PhD in Artificial Intelligence, Digital Methods and Social Science.

Jobbeskrivelse
Do you bring together domain specific knowledge from the social sciences with a genuine, hands-on command of AI and/or digital methods? Would you like to advance research that integrates state-of-the-art digital methods and/or algorithms in the study of social world phenomenon?
The Department of Society and Politics, the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, AAU invites applications for a 3-year fully funded PhD position in Artificial Intelligence, Digital Methods, and Social Science. The starting date is September 15, 2026, or as soon as possible thereafter.
The position is part of a strategic initiative to further strengthen the department’s expertise in digital and AI-driven research methods.

Your work tasks

• Develop and carry out an independent research project under supervision
  • Participate in the department’s research environment
  • Complete a PhD training programme
  • Teach at one or more of the department programmes

Contacts

• Head of Department Jakob Skjøtt-Larsen: [email protected]
• HR - Lotte Hassing: [email protected]

Aalborg University - Knowledge for the world
Aalborg University is an international workplace with more than 3,700 employees. We offer real-world-oriented education and create world-class research results through collaboration between researchers, students, and public and private companies. This is how we achieve insights, new solutions to societal problems, and knowledge that changes the world. Our main campus is in Aalborg, but we also have campuses in Esbjerg and Copenhagen.

There is a mutual probationary period of 3 months for the position.

Salary and terms of employment are in accordance with the collective agreement between the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations and the state (AC collective agreement) (in Danish)

Salary and terms of employment
The employment is in accordance with the Ministerial Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Universities (the Appointment Order) and the Ministerial Order on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities (in Danish).

Read more about The Doctoral School of Social Sciences and Humanities

The hiring process at Aalborg University may include a risk assessment as a tool to identify potential risks associated with new hires, ensuring the safety, compliance, and integrity of the workplace.

The assessment of candidates for the position will be carried out by qualified experts.
Shortlisting will be applied. This means that after the application deadline, the head of the department, with the assistance of the hiring committee, will select the applicants to be assessed. All applicants will be informed whether they have been shortlisted for assessment or not.

Further information
Read more about our recruitment process here.

Do you have any questions?
If you have any questions about the position, you are more than welcome to contact us. You will find contact persons at the bottom of the jobpost.

Aalborg University wants to reflect the surrounding society and has diversity as a core value. Therefore, everyone, regardless of personal background and orientation, is encouraged to apply for the position.

The application must be submitted via Aalborg University’s recruitment system, which can be accessed under the job advertisement on Aalborg University's website.

How to apply
Your application must include the following:

• Application, stating reasons for applying and qualifications in relation to the position
• Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• Diplomas (bachelor's and master's degree diploma, including grades)
• Project description (approx. 5 pages). Read more about the project description
• Applicants WHO are planning to complete a doctoral thesis in English and who do not have English as a first language or WHO have not completed an English language-based Master's programme (or an equivalent educational achievement in English) shall provide documentation that they have passed one of the following official tests with the respective minimum score: IELTS (band score): 7, TOEFL (paper-based): 600, TOEFL (internet-based): 100. The language test must be no more than five years old at the time of the application. Read more on how to document your English qualifications.
• Other relevant documents

We offer:
• A supportive and collegial research environment
• A teaching environment with room for innovation
• Work-life balance in a high-quality living environment
• Strong support for career development
• Support from senior researchers in accessing Danish data sources

Who we are
Department of Society and Politics [SOCIETY] provides an ambitious academic environment, bringing together a range of strong research disciplines from the social sciences. Our scholars pursue research excellence at the highest international level while remaining committed to generating knowledge that informs policy, improves practice, and creates societal impact.

Please visit the website of the doctoral school for further information on admission requirements.

Qualification requirements
PhD stipends are allocated to individuals who hold a Master's degree. PhD stipends are normally for a period of 3 years. It is a prerequisite for allocation of the stipend that the candidate will be enrolled as a PhD student at the Doctoral School of Social Sciences and Humanities in accordance with the regulations of Ministerial Order No. 1124 of September 19, 2025 on the PhD Programme at the Universities and Certain Higher Artistic Educational Institutions. According to the Ministerial Order, the progress of the PhD student shall be assessed at regular points in time. As part of the PhD study, you are among other things required to complete PhD courses corresponding to 30 ECTS, gain experience with teaching or other forms of knowledge dissemination and complete an external research stay outside of Aalborg University, preferably 3-6 months at a foreign research institution. PhD candidates must have achieved the grade 10 or above in the Danish grading system (or the equivalent in a different grading system) for their Master’s Thesis/final exam.

The ideal candidate:
• Has a disciplinary foundation within one of the social sciences represented at the department.
• Has hands-on experience with AI, machine learning, or digital methods (e.g., coding in Python/R, working with APIs, scraping data, building or applying models).
• Can bridge theoretical insight with concrete technical implementation and empirical analysis.
• Is motivated to contribute to interdisciplinary collaboration and methodological innovation.
• Can pose and then adequately answer relevant social science research questions by switching between newer and more classical social science methods as the question demands.

Your competencies
Digital methods such as machine learning based classification, computational text analysis, network analysis, web scraping, platform-based data collection, and cleaning and management of large-scale datasets are transforming how social scientists study political, social, and organizational phenomena. These developments call for new forms of interdisciplinary competences that combine substantive domain knowledge with technical capability.
We seek a candidate who is firmly grounded in one of the department’s core research areas (e.g., political science, sociology, social work, history, criminology, IT-management, or related fields), and who is equally comfortable working “natively” with AI technologies and/or digital methods in practice. This includes the ability to design, implement, and critically reflect on computational approaches such as machine learning models, large language models, and/or advanced data collection and analysis.

As part of the application, you must submit a project description. The description should outline the research questions, theoretical considerations, methodological approach, relevant literature, and a proposed timeline.
The research question is open and may relate to any of the department’s core research areas or related areas (see below). It must do so using computational methods and/or AI – possibly in combination with more classical social science methods. Research projects may address national or international challenges and should employ appropriate qualitative and/or quantitative approaches. The project should demonstrate clear potential to generate internationally recognised research, produce publications in leading journals, and attract future research funding. Senior researchers will actively support access to Danish data sources (e.g., registry data, surveys, and organisations).

Your main task as a PhD student will be to develop and complete a PhD thesis that meets international research standards within the relevant field. In close collaboration with your main supervisor, you will further develop and refine your research project. You are expected to actively engage with the department’s research environment and participate in relevant national and international research networks. As part of the PhD programme, you will complete PhD courses within topics relevant to your project. The programme also includes a mandatory requirement to gain experience in teaching and/or other forms of research dissemination and knowledge exchange.

Ansøgningsfrist
09-08-2026

Ref. nummer
2026/918

Afdeling
Department of Society and Politics