[Commlist] Two fully-funded PhD positions - Communicative AI - University St. Gallen (Switzerland)

The Media and Culture Research Unit at the MCM Institute, University of 
St. Gallen is hiring:

*We are seeking two highly motivated PhD candidates to join an exciting 
new SNSF-funded research project investigating the persuasive power of 
communicative AI (comAI) in the everyday lives of adolescents and 
families across Europe. *

*The Project*
Chatbots, virtual assistants, and AI writing tools are becoming a normal 
part of daily life for young people across Europe. Yet we know 
surprisingly little about how these technologies actually influence 
adolescents - their attitudes, decisions, and relationships - in the 
context of everyday family life. This four-year cross-national 
ethnographic study investigates the persuasive power of comAI among 
adolescents aged 13–18 and their families across Switzerland, Germany, 
France, and Italy. It examines AI influence along three dimensions: the 
interpersonal dimension, exploring how young people perceive AI as a 
social actor and navigate questions of agency and relationship; the 
social and cultural dimension, focusing on how families respond to 
AI-generated disinformation, bias, and errors; and the technical 
dimension, examining how families understand emotional design, data 
profiling, and manipulative by-design features in comAI. Findings will 
inform AI regulation and digital literacy programmes across Europe.

*The DOK Programme*
Successful candidates will be enrolled in the PhD Programme in 
Organisation Studies and Cultural Theory (DOK) at the University of St. 
Gallen. The DOK programme integrates the university's core and 
contextual subjects in an interdisciplinary form of doctoral studies, 
bringing together organisational research and the School of Humanities 
and Social Sciences (SHSS). The programme is particularly suited to 
research that engages with complex social, cultural, and technological 
questions from multiple disciplinary perspectives, making it an ideal 
home for this project.

*What We Offer*

  * A fully funded PhD position (100%) for four years supervised by
    Prof. Veronica Barassi, starting in September 2026.
  * Enrolment in the DOK programme at the University of St. Gallen, one
    of Europe's leading universities.
  * Integration into the Media & Culture research unit (=mcm3) at the
    Institute of Media and Communications Management Institute, a
    dynamic, international, and interdisciplinary research team. See
    more information about us here:
 https://mcm.unisg.ch/en/das-institut/lehrstuehle-und-forschungsbereiche/mcm3/
 <https://mcm.unisg.ch/en/das-institut/lehrstuehle-und-forschungsbereiche/mcm3/>.
  * Access to a growing network of researchers through the PersuasiveAI
    Futures Network

*Your Profile*

  * Master's degree in communication sciences, social sciences,
    political sciences, or a related field.
  * Proficiency in English and fluency in at least one or two of the
    project languages (German, French, or Italian) is mandatory.
  * Willingness and ability to spend extended periods conducting
    fieldwork in one of the following cities: Berlin, Paris, or Milan.
  * Knowledge of qualitative and ethnographic research methodologies is
    a strong advantage.
  * Curiosity, intellectual independence, and a genuine interest in the
    social impacts of comAI.

*How to Apply: *
Application must be submitted by 4 May. In person interviews will be 
held by 15 June, with decisions communicated by the end of that month.

*Please send along: *

  * A cover letter explaining who you are, your background, and why you
    are interested in the PhD position, including your level of language
    knowledge and your connection to one of the ethnographic areas
  * A one-page document outlining your potential PhD project
  * Your CV
  * Proof of Degrees
  * A writing sample (MA thesis, article, etc.), if available but not
    mandatory

*APPLICATION LINK: 
https://jobs.unisg.ch/offene-stellen/two-fully-funded-phd-positions-m-w-d/53f14753-3d80-4877-acfe-1acc0b62e409 
<https://jobs.unisg.ch/offene-stellen/two-fully-funded-phd-positions-m-w-d/53f14753-3d80-4877-acfe-1acc0b62e409>*

For information about the job opening or general questions, please 
contact (philip.disalvo /at/ unisg.ch) 
<mailto:(philip.disalvo /at/ unisg.ch)?subject=> (applications must be 
submitted through the application link, applications coming via email 
won't be considered).


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