Job Title: Doctoral Candidate (Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Project)

Location: Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany

Contract Type: Full-Time Employment Contract

Duration: 36 months

Gross Salary: 3.342 € brutto per month

Application Deadline: 19th of November 2024

About the Project

We are seeking a highly motivated Doctoral Candidate (DC) to join our research team as part of a prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Doctoral Network (DN) project: AlignAI. The AlignAI Doctoral Network aims to train doctoral candidates in the interdisciplinary Large Language Model (LLM) research field. It focuses on aligning these models with human values to ensure their development and deployment are ethically sound and socially beneficial. By integrating expertise from social sciences, humanities, and technical disciplines, the project will address critical issues such as explainability and fairness, ensuring LLMs contribute positively to education, mental health, and news consumption.

The research conducted by the doctoral candidate is situated within the thematic context of LLM governance models to advance the legal and ethical aspects of LLM-based tools across three use cases: education, positive mental health, and online news consumption. The fellow candidate will work in collaboration with an interdisciplinary team to build ethical business models for LLMs, examine the LLMs' regulatory landscape, and translate the lessons learned into legal recommendations, practical guidelines, and toolkits to ensure ethical, legal, and technical alignment in the three use cases. The PhD candidate will be able to carry out a dissertation project within the framework of LLMs governance supervised by Prof. Dr. Urs Gasser (TUM). 

Eligibility Criteria

• Doctoral Status: Applicants must not own a doctoral degree at the date of recruitment.
• Mobility Rule: Candidates must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Germany for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before the recruitment date.
• Nationality: Open to all nationalities.
• Doctoral Programme Enrolment: You must be willing to enrol in a doctoral programme at the TUM School of Social Sciences and Technology. 
• Full-Time Commitment: The position requires full-time commitment with a physical presence at the recruiting institution. Teleworking is not permitted.
• Educational Background/Training: Candidates would preferably have a strong legal background with a great interest in emergent technologies and their societal and ethical impacts. A master's degree or equivalent in one of the following: law, and or/ ethics or other relevant field is required.   

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct research as outlined in the project’s objectives under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Urs Gasser.
• Engage in secondments as part of the project’s training activities, this secondment is currently planned under the supervision of Professor Avigdor Gal.
• Contribute to academic publications, project reports, and other dissemination activities.
• Participate in structured training programs and network-wide events organised by the consortium.
• Collaborate with international partners and other Doctoral Candidates within the network.

Selection Process

• Application Submission: Applications must be submitted by 19th of November 2024.
• Selection Criteria: Candidates will be evaluated based on their academic background, research experience, and alignment with the project’s objectives. The selection process will be open, transparent, merit-based, impartial, and equitable.
• Interview: Shortlisted candidates will be invited for a structured interview with predefined questions and a scoring system.
• Reserve List: A reserve list of top candidates may be created for future opportunities.
• Selection Committee: The selection committee will comprise diverse experts ensuring gender balance, nationality diversity, and relevant experience.

Benefits

• Competitive Salary: The gross monthly salary is 3.342€, subject to tax and social security deductions.
• Social Security & Pension: Full coverage under Germany’s social security and pension schemes.
• Mobility Allowance: Additional monthly allowance for living costs related to relocation.
• Other Allowances: Family allowance, long-term leave allowance, and special needs allowance will be available if needed. 
• Professional Development: Access to high-quality training, networking opportunities, and career development support.

Application Procedure

• How to Apply: Submit in a single document your degree certificate, CV, cover letter (e.g., why are you interested in this project and/or what will you bring to this project. Max two pages), and contact information for two references at camila.hidalgo@tum.de 
• Documentation: Candidates may be required to provide proof of residency history and eligibility criteria.
• Timeline: The successful candidates will be invited for interviews by the 30th of November, and the final decision will be made by the 15th of December.

Additional Information

• VISA Support: Where applicable, assistance with VISA and relocation procedures will be provided.

For more information about the project and the application process,  please contact Camila Hidalgo at camila.hidalgo@tum.de.

Equal Opportunity: We are committed to diversity and inclusion in our recruitment process, and we encourage applications from underrepresented groups and all qualified individuals, regardless of nationality, gender, or background.

Note: The recruitment process will adhere strictly to the European Charter for Researchers principles and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers.