a 3 % annual increase during the period. In addition to taxes, a further 2% is deducted for the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.
- an exciting job opportunity at Østfold University College.
- participation in a new interdisciplinary doctoral program and a research group where the project is located.
- beneficial pension arrangements with the Norwegian State Pension Fund.
- good employee welfare arrangements.
- working locations at Østfold University College, Halden (Norway)
- a vibrant AI community, see https://www.hiof.no/english/research/ai-hub/