Job description
About the DECIDE Project
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 implement a new generation of transparent, citizen-empowering AI systems, with a focus on AI-supported decision-making that 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.
Project structure
DECIDE is organized into 10 work packages (WPs):
- Six WPs focus on disciplinary perspectives in psychology, education, computer sciences, law, and philosophy.
- Four WPs address citizen-empowerment-scenarios (CES) in healthcare, mobility, public governance, and healthy living.
Each PhD position is embedded in one work package and supervised by a multidisciplinary team of academic and societal experts. Detailed descriptions of the work packages and their interconnections are available on the DECIDE website.
Your research will focus on the work package (WP4) that is dedicated to AI-based Citizen-Support Systems. This work will be focused on the development of computational approaches that can explain domains (i.e., domain concepts, properties, relations, as well as domain constraints and rules) to support citizens’ decision-making. We call these domain explanations. We are especially interested in explanations involving scientific domains, both stable and unstable ones. And we include AI as one of the domains to be explained with the objective of empowering citizens for the use of such technology. This work will be developed with the support of the interplay of Semantic Technologies (e.g., ontologies, knowledge graphs) and Artificial Intelligence. Moreover, domain explanation requirements will be elicited, and computational approaches will be developed with and for citizens, in connection to DECIDE’s citizen-empowerment scenario (especially the ones related to public governance, and healthy living).Your research will be supervised by a team composed of members of the following sections at the University of Twente: Semantics, Cybersecurity and Services, High-Tech Business and Entrepreneurship (HBE), Technology, Policy and Society (TPS), besides the AI-aided Knowledge Discovery Lab (Disc AI-lab), at Utrecht University.
As part of your role, you will:
- Conduct original research within the fields of Semantic Technologies and Artificial Intelligence, resulting in a PhD thesis.
- Collaborate with other PhD candidates, postdocs, and societal partners across the consortium.
- Participate in DECIDE training programs, workshops, and summer schools, and participate in the Twente Graduate School.
- Gain practical experience in large-scale open-source AI software projects, such as ASReview.
- Engage in interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary activities, including citizen science and co-design initiatives.
Your profile
- A Master’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Philosophy, Logics or a related field;
- Affinity with the fields of Semantic Technologies and Artificial Intelligence;
- Interest to develop computational approaches for domain explanations to support citizens’ decision-making.
- Strong interest in interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research;
- Strong critical thinking and reflection skills;
- Strong ability to collaborate and communicate in multi-disciplinary teams;
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a multi-stakeholder environment;
- Excellent communication skills and proficiency in English (C1 or C2);
- A good command of the Dutch language is considered a plus.
Our offer
- As a PhD candidate at UT, you will be appointed to a full-time position for four years, with a qualifier in the first year, within a very stimulating and exciting scientific environment;
- The University offers a dynamic ecosystem with enthusiastic colleagues;
- Your salary and associated conditions are in accordance with the collective labour agreement for Dutch universities (CAO-NU);
- You will receive a gross monthly salary ranging from € 3.059,- (first year) to € 3.881,- (fourth year);
- There are excellent benefits including a holiday allowance of 8% of the gross annual salary, an end-of-year bonus of 8.3%, and a solid pension scheme;
- The flexibility to work (partially) from home;
- A minimum of 232 leave hours in case of full-time employment based on a formal workweek of 38 hours. A full-time employment in practice means 40 hours a week, therefore resulting in 96 extra leave hours on an annual basis.
- Free access to sports facilities on campus
- A family-friendly institution that offers parental leave (both paid and unpaid);
- You will have a training programme as part of the Twente Graduate School where you and your supervisors will determine a plan for a suitable education and supervision;
- We encourage a high degree of responsibility and independence, while collaborating with close colleagues, researchers and other staff.
Information and application
Are you interested in this position? Please submit your application before June 11, 2026, via the ‘Apply now’ button below and include:
- A curriculum vitae including contact information.
- An A4 page motivation letter explaining your interest, motivation, and fit for this position.
- Abstract of your master thesis
For more information about this PhD position, please contact Giancarlo Guizzardi via the following email address: g.guizzardi@utwente.nl.
Interviews will be scheduled +/- 1 a 2 weeks after the closing deadline.
Screening is part of the selection procedure.
About the department
You will be supervised by a multidisciplinary team composed of members of the following sections of the University of Twente: Semantics, Cybersecurity and Services section within the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science; Financial Engineering and Business Information Systems and Philosophy of Science and Technology sections, both within the Faculty of Behavioural, Management and Social sciences (BMS), and a member of the AI-LAB on AI-aided Knowledge Discovery of the University of Utrecht.
About the organisation
The faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science (EEMCS) uses mathematics, electronics and computer technology to contribute to the development of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). With ICT present in almost every device and product we use nowadays, we embrace our role as contributors to a broad range of societal activities and as pioneers of tomorrow's digital society. As part of a tech university that aims to shape society, individuals and connections, our faculty works together intensively with industrial partners and researchers in the Netherlands and abroad, and conducts extensive research for external commissioning parties and funders. Our research has a high profile both in the Netherlands and internationally. It has been accommodated in three multidisciplinary UT research institutes: Mesa+ Institute, TechMed Centre and Digital Society Institute.
