Post-Doctoral Researcher Position: Exploring AI in Consensus-Building and Conflict Resolution at Wageningen University

The Information Technology Group within the Social Science Department at Wageningen University is seeking a talented post-doctoral researcher for a one-year position to work on a cutting-edge research project exploring the role of AI agents in facilitating consensus-building in hybrid groups composed of both humans and AI agents.

The AI agent developed will not only detect and address conflicts but will also employ advanced techniques such as sentiment analysis, bias detection, and natural language processing to influence group dynamics and support decision-making processes.

Key Responsibilities:

• Phase 1: Design and develop an AI agent that can prioritize group interactions and offer conflict resolution strategies based on various consensus strategies (e.g., majority rule or hierarchical weighting).
• Phase 2: Implement and evaluate the AI in controlled experiments with hybrid groups. The AI will dynamically adjust its mediation efforts, facilitating quicker and more effective conflict resolution.
• Phase 3: Analyze experimental data to assess the AI’s impact on group dynamics, including decision quality, time to consensus, and participant satisfaction.

Wageningen University & Research offers excellent terms of employment. A few highlights from our Collective Labour Agreement include:

• sabbatical leave, study leave, and partially paid parental leave;
• working hours that can be discussed and arranged so that they allow for the best possible work-life balance;
• there is a strong focus on vitality and you can make use of the sports facilities available on campus for a small fee;
• a fixed December bonus of 8.3%;
• excellent pension scheme.

We offer you a temporary contract for the duration of one year. Of course, we are happy to have a conversation with you if you have any questions about this.

We are offering a unique position in an international environment with a pleasant and open working atmosphere.

You are going to work at the greenest and most innovative campus in Holland, and at a university that has been chosen as the “Best University” in the Netherlands for the 19th consecutive time.

Coming from abroad

Wageningen University & Research is the university and research centre for life sciences. The themes we deal with are relevant to everyone around the world and Wageningen, therefore, has a large international community and a lot to offer to international employees.

This program helps your partner to get familiar with the Dutch culture, labour market and assists your partner to find a job.

With its roughly 30 branches, 7,600 employees (6,700 fte) and 13,100 students and over 150,000 participants to WUR’s Life Long Learning, Wageningen University & Research is one of the leading organisations in its domain. The unique Wageningen approach lies in its integrated approach to issues and the collaboration between different disciplines.

Read the 5 reasons why your future colleagues enjoy working at WUR and watch the video below to get an idea of our green campus!

We will recruit for the vacancy ourselves, so no employment agencies please. However, sharing in your network is appreciated. You have:

• experience with AI techniques such as natural language processing, agent-based modeling, and machine learning;
• strong programming skills and familiarity with experimental design;
• a track record of scientific publications is highly desirable;
• excellent communication and teamwork skills.

You also possess:

• A Ph D in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Social Science, or a related field.

In our international working environment there is an increasing amount of communication in English. For this position it is about language level C1 .

You will work here

This position is based at the Information Technology Group, Social Science Department, which is led by prof.dr.ir. Bedir Tekinerdogan . You will be supervised by dr. Yara Khaluf. For more information about this position, please contact Dr Yara Khaluf, Assistant Professor, yara.khaluf@wur.nl

For more information about the procedure, please contact Noorien Abbas, corporate recruiter, recruitment.ssg@wur.nl

You can apply directly using the apply button on the vacancy page on our website which will allow us to process your personal information with your approval.

Please submit your CV, a cover letter outlining your research experience and motivation, and contact details for two academic references. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

This vacancy will be listed up to and including 2 December 2024. We hope to schedule the first job interviews in the second week of December 2024.

As part of our selection process, an assessment may be incorporated within the procedure

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