WU is currently inviting applications for the position of a full professor[1] of Applied AI and Data Analysis in the Social Sciences at the Department of Socioeconomics. Candidates are expected to have established an international reputation as a researcher in their field. Depending on the candidate’s academic credentials, the employment contract can be concluded either as a permanent employment contract or as a fixed-term employment contract with the option of a permanent extension.[2]
The Department of Socioeconomics engages in research, teaching, and third mission activities. It focuses on understanding the interplay between economic, social, political, and ecological factors. The department employs diverse interdisciplinary approaches to address complex societal challenges and contribute to policy development.
We strive towards excellent research at the highest level, and to contribute to exchanging knowledge internationally and nationally, within academia and with other actors in society.
The open position Professor in Applied AI and Data Analysis in the Social Sciences has been newly added to the department to facilitate our strong knowledge base in Social Science Methodology and in Applied Socioeconomic Research. The successful candidate has a strong research focus on artificial intelligence supported research method, both in applied research and in methodological development. Innovative, interdisciplinary with expertise in AI-driven research methodologies and a passion for empirical applications that address key challenges in the social sciences. The ideal candidate should have a deep interest in leveraging AI tools to analyse, model, and understand complex social phenomena, and a solid grounding in empirical methods. We therefore search for a social scientist, not someone who is a ‘pure’ computer scientist or computational statistician – but a social scientist who understands AI-related methods and applies them in areas related to the department’s fields of expertise.
New powerful tools assist researchers in cutting through the noise of vast amounts of scientific literature, experimental data, text corpora and historical research, allowing them to uncover insights that may not have been accessible before. These applications are still evolving, and the possibilities for AI-supported research in the social sciences continue to expand. In this very dynamic research field, we search for a flexible researcher applying AI-based methods in a range of methodological areas, including, but not limited to, case selection, sample selection and stratification, data collection, coding and categorization, data cleaning, text analysis, survey research, model estimation and data analysis.
The function of this professorship in the Department’s research and teaching portfolio would be to (mostly) complement existing standard qualitative and quantitative social science expertise in research design, causal inference and inductive methods in the department. It would ideally– as outlined by potential fields above – help to upgrade the methods kit for students at all levels as well as colleagues to the AI age. The primary target group for the teaching is students in the department’s programs. Especially the use of textual information with large-language models (LLM) has recently shifted research frontiers and everyday practices systematically, and students will have to learn how to use them – and further existing and future Applied AI technologies.
WU Vienna University of Economics and Business combines excellence with responsibility.
Its rare triple accreditation by EQUIS, AACSB, and AMBA is a guarantee for the highest quality research and teaching in the fields of business, economics, and business law. WU’s research is characterized by a wide diversity of disciplines practiced at WU, allowing researchers to address complex research questions based on approaches that cross disciplinary boundaries.
International cooperation is very important to WU, and we encourage and support both faculty and student mobility. WU is also very aware of its role as a responsible university, ensures barrier-free accessibility, provides a family-friendly workplace, and is committed to the principles of equitable opportunities and sustainability.
WU is committed to diversity and inclusion, and qualified women are strongly encouraged to apply. In case of equal qualification, female candidates will be given preference. Applicants with disabilities will be supported during each stage of the recruitment process. Candidates’ qualifications will be assessed in the context of their academic age.
WU has been awarded certification under the University and Family Audit (Audit hochschuleundfamilie) and assists dual career couples. For further details, please see https://www.wu.ac.at/en/careers/job-portal.
Further details on the call for applications, including a detailed qualification profile, can be found online: https://www.wu.ac.at/en/careers/job-portal/jobs/professorships.
Qualifications
The successful candidate is expected to have established an international reputation as a researcher in the relevant field and to have excellent qualifications. Candidates’ qualifications will be assessed in the context of their academic age based on the following characteristics:
a) A solid academic qualification (e.g. PhD, habilitation, or equivalent qualification) in the social sciences (highly advantageous), alternatively a closely related area
b) A track record of international publications in social science journals, with contributions to both social science methodology and applied research, and a clear focus on applying AI in social science research. A publication record related to the department’s fields of expertise is an advantage.
c) An outstanding international reputation for research excellence, demonstrated by top-tier publications, a strong impact on the field, and regular participation in recognized international conferences and workshops. A record in successfully attracting research funding is an advantage
d) Excellent teaching qualifications at undergraduate and graduate levels
e) Team Leadership qualities
f) Gender and diversity management skills and documented participation in academic self-governance
g) Ability to teach in German is an advantage; in case this is not possible at the start of the employment, a strong commitment to learn German towards an advanced level (CEFR B2) in the first five years is expected to fulfill necessary responsibilities of this position, including teaching, university self-governance, and third mission activities.
Expectations
The successful candidate is expected to perform teaching activities at all levels (bachelor’s, master’s, PhD/doctorate, and executive education), both in the classroom and in distance-learning formats. The holder of this position is expected to teach 8 weekly credit hours.
We also expect the new professor to take an active role in the university’s self-governance and third mission activities. The successful candidate shares the department’s collaborative approach and is also expected to contribute to the future development of the Department of Socioeconomics and its teaching and research profile.
