[DL] PhD position on Knowledge Representation & Responsible Design for Inclusive Employment Matching Algorithms

[Riemsdijk, Birna van (UT-EEMCS)]

=== PhD position on Knowledge Representation & Responsible Design for Inclusive Employment Matching Algorithms ===

University of Twente is looking for an enthusiastic and open-minded PhD researcher to develop knowledge representation and reasoning techniques for inclusive employment of workers with a disability. You will work with disabled people and their employers to develop computational models that meaningfully represent what is important to them in their work for the purpose of AI-supported matchmaking. This research is part of an interdisciplinary project that aims to foster the sustainable employment of workers with disabilities by driving technological and social innovations.

Project: "Don't Forget the Forgotten! Towards a Platform-Based Approach for Sustainable Employment of Workers with a Disability<https://www.utwente.nl/en/news/2024/3/1389170/large-research-grant-for-reducing-distance-to-labour-market-for-people-with-disability>"
Keywords: knowledge representation & reasoning, empirical and participatory research with vulnerable and marginalized groups, ontology matching, inclusive employment, interdisciplinary research
Offer: fully funded 4-year PhD position at University of Twente, The Netherlands
Application: https://utwentecareers.nl/en/vacancies/1813/phd-position-on-knowledge-representation-responsible-design-for-inclusive-employment-matching-algorithms/

Deadline for application: July 5th, 2024

JOB DESCRIPTION

This fully-funded, 4-year PhD research position is part of the project "Don't Forget the Forgotten! Towards a Platform-Based Approach for Sustainable Employment of Workers with a Disability". This project, funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO), addresses the challenge of limited sustainable employment opportunities for workers with disabilities (i.e., a healthy, productive, and meaningful career). By developing online platform cooperatives and algorithms for matching disabled workers and employers, you address this urgent challenge while contributing to broader societal issues such as labor market shortages, budget strains, and the energy transition.

= PhD project
This PhD project builds on the notion that existing matching algorithms and domain models insufficiently address the characteristics of workers with a disability. The project aims to develop novel knowledge representations (ontologies) that better capture these aspects. We will employ an empirical and participatory approach to elicit requirements for the knowledge representation frameworks via data collection from relevant stakeholders. The requirements are used to design a novel domain-specific ontology that mathematically captures relevant worker characteristics and their relations regarding employee competencies, interests, values, and vulnerabilities. The ontology is the basis for building a novel matching algorithm that emphasizes the inclusion of workers with a disability. A prototype implementation of the matching algorithm will be developed as a proof of concept that demonstrates how an inclusive algorithm fosters a better person-environment fit for workers with a disability and facilitates sustainable employment.

The prospective candidate is expected to:
- Perform and publish high quality and internationally visible research, and be involved in teaching and student supervision to a limited extent.
- Study and address the challenges associated with modeling employee-employer characteristics;
- Develop a matching algorithm and software prototype that foster inclusion and person-environment fit for workers with a disability;
- Collaborate with societal partners;
- Work in a team with two other PhD researchers from the engineering and social sciences;

You will receive mentorship by an experienced, international team of senior scholars with expertise in online platforms, labor markets, and AI systems at work.

REQUIREMENTS

- You hold or will soon hold a Master's degree (or equivalent) in computer science, artificial intelligence, information systems, or a related field;
- You have excellent proficiency in English in speaking and writing (C1; above IELTS 7 or equivalent);
- You have interest and some experience in one or more of the following, or related topics: knowledge representation and reasoning, logic and formal methods, knowledge engineering, conceptual modeling, or requirements engineering;
- You have experience in or the interest to develop skills in qualitative and quantitative empirical research with vulnerable and marginalized groups;
- You have good communication skills, excellent conceptual and analytical skills, and you have an interest in working in a multidisciplinary environment;
- Affinity and/or experience with collaboration and/or community building with societal partners such as employers, employees, government representatives;
- Wish to tackle societal problems and make societal impact.

WHAT WE OFFER

The position is embedded in the Human Media Interaction (HMI) department at University of Twente. HMI is a friendly and welcoming research group, with attention to employee wellbeing. The terms of employment are in accordance with the Dutch Collective Labour Agreement for Universities (CAO) and include:

- A fulltime PhD position for four years, with a qualifier in the first year within a very stimulating and exciting scientific environment;
- Full status as an employee at the UT, including pension and health care benefits.
- The salary will range from € 2.770,- (1st year) to € 3.539,- (4th year) per month, plus a holiday allowance of 8% and a year-end bonus of 8.3% and a solid pension scheme;
- 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;
- A family-friendly institution that offers parental leave (both paid and unpaid);
- Excellent facilities for professional and personal development.

HOW TO APPLY

The deadline for application is July 5th, 2024. The preferred starting date is before November 15th 2024. Informal inquiries about this position can be sent to Dr. Birna van Riemsdijk (m.b.vanriemsdijk at utwente.nl) or Dr. Joschka Huellmann (j.huellmann at utwente.nl).

More information about how to apply, and about the HMI research group and the University of Twente can be found via this link: https://utwentecareers.nl/en/vacancies/1813/phd-position-on-knowledge-representation-responsible-design-for-inclusive-employment-matching-algorithms/

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Dr. M. Birna van Riemsdijk
Associate professor Intimate Computing
University of Twente
Website: https://intimate-computing.net

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