PhD Position: AI-enabled Decision-making and the Experience of Empowerment

1. Introduction

Are you interested in understanding how AI can empower citizens? In this PhD role in organisational/social psychology related to technology, you will be part of a vibrant inter- and transdisciplinary research community, contributing to real-world impact in AI-enabled decisions with stakeholders.

2. Job description

Artificial Intelligence is increasingly interwoven with many aspects of our lives and its impact on us grows steadily. Next to the significant benefits that AI offers, its current rapid deployment can also be harmful to people and society. The impact of AI is particularly pronounced in the context of decision-making: people need to be empowered to understand AI-guided decisions so that they can themselves use AI in empowering ways.

The DECIDE project is a large-scale, NWO-funded research initiative under the Dutch Research Agenda (NWA). It brings together 10 Dutch universities, over 50 academic researchers and 30 societal partners in an ambitious inter- and transdisciplinary collaboration. Our shared mission is to develop strategies towards the design and implementation of a new generation of transparent, citizen-empowering AI systems with a focus on AI-supported decision-making, which contribute to the empowerment and democratic participation of citizens. The project addresses real-world challenges across domains such as healthcare, mobility, public governance, and healthy lifestyles. By co-developing strategies with societal stakeholders, DECIDE aims to create solutions that have tangible impact on society.

We are seeking a highly motivated PhD researcher in organisational / social psychology to join the DECIDE project at Radboud University. Your research will focus on empowerment in the context of AI (through conceptual and psychometric development) and how it is impacted by attributes of AI. It will involve both qualitative and quantitative research methods. This line of research contributes to the overarching goal of democratising AI through transparent decision-making with a focus on conceptual and measurement development. Questions that you will answer through your research may include: What does it mean to be empowered by AI? How is empowerment experienced by citizens in the context of AI? What aspects of AI support empowerment of citizens, and how do they do so?

As part of your role, you will conduct original research, resulting in a PhD thesis. This PhD position comes with a light teaching load (10%), which will enable you to work on your teaching portfolio for the University Teaching Qualification. You will have the opportunity to collaborate with other PhD candidates, postdoctoral researchers and societal partners across the DECIDE project. You will have options to develop your research competencies and participate in DECIDE training programmes, workshops and summer schools, in addition to the training programmes offered by Radboud University. This role will involve you in interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary activities, including citizen science and co-design initiatives. 

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 hold a Master’s degree in Psychology (with a focus on organisational psychology or social psychology).
• You have an interest to conceptually develop and investigate what it means to experience empowerment in the context of AI and AI transparency’s role in empowerment.
• Emerging competencies in psychometrics are desirable; specifically scale development and validation.
• You value qualitative and quantitative research methods, including focus groups, measure development and experimental studies.
• You have excellent social and communication skills, especially regarding interactions with stakeholders.
• You are enthusiastic about representing the project in these interactions, including through co-design and/or citizen science. 
• You have a strong interest in inter- and transdisciplinary research and an affinity with research that can lead to societal impact, including through citizen engagement.
• You are an effective team member and can work with others across multiple disciplines, and are able to focus your own interests/productivity while also supporting the team.
• You must be either proficient in Dutch (at B2/C1 level) or taking courses aimed at achieving Dutch proficiency.
• You must be either proficient in English (at CEFR C1/C2 level) or taking courses aimed at achieving English proficiency.  

4. We are

The project will be supervised by Prof. Wolter Pieters (PhD supervisor) and Dr Laura Fruhen (daily supervisor) at Radboud University, Dr Johannes Steinrücke at the University of Twente and Prof. Arul Chib at Erasmus University Rotterdam.

Behavioural Science Institute
The Behavioural Science Institute (BSI) is an interdisciplinary research institute where fundamental, applied and translational research takes place with the aim of understanding important societal issues and contributing to their solutions. BSI is one of the three research institutes of the Faculty of Social Sciences at Radboud University. Our researchers collaborate across the boundaries of psychology, communication science and pedagogical and educational science. Our mission for the coming years is to join forces in interdisciplinary research on the theme ’Empowering the Young’. We study the challenges that young people face in our current society and contribute to their empowerment.

BSI performs high-quality research with scientific and societal impact. To foster this, the institute provides excellent research facilities and has strong collaborations with non-academic partners. Moreover, BSI is known for its successful graduate school and strong dedication to open science and team science. We stand for a warm, inclusive and cooperative research environment in which our staff are well-supported in a work culture that promotes collaboration and respect.

Work, Health and Performance Group
The PhD position will be based in the Work, Health and Performance (WHP) Group. The WHP group examines work behaviour in the increasingly dynamic and technological context of work and organisations. We conduct innovative and rigorous research on work, health and performance, aiming to have significant theoretical and societal impact. The WHP programme includes researchers with diverse expertise who work under a shared mission to promote healthy working and understand the role of new technologies in work. 

iHub
iHub is the interdisciplinary research hub on digitalisation and society at Radboud University. The position holder will participate within iHub. iHub’s research centres on core public values that are at stake in digitalisation such as Privacy & Security, Solidarity & Justice, Freedom & Democracy, Expertise & Meaningful Work. These value-lines structure the research of iHub members with an overall focus on how these values are affected by digitalisation and how they can be protected.

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 €3,059 gross per month based on a 38-hour working week, which will increase to €3,881 in the fourth year (salary scale P).
• You will receive an 8% holiday allowance and an 8,3% end-of-year bonus. 
• 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 Wolter Pieters. In the application form, you will find which documents you need to include with your application. We look forward to receiving your application.

The first interviews will take place on Thursday 26 March. Any second interview will take place on Tuesday 14 April. You will preferably start your employment on 16 June 2026.

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.