Doctoral Researcher in Computational Social Science with a focus on AI agents (CSS-118)

The department Computational Social Science (CSS) collects digital behavioral data and provides computer-based methods for collecting and analyzing such data for social science research. It also supports scientists with the integration of digital behavioral data into their research designs. The department's research focuses on the quality of digital behavioral data, the development of AI methods for analyzing and simulating human behavior, and the transformation of digital societies.

The services and research of the Team Digital Society Observatory focus on the observation of society through the lens of online platform data and AI-generated data. The team conducts substantive and methodological research on digital society and the tools that can be used to study it.

• Contribution to the design and collection of datasets based on digital behavioral data (e.g., social media data, web tracking data, sensor data)
• Contribution to the development of AI agents to collect information, simulate, and reason about human behavior in different contexts
• Conducting research on the use of AI agents in the social sciences with a focus on the usage of AI agents in the context of surveys in an international and interdisciplinary team
• Publication of research results as part of your Ph.D. 
• Support of the open science strategy of GESIS by improving the reproducibility and reusability of research data and methods

• Master’s degree in a field relevant to CSS, e.g., computer science, data science, information science, sociology, communication science, political science, linguistics
• Strong programming skills in Python and/or R
• First experiences in building and orchestrating AI agent systems, including configuring, prompting, and fine-tuning Large Language Models; Additional experience in machine learning, natural language processing, database systems, and causal inference is a plus
• Interest in open science, data documentation, and data quality assessments
• Excellent command of written and spoken English; German skills are a plus

• An international and interdisciplinary working environment that will also support you in developing your own research profile 
• Opportunity to pursue a PhD at RWTH Aachen University, one of Germany’s top-ranked excellence universities
• Access to unique digital behavioral datasets, survey data, and cloud computing within the department
• Flexible working hours and regulations for mobile working
• Very good conditions for reconciling work and family life, e.g., subsidies for childcare for children who have not yet attained the age of compulsory schooling
• Holistic company health management and discounted participation in the university's sports programme 
• Generous support for your pension provision as a direct insurance policy
• Promotion of your skills through further training measures

For further information concerning the tasks please contact Dr. Paul Bauer via email (paul.bauer@gesis.org).  If you have questions about the application process, please contact Franca Tosetti via email (franca.tosetti@gesis.org).