PhD student on the subject of Responsible AI for Cultural Heritage (m/f/x)

Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica (CWI) in Amsterdam has a vacancy for a 4-year PhD position in The Human Centered Data Analytics research group on the subject of Responsible AI for Cultural Heritage.

Job description

Are you inspired by human-centered, inclusive AI? And do you have an affinity with cultural heritage? In the HAICu project, we investigate AI for and with the cultural heritage sector, to make cultural heritage (CH) data accessible to citizens, journalists, and other stakeholders. HAICu actively involves users, so that they can be more than passive recipients of information and can help to describe and enrich CH data. Thus, the HAICu project aims to generate and utilize three types of complementary metadata — traditional metadata, citizen-contributed descriptions, and AI-generated labels. This approach ensures a breadth and variety of perspectives. However, each type of metadata can have its own biases. In this project, we are focussed on identifying and addressing the different perspectives and biases in each source. We tackle these issues in both fundamental and applied research in collaboration with the National Museum of World Cultures. In this context, we are looking for a talented PhD student to study one or more of the following topics: 

• Bias in AI: methods and metrics to determine to what extent an AI pipeline propagates, exacerbates or introduces bias; 
• Inclusivity in AI: methods and guidelines to increase fairness and diversity in data and systems. 
• Linked Open Data: explicit representations of provenance and perspectives in data; investigations into bias in Linked Open Data.
• Human computation and citizen science: integration of citizen-contributed labels for cultural heritage objects with professional metadata and AI-generated labels; investigating bias, interrater agreement and quality of such citizen-contributed labels. 

Within this broad range of topics, student and supervisor will together decide on specific research questions, taking into account the expertise and interests of the student, the needs of the HAICu project, and the latest developments in the academic field of Responsible AI. 

HAICu (digital Humanities - Artificial Intelligence - Cultural heritage) is a large-scale Dutch research project in which AI researchers, Digital Humanities scholars and a wide range of cultural-heritage institutions collaborate. Within the HAICu team, the PhD researcher will participate in Work Package 5, titled “Construction of polyvocal, multimodal narratives.” In this Work Package, CWI will collaborate with UvA and VU and with the National Museum of World Cultures. 

The researcher will be based in a dynamic research group called Human-Centered Data Analytics (HCDA). HCDA investigates human-centered, responsible AI in the culture and media sectors. How can we ensure that digital systems are inclusive, promote diversity and can be used to combat misinformation? The HCDA group addresses these important questions. Our work includes a wide range of techniques, such as statistical AI (machine learning), symbolic AI (knowledge graphs, reasoning), and human computation (crowdsourcing). By analyzing empirical evidence of human interactions with data and systems, we derive insights into the impact of design and implementation choices on users. We maintain close collaborations with professionals from the culture and media sectors, as well as social scientists and humanities scholars, through the Cultural AI Lab and the AI, Media and Democracy Lab. These interdisciplinary labs provide us with opportunities to work with real data and real-world use cases.

Requirements

Candidates are required to have a master's degree in Artificial Intelligence or related fields, such as Computer Science, Data Science, Information Science or Digital Humanities. Desired qualifications for candidates include:

• Theoretical knowledge of and practical experience with Responsible AI and/or Human-centered AI.
• Affinity with Cultural Heritage and the ability to collaborate within an interdisciplinary team. 
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English.
• Optional (but considered an advantage): knowledge of and experience with Python, Semantic Web technologies, NLP, Research Methods and experimental setup, Crowdsourcing. 

Terms and conditions

The terms of employment are in accordance with the Dutch Collective Labour Agreement for Research Centres ("CAO-onderzoeksinstellingen"). The initial labour agreement will be for a period of 18 months. After a positive evaluation, the agreement will be extended by 30 months. The gross monthly salary, for a PhD student on a full time basis, is € 2,781 during the first year and increases to € 3,562 over the four year period. Employees are also entitled to a holiday allowance of 8% of the gross annual salary and a year-end bonus of 8.33%. CWI offers attractive working conditions, including flexible scheduling and help with housing for expat employees.

Please visit our websites for more information about our terms of employment:
 https://www.cwi.nl/jobs/terms-of-employment and
 https://www.nwo-i.nl/en/working-at-nwo-i/jobsatnwoi/​​​​​

Information and application

We invite you to submit a complete application by using the “Apply” button on this page. The application should include:

• Cover letter in which you describe your personal motivation and qualifications for the position.
• Curriculum vitae, including the contact information of two referees.
• Your master’s thesis.
• Optional: one other document written in English of which you are the main author. This can be a publication, a term paper, or anything else that you wrote and consider relevant.
• Copies of diplomas and course grades.

Both national and international applications are appreciated. The deadline for the first application round is 10 July 2024. Applications will be considered in rounds until the position is filled.

For more information about the vacancy, please contact Laura Hollink at l.hollink@cwi.nl

Diversity code

CWI encourages a diverse workforce: we endeavour to develop talent and creativity by bringing people from different backgrounds and cultures together. We recruit and select based on capabilities and talent. We strongly encourage everyone with the appropriate qualifications to apply for the vacancy, regardless of age, gender, origin, sexual orientation or physical abilities.

About CWI

Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica (CWI) is the Dutch national research institute for mathematics and computer science and is part of the Institutes Organisation of the Dutch Research Council (NWO). The mission of CWI is to conduct pioneering research in mathematics and computer science, generating new knowledge in these fields and conveying it to trade, industry, and society at large.

CWI is an internationally oriented institute, with 160 scientists from approximately 27 countries, an informal atmosphere and short lines of communication. We have an activity committee that organizes after-work activities and an informal women’s network.  

CWI is located at Science Park Amsterdam, the home of AMS-IX, that is presently developing into a major location of research in the physical sciences in The Netherlands, housing the sciences of the University of Amsterdam as well as several other national research institutes next to CWI.

About Research group

To find more information about the group, please visit the group page and watch their video.

https://www.cwi.nl/en/groups/human-centered-data-analytics/