Erasmus School of Law is recruiting ambitious PhD researcher in the framework of AI for Multi-Agency Public Safety (AI-MAPS), M/F, 1.0 FTE, duration: 4 years, starting preferably in January 2023.

You will be employed at Erasmus School of Law and will be part of the Erasmus Graduate School of Law and will follow a tailormade educational program to acquire the research skills necessary to successfully complete the PhD-thesis within four years. Next to that, you will be part of the ELSA-Lab AI-MAPS, see below.

General PhD project description

Your research project will fit in the research agenda of the interdisciplinary research project AI for Multi-Agency Public Safety (AI-MAPS), which is part of the National Research Agenda (NWA) and implemented by the Dutch Research Council (NWO). The initiators of the project are the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Justice and Security, the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science.

AI for Multi-Agency Public Safety (AI-MAPS) is a so-called ELSA-Lab (Ethical, Legal and Societal Aspects). ELSA-Labs are places where research into technological developments is carried out that incorporates ethical, legal, societal, and economic developments. The research undertaken in AI-MAPS shall support the development of technological innovations that safeguard public values and constitutional rights, respect human rights – and strengthen these where possible – and that can count on public support. The research will therefore encourage the development of an ecosystem of trust. There is a total of four PhD-places available in AI-MAPS which are associated to specific work packages (see links to other positions below). All PhD-places have a strong interdisciplinary orientation and reflect AI-MAPS mission to become a hub for research and practice of trustworthy AI. Therefore, the consortium does not only comprise Erasmus University Rotterdam, Technical University Delft and Leiden University, but also Willem de Koning Academy, the Dutch Police and will collaborate with leading companies in the field of applied AI. Accordingly, the PhD-projects will be co-supervised by professors from the three universities and from different faculties.

Public Safety is vital for the functioning of societies: Without safety, there is no freedom, no happiness, and no prosperity. Public safety matters to all of us and therefore needs to be jointly shaped and maintained by all societal partners. Data generated by multiple agents play an increasingly important role in preventing, preparing for, and mitigating harm or disaster. The development of an ecosystem of trust regarding AI-assisted public safety promotion is central to this ELSA Lab. In a variety of use cases, benefits and safeguards are analyzed against the private-public-machine agency backdrop. The PhD-projects shall connect to the use cases and work in a team on societal sustainable solutions about trustworthy AI.

Position II: AI and the Ethics of Surveillance

The position is integral to the AI-MAPS work package AI and surveillance experiences in disadvantaged neighborhoods with low-levels of trust. Social issues of legitimacy of AI as means to secure public safety play in the ELSA philosophy are next to ethical and legal aspects centerstage to the project. This PhD-project shall take a holistic approach in its methodology and in this way reflect the mixed-method approach of the whole project. This can cover the whole range from quantitative experimental, survey, data base analysis to qualitative methods of various forms of participatory and action research. This does not only mean the close cooperation with the other researchers in the ELSA-Lab, thereby appreciating other research traditions, but also to embrace the legal and technical discourse on equal footing with social sciences. That way the PhD-project shall provide concrete answers for future policy and social interventions concerning AI as a means for public safety. Since ELSA-Labs rely on the idea of co-creation for sustainable societal solutions this is also mirrored in the set-up of the concrete PhD-research (thesis topic). Hence, the concrete topic will be chosen together with the supervisors for the scholarly background of the PhD-researcher and the operational goals of the work package, meaning that the disruption of the traditional arrangements of accountability is the central problem of the project.

• holds a Master’s degree in social sciences or humanities or other discipline relevant for this PhD position; interest in interdisciplinary, impact-driven and participatory research and in the societal challenges posed by AI;
• can demonstrate scientific research skills, proven, for example, by the quality of the master thesis or other marks of excellence;
• can preferably demonstrate additional skills which support research on matters of AI-technology, public safety, ethics, or engagement with the public;
• has excellent oral and written skills in English and in Dutch. Because this PhD-project entails close interaction with Dutch stakeholders, the command of Dutch is a precondition for being a successful candidate public (please note the application is expected in English, see below).

Current master students, who will finish their master before the intended start date, are welcome to apply. Bear in mind that proof of a master’s degree is a formal requirement for employment.

The position is for 4 years, starting between January-March 2023. The PhD researcher will be part of the Erasmus Graduate School of Law and is connected to 3 other PhD positions (see below). The position starts with a temporary employment contract for 18 months. This probationary period consists of an educational programme and individual research and entails an evaluation of the progress of the research after one year. In case of a positive evaluation, the contract will be extended. In the remaining 30-month period PhD researchers focus on their research and the completion of their thesis. In both phases structured guidance is provided by the thesis supervisors and a doctorate committee composed of senior researchers and one of the PhD coordinators of Erasmus Graduate School of Law.

We offer an attractive position with good terms of employment in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities (CAO NU).

The monthly salary is € 2,541 gross for a fulltime position of 38 hours a week during the first year (CAO NU scale doctoral candidate), which will increase annually up to € 3,247 gross per month in the fourth year.   

The attractive benefits package includes an end of year bonus of 8.3%, holiday allowance of 8%, extensive leave facilities for a healthy work/life balance, a good pension fund and an excellent collective insurance package. Staff are also entitled to use various facilities, such as sport facilities and library.

Since April 2018, Erasmus University Rotterdam has offered a Dual Career Programme to partners and spouses of new international employees. This programme is executed in close cooperation with Leiden University and TU Delft and aims to help partners and spouses find a job on the Dutch labour market. See www.eur.nl/en/working/international-staff-eur/family/work-partners.

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR)

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) is an internationally oriented university with a strong social orientation in its education and research, as expressed in our mission ‘Creating positive societal impact’. EUR is home to 3.700 academics and professionals and almost 33.000 students from more than 140 countries. Everything we do, we do under the credo The Erasmian Way – Making Minds Matter. We’re global citizens, connecting, entrepreneurial, open-minded, and socially involved. These Erasmian Values function as our internal compass and create EUR’s distinctive and recognizable profile. From these values, with a broad perspective and with an eye for diversity, different backgrounds and opinions, our employees work closely together to solve societal challenges from the dynamic and cosmopolitan city of Rotterdam. Thanks to the high quality and positive societal impact of our research and education, EUR can compete with the top European universities. www.eur.nl.

Erasmus School of Law

Erasmus School of Law has over 5000 students and approximately 500 staff members. Erasmus School of Law offers Bachelor's degrees in Law, Tax Law and Criminology, with the emphasis on active academic learning. For students who want more, there is the mr.drs. program, the double study of law and economics. After the master's degree Erasmus School of Law provides postgraduate education (in cooperation with Erasmus Academy and others).