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

[Philip Di Salvo]

Dear colleagues,

With apologies for cross-posting - please share widely

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/
   .
   - 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 <philip.disalvo at unisg.ch?subject=> (applications
must be submitted through the application link, applications coming via
email won't be considered).

Best,

-- 

*Philip Di Salvo, PhD*
Researcher
<https://mcm.unisg.ch/en/personenverzeichnis/9479a240-e20b-4b1e-aaa4-249f2ca42eab>
| journalist <https://twitter.com/philipdisalvo>
Zürich
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