PhD Position: AI for Education at the Donders Centre for Cognition

1. Introduction

As part of the ongoing NOLAI initiative, we are looking for a motivated PhD candidate to work on content-generating algorithms for AI in education. Nearly all so-called ’generative’ AI is not suitable for this task. There are many reasons for this, including pedagogical and didactical ones. At the same time, there is a clear need in education for some kinds of content to be generated. This is where you come in.

2. Job description

NOLAI funds co-creation projects that are driven bottom up, starting with the actual needs of stakeholders in Dutch primary and secondary education. In this context, typical ’generative’ AI is viewed critically. When used by pupils to complete tasks, it interferes with the learning objectives of the processes involved. Whereas when used to give feedback, the unavoidable inaccuracies interfere with the quality of the feedback. At the same time, the notion of being able to generate content is attractive in education – this could be, for example, novel materials that teachers could use in class or novel ways of supporting learning. NOLAI co-creation projects identify such needs. However, there are not always existing methods to fulfil them. At the same time it also remains unclear what kind of methods would be acceptable in education and what kind would not.

You will therefore carry out research on the responsible use of content-generating algorithms in education. You will need to interact with existing and upcoming co-creation projects as well as teachers at various schools in the Netherlands to develop a good understanding and taxonomy of the actual need for such technology. You will also develop novel algorithms, in particular for content generation, based on these needs. Finally, you will not only critically assess the opportunities such technologies offer but also their fundamental limitations; for example, you will investigate how to ensure that the quality of education is not compromised and pedagogical and didactical goals continue to be met.

Overall, this project will therefore develop a framework to guide deployment of content-generating algorithms in education as well as algorithms and applications that adhere to this framework and can be deployed in NOLAI co-creation projects. You will create algorithms whose generated content addresses the specific real-world needs of stakeholders in education.

Would you like to learn more about what it’s like to pursue a PhD at Radboud University? Visit the page about working as a PhD candidate. 

3. Profile

• You have strong coding and machine learning skills.
• You are interested in societal applications of AI, especially in education.
• You have a good understanding of the ethical, moral and societal challenges of generative AI and its use.
• You have strong teamwork and proactive research skills.
• You have an excellent command of spoken and written English. 

4. We are

This position is embedded in the Donders Centre for Cognition at Radboud University, one of the six research centres of the Donders Institute. Here, you will join the department of Human-Centred Intelligent Systems, led by Serge Thill. You will also be part of the NOLAI scientific team concerned with the technological aspects of AI, which is supervised by its two leads, Serge Thill and Johan Jeuring. Your daily work base will be at NOLAI. 

NOLAI is the National Education Lab AI for elementary, secondary and special needs education in the Netherlands, funded by the National Growth Fund. Based on the latest questions in schools, NOLAI connects education, science and business in short-term projects. We develop evidence based prototypes and research the consequences of consciously and responsibly using AI in education. NOLAI is organizationally embedded in the Faculty of Social Sciences of Radboud University and consists on the one hand of a scientific programme (where researchers and data-scientists work) and on the other hand of a co-creation program (in which education, science and business work collaboratively on projects). More than 40 people work at NOLAI and many more are involved in carrying out the co-creation projects.

The Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour is a world-class interfaculty research centre, that houses more than 700 researchers devoted to understanding the mechanistic underpinnings of the human mind. Research at the Donders Institute is focused around four themes:

1. Language and communication
2. Perception, action and control
3. Plasticity and memory
4. Neural computation and neurotechnology.

Excellent, state-of-the-art research facilities are available for the broad range of neuroscience research that is being conducted at the Donders Institute. The Donders Institute has been assessed by an international evaluation committee as ‘excellent’ and recognised as a ‘very stimulating environment for top researchers, as well as for young talent’. The Donders Institute fosters a collaborative, multidisciplinary, supportive research environment with a diverse international staff. English is the lingua franca at the Institute.

5. We offer

• We will give you a temporary employment contract (1.0 FTE) of 1.5 years, after which your performance will be evaluated. If the evaluation is positive, your contract will be extended by 2.5 years (4-year contract).     
• You will receive a starting salary of €2,901 gross per month based on a 38-hour working week, which will increase to €3,707 in the fourth year (salary scale P).
• You will receive an 8% holiday allowance and an 8,3% end-of-year bonus. 
• We offer Dual Career Coaching. The Dual Career Coaching assists your partner via support, tools, and resources to improve their chances of independently finding employment in the Netherlands. 
• You will receive extra days off. With full-time employment, you can choose between 30 or 41 days of annual leave instead of the statutory 20. 

6. Practical information and applying

You can apply only via the button below. Address your letter of application to Serge Thill. In the application form, you will find which documents you need to include with your application.

The first interviews will take place on Monday 2 June. You will preferably start your employment on 1 September 2025.

We can imagine you're curious about our application procedure. It describes what you can expect during the application procedure and how we handle your personal data and internal and external candidates.