项目介绍

2026年5月9日

Are you interested in working with reserch in Information Systems, with the support of competent and friendly colleagues in an international environment? Are you looking for an employer that invests in sustainable employeeship and offers safe, favourable working conditions? We welcome you to apply for a position as PhD student in Information Systems at Uppsala University.

The Department of Informatics and Media is part of the Faculty of Social Science at Uppsala University. The Department has a broad research profile, focusing on current research topics and societal challenges, among other, information systems, interaction design and media and communication. The Department of Informatics and Media offers Bachelor and Master programmes and courses within the Faculty of Social Sciences. The department turnover is approx. 86 million SEK. The department has about 80 employees. Read more about the Department of Informatics and Media.

The doctoral student will be affiliated with the Department of Informatics and Media (IM) at Uppsala University and will be part of research environments in information systems, digital innovation, and critical digital infrastructure. The project is conducted in close dialogue with ongoing research on AI, organisation, and governance within the WASP‑HS Collaboration Arena for Welfare, involving collaboration with academia, the public sector, and industry.

Duties
We are seeking a doctoral student in Information Systems for a research project that examines how accountability, traceability, and human oversight are organised in AI‑supported decision‑making processes in the public sector, with a particular focus on model‑ and simulation‑based systems.

The project is grounded in the understanding that AI in practice often takes the form of models and simulations that are run and continuously updated in operation, may occasionally fail, and are used operationally within organisations, rather than existing as abstract algorithms. These systems are used as an empirical and analytical entry point to investigate how decisions are actually made, reviewed, and justified when human judgement interacts with automated models in regulated organisational environments. These systems include implemented computational models and software artefacts deployed in operational settings.

The doctoral project is expected to address research questions such as:

• how responsibility and roles are renegotiated when decisions are shaped through continuously updated models or simulations;
• how assumptions, uncertainty, updates, and errors are managed in practical use;
• in which situations organisations intervene manually, override model outputs, or apply fallback logic, and what this implies for governance and legitimacy.

The project is practice‑oriented and combines qualitative studies of real‑world decision‑making and modelling environments with analyses of exceptions, operational situations, and failures in concrete public‑sector processes. The dissertation may also include the development and evaluation of concrete artefacts, such as principles for traceability, documentation, or the handling of exceptions in AI‑supported systems. This may include the development, adaptation, or empirical evaluation of technical artefacts or computational components, where relevant to the research questions.

In collaboration with supervisors and the broader research environment, the doctoral student will develop a more clearly defined research project including considerations of analytical, empirical, and technical contributions that relates to ongoing research at the department. It is therefore important that the applicant has a strong interest in AI‑supported decision‑making, simulation, and accountability, and is open to shaping a more focused project in dialogue with supervisors and the research environment.

Requirements
To meet the entry requirements for doctoral studies, you must

• hold a Master’s (second-cycle) degree in Information Systems, or
• have completed at least 240 credits in higher education, with at least 90 credits at Master’s level including an independent project worth at least 15 credits, or
• have acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way.

We welcome applicants with a strong interest in information systems, organisation, and the practical use of technology. Relevant academic backgrounds may include information systems, informatics, computer science, industrial engineering and management, or closely related fields. Experience of working with models, simulations, decision‑support systems, complex IT environments, or public‑sector organisations is considered an advantage, as is an interest in qualitative and practice‑oriented research.

For this position, a good command of spoken and written Swedish is required, as the project is conducted in close dialogue with public‑sector organisations in Sweden.

Additional qualifications
Experience of working in interdisciplinary research environments or collaborating with external stakeholders is also considered an advantage.

Rules governing PhD students are set out in the Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5, §§ 1-7 and in Uppsala University’s rules and guidelines.

The application must include:

• A brief cover letter, which should contain:
  1) The applicant’s motivation for applying for the position (maximum 500 words).
  2) A brief description of the documents submitted (list them).
  3) If more than one academic work (thesis, article, etc.) is submitted for assessment, the cover letter must specify which of these the admissions committee should prioritize.
• Doctoral project plan (maximum two pages, in English). The plan should include the theoretical framework, research questions, aims, type of data, methodology, and timeline.
• CV with certified copies of academic documents, such as transcripts, demonstrating that the applicant meets the eligibility requirements for doctoral studies in Media and Communication Studies, as well as copies of certified degree certificates and grades.
• Two letters of recommendation.
• Copies of independent academic works authored by the applicant as part of their undergraduate or graduate education (C-, D-, or advanced level, or equivalent; drafts of ongoing work may be attached), or other relevant texts.
• Any other documents the applicant wishes to include.

About the employment
The employment is a temporary position according to the Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5 § 7. Scope of employment 100 %. Starting date 1 Septmber or as agreed. Placement: Uppsala

For further information about the position, please contact: Jenny Eriksson Lundström, +46184715163, jenny.eriksson@im.uu.se

Please submit your application by 29 May 2026, UFV-PA 2026/1506.

Are you considering moving to Sweden to work at Uppsala University? Find out more about what it´s like to work and live in Sweden.

Uppsala University is a broad research university with a strong international position. The ultimate goal is to conduct education and research of the highest quality and relevance to make a difference in society. Our most important asset is all of our 7,600 employees and 53,000 students who, with curiosity and commitment, make Uppsala University one of Sweden’s most exciting workplaces.

Read more about our benefits and what it is like to work at Uppsala University
https://uu.se/om-uu/jobba-hos-oss/

The position may be subject to security vetting. If security vetting is conducted, the applicant must pass the vetting process to be eligible for employment.

Please do not send offers of recruitment or advertising services.

Submit your application through Uppsala University’s recruitment system.