Postdoc - Democratizing AI: Empowering Citizens through Transparent Decision-making

The DECIDE project is a large-scale, NWO-funded interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research initiative coordinated by the University of Twente. It brings together over 50 academic researchers and 30 societal partners to co-develop a new generation of transparent, citizen-empowering AI systems. The project spans domains such as healthcare, mobility, education, law, ethics, and public governance.

The position

We are seeking a highly motivated Postdoctoral Researcher to join the DECIDE project. The position combines unique scientific research with a central role in project integration and coordination across the consortium.

Your research focuses on the implementation of AI tools for interdisciplinary societal impact, in particular decision-support systems (AI-DSS) and citizen-support systems (AI-CSS), and on understanding why promising AI tools often fail to translate into robust, trusted instruments in real-world citizen empowerment contexts.

What you will deliver

This position integrates scientific and managerial responsibilities and ensures scientific integration across the different WPs and use-cases of DECIDE project.

The research focuses on the co-design and implementation of AI tools for interdisciplinary societal impact, in particular the decision-support systems (AI-DSS) and citizen-support systems (AI-CSS), and on understanding why promising AI tools often fail to translate into robust, trusted instruments in real-world citizen empowerment contexts.

You will:

Advance scientific integration and outputs

• Act as a bridge between technical researchers (AI, data science) and societal researchers (philosophy, education, human factors, governance).

• Take part in, coordinate and monitor the co-design and implementation processes of AI-DSS and AI-CSS.

• Co-author integrative publications that reflect the project’s interdisciplinary nature.

• Contribute to international dissemination by presenting integrated findings at conferences and stakeholder events.

Strengthen coherence across WPs and use-cases

• Organize and lead cross-WP integration sessions, research retreats, and synthesis workshops.

• Facilitate structured cross-WP and cross-use-case dialogues to ensure that emerging findings inform each other in real time.

Support project governance and risk monitoring

• Contribute to project governance and management by monitoring scientific progress and identifying risks related to fragmentation or misalignment.

Your PostDoc position is part of WP 1 of the DECIDE project. You will be based at the Julius Center of the University Medical Center Utrecht (UMCU) in The Netherlands. You will need to live, or move to, a location at short commuting distance. You will collaborate with the Principal Investigators Prof.dr.ir. Mieke Boon (PI of the DECIDE project and project leader of WP 1), Prof. Carl Moons (PI at UMCU), dr. Maarten van Smeden (PI at UMCU) and dr. Anne de Hond (PI at UMCU), and work closely with work package leaders across the consortium.

You are/have:

• A highly motivated, cooperative, flexible and pro-active researcher with a PhD in AI, data science, computer science, health sciences or related fields, and ideally a track record in interdisciplinary research.

• Proven experience with interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary research and/or education.

• The ability to work independently and collaboratively in a complex, multi-stakeholder environment, with good team spirit, excellent organizational skills, and a strong commitment to interdisciplinary research.

• Excellent communication and writing skills, both within academia and outside the academy, including English proficiency at C2 level.

Please include an application/motivation letter emphasizing your specific interest, qualifications and motivation to apply for this position, a detailed CV (resume), and a publication list.

• A salary between € 3724 - € 5867 gross per month (salary scale 10), based on full-time employment (36 hours).
• Year-end bonus of 8.3% and holiday allowance of 8%.
• Pension insurance with ABP. We take care of approximately 70% of the monthly contribution.
• 100% public transport reimbursement. Are you coming on foot, by bike or by car? You will then receive a reimbursement of € 0.18 per km (by car up to a max. of 40 km one way).
• Possibilities to develop yourself personally and professionally.
• The option to select additional employment benefits in exchange for gross salary, such as purchasing a bicycle and memberships.