University of Twente, Netherlands
Position Type: Full-Time, 4-Year PhD Position
Location: University of Twente, Twente, Netherlands
Application Deadline: December 13, 2024
Start Date: March 1, 2025
Salary: €2,872–€3,670 gross/month
Role Overview
The Section of Knowledge, Transformation, and Society (KiTeS) at the University of Twente invites applications for a PhD position in Digital Humanities. The role focuses on researching citizen scientists’ motivations in annotating textual and graphical patterns in digitized multimodal collections and co-developing user-friendly web interfaces for integrating human efforts with AI-driven systems.
This position contributes to the HAICu project (Digital Humanities – Artificial Intelligence – Cultural Heritage), a collaborative initiative between universities and cultural heritage institutions aimed at developing AI-based solutions for multimodal cultural heritage data. The PhD candidate will join Work Package 2: “Continual Machine Learning and Humans in the Loop,” and collaborate with experts from Dutch institutions like the Nationaal Archief and Groninger Archieven.
Key Responsibilities
- Research and analyze citizen scientists’ motivations and behaviors in annotating archives.
- Design and evaluate web interfaces for integrating human input and machine learning.
- Develop innovative feedback systems between AI and human annotations.
- Contribute to solving layout analysis challenges in digitized multimodal collections.
- Publish research findings in academic journals and contribute open-access code.
- Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams, including AI researchers, cultural heritage institutions, and volunteers.
Your Profile
We are seeking a motivated researcher with the following qualifications:
- Education: Master’s degree or equivalent in Digital Humanities, Science and Technology Studies, Digital History, Philosophy of Technology, Computer Science, Psychology, Human-Media Interaction, or a related field.
- Skills:
- Basic programming skills and experience with web interface evaluation.
- Interest or experience in UX design is an advantage.
- Strong communication skills and the ability to collaborate with diverse stakeholders.
- Proficiency in English (written and oral); proficiency in Dutch is advantageous.
- Research Potential: Interest in independent research and a willingness to develop writing and publication skills.
- Teamwork: Ability to design collaborative sessions with cultural heritage stakeholders.
Benefits
- Salary: Starting at €2,872/month in the first year, rising to €3,670/month in the fourth year.
- 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus.
- 29 vacation days annually (based on full-time employment).
- Access to the Twente Graduate School, including personalized training programs.
- Full employee benefits, including healthcare and pension schemes.
- Free access to on-campus sports facilities.
- Paid and unpaid parental leave.
- Opportunity to work within a collaborative and interdisciplinary national research project.
Selection Process
- Interviews: January 2025
- Start Date: March 1, 2025
Join a cutting-edge research initiative exploring the intersection of digital humanities, AI, and citizen science at the University of Twente!
