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Hiring experienced researcher with a dual background in Social Sciences and AI

The Sciences Po médialab is hiring an outstanding experienced researcher with a dual background in social sciences and AI for a two-year-long contract

Notice, Job

Deadline:

  • Contact: jean-philippe.cointet@sciencespo.fr
  • Contact: nicolas.maudet@lip6.fr

The project

AI for Deliberative Democracy (AI4AD) is a project led by the Sciences Po médialab and LIP6 at Sorbonne University which explores how AI systems can enhance deliberation and improve collective decision-making in order to promote fair and collectively acceptable policies.

Deliberative processes are often seen as a possible remedy to reconcile citizens with democracy. However, this promise falls short when facing issues such as unbalanced participation and the cost of organizing large-scale consultations. While the prospect of AI-enhanced deliberative and collective decision-making processes has not yet fully materialised, the emergence of large language models is sometimes perceived as a chance to enlarge participation, facilitate deliberation, suggest common ground, or identify unvoiced preferences. Conversely, the use of AI technologies in such sensitive settings also poses risks through the biases inherent in their responses and potential exploitation for manipulating decisions, which call into question fundamental assumptions of classical frameworks.

The objective of AI4AD is to design AI mechanisms and tools which can be used in deliberative democratic processes, and to evaluate experimentally and assess their actual benefit at various scales and in different contexts (eg. civic assemblies, online deliberative platforms, international or local negotiations, etc.).

The AI for Augmented Deliberation collaborative project (PAC) is part of the PostGenAI “ClusterAI” consortium led by SCAI (Sorbonne Consortium for AI). The project started in January 2025 and is funded for 5 years (ANR-23-IACL-0007). It is jointly coordinated by LIP6 and Sciences Po and involves Nukk.AI and Make.org as industrial partners.

The position 

The selected candidate will play a central role in AI4AD, working closely with the teams at both Sciences Po and SU.

The position has two main focus areas: research and teaching.

The candidate will be responsible for developing original research activities around the articulation of AI and democracy.

The candidate will also be required to teach 72 hours per year (roughly equivalent to 2 courses per semester) at Sciences Po at the master or doctoral level on subjects linked to the themes of the project. The teaching load will allow candidates to pursue an ambitious research agenda.

The role of the candidate will also be to liaise with the different partners and promote joint initiatives within the PostGenAI project.

The selected candidate will be employed as an academic assigned to the médialab at Sciences Po. The position is expected to start in 2026 for a period of 2 years.

Please note: two positions are being offered in the context of this project - one at Sorbonne University and the other at Sciences Po. Selected researchers will work closely together on this interdisciplinary project. Candidates with a social sciences background are encouraged to apply to Sciences Po, and computer scientists or mathematicians to Sorbonne University.

Experiences and skills required

We are looking for an outstanding experienced candidate with a background in social sciences and a strong interest in the use of AI for democracy.

The candidates should have a PhD in sociology, political science, or philosophy and ideally have at least two years of work experience following their PhD. Candidates should demonstrate a solid experience in participating and leading interdisciplinary research projects.

Candidates should also be able to articulate a research project on deliberative processes and AI. A short research statement is required to indicate potential research directions in which the candidate would engage if selected.

Advantages at Sciences Po

  • Remote work possible up to 2 days per week
  • 40 paid leave days per year, plus 5 additional RTT days
  • Comprehensive health and family insurance coverage (mutuelle and prévoyance)
  • 55% reimbursement of public transportation costs and/or sustainable mobility allowance (up to €475/year)
  • Meal vouchers
  • Competitive salary commensurate with teaching and research obligations

To apply

Candidates should send a CV, a motivation letter, a short research statement and the contact details of two potential referees before 30 November 2025.

Please send your application to:

Please specify “AI4AD Lecturer application” in the subject.