PhD position in Public Administration & Digital Governance

PhD Opportunity: Research on AI and Public Values at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Are you a public administration or management student interested in AI and/or value-based governance? Are you interested in doing research about the risks of AI use in public administration and how to manage conflicting public values? Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU) invites you to join our team!

As a PhD candidate (0.8-1.0 FTE) you will be part of the NWO-funded project “AI4ALL: Value-aligned AI for Public Organizations”. You will conduct research on the actual and intended use of AI in public organizations, investigating the intended reasons and expected impact of AI in the public sector, and empirically measuring public values affected by the use of AI in public governance. Your research will focus on empirically measuring public values affected by AI use in public governance, examining which values are actually impacted and what citizens consider most important in terms of value trade-offs. Research methods include document analysis, interviews with various stakeholders (including affected citizens), and a citizen survey among the Dutch general public.

The position is funded for a period of 48 months, preferably starting on 1 January 2026, or by mutual agreement.

Your duties

• Preparation and conducting of PhD research on AI and public values.
• Data collection through interviews, document analysis, and citizen survey.
• Analysis of the data with the first years a focus on qualitative research methods.
• Writing and publishing of scientific articles and a PhD dissertation.
• Presentation of research results on (inter)national conferences and societal context.
• Attending and successfully completing PhD courses at the Graduate School.
• Collaborating with partners in the Consortium AI4ALL: Value-aligned AI for Public Organizations.
• Collaborating with colleagues in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration.

Your profile

• A Master in Social Sciences, like Public Administration, Business Ethics, Political Science, or Management Studies.
• A demonstrable interest in digital governance through an understanding of core topics pertaining to AI and digital governance, and a level of AI literacy (desirable).
• Demonstrable experience and affinity with scientific research.
• Experience with or interest in qualitative research methods (like interviews) and interest in survey research.
• Strong organizational and communicative skills and a proactive attitude.
• Excellent English and Dutch language skills.
• Willingness to work in a team.

As a university, we strive for equal opportunities for all, recognising that diversity takes many forms. We believe that diversity in all its complexity is invaluable for the quality of our teaching, research and service. We are always looking for talent with diverse backgrounds and experiences. This also means that we are committed to creating an inclusive community so that we can use diversity as an asset.

We realise that each individual brings a unique set of skills, expertise and mindset. Therefore, we are happy to invite anyone who recognises themselves in the profile to apply, even if you do not meet all the requirements.

What we offer

A challenging position in a socially engaged organisation. At VU Amsterdam, you contribute to education, research and service for a better world. And that is valuable. So in return for your efforts, we offer you:

• A salary of € 3.059,00 (PhD) and maximum € 3.881,00 (PhD) gross per month in the fourth year, for a full-time employment
• An employment contract of initially 1 year. If there is sufficient perspective, this will be extended to a total of 4 years. Your dissertation at the end of the fourth year forms the end of your employment contract.

We also offer you attractive fringe benefits and arrangements. Some examples:

• A full-time 38-hour working week comes with a holiday leave entitlement of 232 hours per year. If you choose to work 40 hours, you have 96 extra holiday leave hours on an annual basis. For part-timers, this is calculated pro rata.
• 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
• Optional model for designing a personalized benefits package
• Contribution to commuting expenses
• A wide range of sports facilities which staff may use at a modest charge

About the department, institute, project

You will be employed at the Department of Political Science and Public Administration within the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities. This is a large and diverse department with many multidisciplinary research projects into societally relevant topics.

Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities

At the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities we examine the major social issues facing us today from a variety of critical perspectives. We combine sociology, anthropology, political science, communication science, administration and organisation. Because there aren’t any ready-made solutions to the complex social issues of today. They demand a multidisciplinary approach. Working together with others helps you expand your mind, come to new ways of understanding and devise creative solutions.

Are you interested in joining Social Sciences? That means working with a team of colleagues from different disciplines in an inspiring work and study climate. Enjoy working in a professional organisation with an informal atmosphere, where we give you space for personal development. FSS employs over 350 staff members and enrols around 3,000 students.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam stands for values-driven education and research. We are open-minded experts with the ability to think freely. Maintaining an entrepreneurial perspective and concentrating on diversity, significance and humanity, we work on sustainable solutions with social impact. By joining forces, across the boundaries of disciplines, we work towards a better world for people and planet. Together we create a safe and respectful working and study climate, and an inspiring environment for education and research.

We are located on one physical campus, in the heart of Amsterdam's Zuidas business district, with excellent location and accessibility. Over 5,500 staff work at the VU and over 30,000 students attend academic education.

Diversity

Diversity is the driving force of the VU. The VU wants to be accessible and receptive to diversity in disciplines, cultures, ideas, nationalities, beliefs, preferences and worldviews. We believe that trust, respect, interest and differences lead to new insights and innovation, to sharpness and clarity, to excellence and a broader understanding.

We stand for an inclusive community and believe that diversity and internationalisation contribute to the quality of education, research and our services.

Therefore, we are always searching for people whose backgrounds and experience contribute to the diversity of the VU community.