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ASSISTANT PROFESSOR /ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR in PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION (AI and Governance) - 2 positions Are you a public administration scholar with an ambitious international research agenda and a keen eye to innovative education and societal impact? Then we welcome your application at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU). Location: AMSTERDAM FTE: 0.8 - 1 Job description Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the way we live and our societies. Public organisations and our public institutions, too, are no exception. Algorithms and automation reshape public administration, public sector decision-making and the delivery of public services in fundamental ways. Artificial intelligence algorithms are increasingly adopted by governments in high-stakes public domains. Simultaneously, how governments and public bodies communicate and relate to citizens is being redefined by algorithms with critical feedback effects for administrative and political systems. The digital transformation brought on by the proliferation of AI in government, thus comes with key implications for administrative and democratic processes. The Department of Political Science and Public Administration at VU Amsterdam invites applications for 2 posts: - 1 Assistant/Associate Professor in Public Administration position (open track), with established expertise in AI and governance and/or computational social science. - 1 Assistant Professor in Public Administration position, with emerging expertise or strong affinity to the topic of AI and governance and/or a computational social science background. We are explicitly recruiting public administration candidates with a profile focus in the area of algorithmic governance and digital technologies, regulation of new technologies and impact on governance, or computational social science. One of the positions is open track (Assistant or Associate Professor) – the post is available at either level, appointment will be made commensurate with the selected applicant’s experience and track-record. In this role, you teach primarily in the Governance and Organisation bachelor and in the Public Administration master, namely in our new English language master’s track on Artificial Intelligence and Governance. You are expected to make significant contributions to our thriving research programme on New Public Governance (NPG). The mission of NPG is to advance our theoretical and empirical knowledge of contemporary governance practices, to critically reflect on those practices, improve them, and set the agenda on further big questions arising from the academic governance debate. In our mission we emphasize inspired and engaged public administration, and the underlying values of responsibility, openness and personal involvement. We offer a position in a thriving and engaged department that is dedicated to outstanding research, education and societal impact in public governance. We take great pride in maintaining strong contacts with societal partners. At a faculty level, we offer a strong interdisciplinary research master program on approaching societal problems with computational social science. Professional support for the acquisition of research subsidies is available through the faculty’s research institute, and substantive collaborations through the R&I Artificial Intelligence and Digital Governance Lab. At the inter-faculty level, we benefit from thematic cross-faculty collaborations around the VU theme ‘Governance for Society’ and more specific themes, such as security, welfare, care and migration. Your duties - conduct independent high-quality research and publish in international peer-reviewed journals - teach (and develop) courses at the bachelor and master level, including thesis supervision - apply for external research funding - take on managerial and leadership responsibilities commensurate to the role - co-supervise PhD students and mentor students and junior colleagues - actively contribute to the scholarly community of the Department of Political Science and Public Administration Requirements - a PhD degree (or very close to completion, for a UD position) in a relevant social science discipline such as Public Administration or Political science - an ambitious research agenda on the profile focus area and a proven track-record of publishing in high-quality international refereed journals - demonstrable experience with high-quality academic teaching - preferably in possession of University Teaching Qualification (UTQ) or equivalent international teaching qualification - ability and willingness to apply for external research funding - excellent command of the English language and preferably also of the Dutch language or the willingness to acquire it within two years of appointment - the ability to work in a team as well as independently What are we offering? An exciting position in a highly committed team within a societally engaged university and a vibrant international city. The job profiles are based on the university job ranking system of Assistant Professor (UFO profiel UD 1 or 2) and respectively, Associate Professor (UFO profiel UHD 2) and are vacant for 0.8-1.0 FTE each. The gross monthly salary, based on 38 hours per week and dependent on relevant experience, for an Assistant Professor ranges between € 4,332 to € 6,737 (scale 11-12). For an Associate Professor, it ranges between €6,002 to €7,305 (scale 13). Foreign candidates may be entitled to a 30% tax break, upon approval of the Dutch tax agency. The initial employment contract is for 12 months and will be converted into a permanent contract subject to good performance. Additionally, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam offers excellent fringe benefits and various schemes and regulations to promote a good work/life balance, such as: - a maximum of 41 days of annual leave based on full-time employment - 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus - solid pension scheme (ABP) - optional model for designing a personalized benefits package Given the current composition of the department, we especially welcome applications by women and members of underrepresented groups. More information & application form at: https://workingat.vu.nl/ad/assistant-professor-associate-professor-in-public-administration-ai-and-governa/usmify