Teaching and Research Associate
- Vienna University of Economics and Business
- IT
- Research, development, teaching
- Part time
- published till: 27.08.2025
Institute for Data, Process and Knowledge Management
Part-time, 30 hours/week
Starting October 01, 2025, and ending after 4 years
What to expect
We are looking for candidates interested in performing a PhD on the topics of Communicating AI: Knowledge Structures and Sensemaking Tools for Critical Engagement. As AI systems become ubiquitous in many areas of life, including education and work, it is essential that they are better understood by a variety of stakeholders. This includes different types of end-users in different areas, such as AI engineers that create those systems, managers that deal with the embedding of AI systems in their organizations, educators or trainers in various domains, or non-expert audiences. For these, technical knowledge about AI technologies and related regulations (e.g., EU AI Act) is increasingly important. Such knowledge also includes critical reflection on and healthy skepticism towards the outputs of AI systems, including knowledge of limitations and biases.
A key challenge lies in how to efficiently and effectively equip these stakeholders to acquire (subsets of) the knowledge that they require for performing their various tasks. In this thesis, the aim is to explore various methods for AI knowledge communication and co-production relying on formal knowledge representation (to represent different expertise levels) and advanced visual interactions. We will test the effectiveness of such methods with an explicit focus on critical evaluation. Through this we aim to foster critical interaction with AI systems and a better understanding of human agency when working with AI.
Key responsibilities during the PhD studies include:
- Writing a dissertation: You will be investigating your research topic and spending a third of your working hours on writing your dissertation.
- Project involvement: You will be part of the Vienna Doctoral College on Digital Humanism meaning that you will be part of a cohort of 10 PhD students all investigating topics related to Digital Humanism.
- Research, for yourself and others: You will be supporting publishing activities, conducting surveys, and carrying out research of practical relevance with cooperation partners, companies or for funding organizations.
- Conduct and supervise teaching: You will be planning and teaching courses and support in holding exams and evaluations.
- Student support: You will be available to answer students’ questions, provide feedback on seminar papers, and act as a co-advisor for bachelor’s theses.
- Performing organizational and administrative tasks: You will be collaborating in the organization of teaching and will be taking on supporting tasks in the administration of research.
- Learning from top researchers: You will be getting your own research career off to a great start by working together with renowned researchers in your field and learning from them. Your supervisor team will consist of three supervisors.
- Teamwork: At the institute, you’ll be working to advance research in your field together with the entire team.
- Building up a personal network: You will be using the pre-doc phase to create your own professional network for the future.
What you have to offer
- Academic degree: You have a diploma/master’s degree in e.g., Science and Technology Studies, Computer Science/Informatics, HCI, Data Science, Information Science, Information Systems, Management Science or related disciplines that qualifies you for enrollment in a doctoral program at WU.
- Skills: You have knowledge of OR interest to learn new skills in these areas: Knowledge representation; Ontologies; Human-computer interaction; Quantitative analysis; Qualitative analysis; Interdisciplinary and mixed-methods research. You are open to learn research methods from several disciplines. You have good communication skills.
- IT skills: Experience in programming and statistical analysis is a plus.
- Working style: You have high interest in pursuing interdisciplinary work. You work independently, show initiative, and have good self-organization skills.
- Willingness to use multimedia teaching methods: Willingness to learn using multimedia teaching and learning formats.
- Language: Proficiency in English, especially in writing (German is a plus).
If you are interested, please submit your application including:
- Letter of motivation (detailing previous research achievements, research goals, career plans, motivation for applying, and to what extent your profile covers the expectations of the research topic of the position).
- A complete CV, including a list of previous scientific expertise, awards, grants, stays abroad, attended lectures, attended summer schools, attended workshops, skills, and publications (if applicable).
- Abstract in English of your MA/MSc thesis, BA/BSc thesis, or of a research project you were involved in.
- A complete list of finalised studies and transcripts of all grades;
- 1-2 names of academic references and their contact addresses (e.g., your Master's thesis supervisor).
- Any other material you think is relevant.
We are looking forward to hearing from you! If you have any questions regarding the position or application documents, don’t hesitate to contact Prof. Marta Sabou, marta.sabou@wu.ac.at
What we offer you
- Inspiring campus life with over 2,400 employees in research, teaching, and administration and approximately 21,500 students
- A modern campus with spectacular architecture in the heart of Vienna
- Excellent accessibility by public transportation
- Meaningful work in an open-minded, inclusive, and family-friendly environment
- Flexible working hours
- A wide range of benefits, from an in-house medical officer to athletic activities and a meal allowance to a variety of employee discounts
The minimum monthly gross salary amounts to €2,786.10 (14 times per year). This salary may be adjusted based on job-related prior work experience. In addition, we offer a wide range of attractive social benefits.
Do you want to join the WU team?
Then please submit your application by August 27, 2025 (ID 2491).
We are looking forward to hearing from you!