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Hiring : Ecologies of LLMs Practices PostDoc

The médialab is looking for a post-doctoral researcher as part of the Ecologies of LLMs practices (EL2MP) project.

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The EL2MP project explores the use of Large Language Models (LLMs) across various disciplinary and professional fields. 

Responsibilities

In collaboration with the PI, the post-doc researcher will be in charge of these collective and participatory workshops. More in detail, she/he will work on their: 

  • Design and implementation, establishing the essential conditions to delve into the heterogeneous ecology of practices that LLMs necessitate when integrated into specific disciplinary and professional contexts with an emphasis on the obligations, and requirements that these contexts require;
  • Documentation, developing formats –drawing inspiration from ethnomethodology, experimental ethnography, and participatory design research– able to account for the multifaceted dimensions of interactions with LLMs as screencasting, image collections, and cross-interviews among students;
  • Systematisation, producing an open archive of the interaction strategies between LLMs and their users. it will offer a symmetrical understanding of how LMMs could reshape the professional domains into which they are introduced while acknowledging the constraints and adaptations required for their acceptance within these domains; 
  • Assessment, fostering critical reflections to construct situated guardrails around LMMs development and deployment by accounting LMMs’ errors, flaws, and misuse undermining fundamental rights, imposing social costs deemed too high to be accepted, and requiring centralised and global rather than specific and contextual forms of regulation.

Expected competencies

Prospective candidates should demonstrate:

  • Practical or Theoretical expertise of LLMs Technologies, they should be able to navigate the socio-technical dependencies of these technologies;
  • Knowledge of the Interlink Between STS and Design Research, they should be able to integrate perspectives from these domains into their work. They should be well-versed in the methods employed for designing, implementing, documenting, and analyzing participative research situations; 
  • Awareness of AI/LLMs Debates and Controversies, they should be informed about ethical considerations, societal impacts, and regulatory initiatives within the field;
  • Experience in Experimental Pedagogical Settings, they should have a robust background to effectively contribute to the experimental aspects of the project.
  • Fluency in French and English, as the project involves collaboration with students and actors from diverse linguistic backgrounds is mandatory.

Candidates will also 

  • Monitor relevant literature; 
  • Commit to publishing leading international journals, presentation of conference papers and development of knowledge transfer formats for a wider audience, e.g. through events, blog posts, etc;
  • Support and promote the médialab's research networks.

We expect applications from the disciplines of STS, design research, sociology or anthropology, but we are open to other disciplinary profiles that can meet the criteria listed above. 

The project will provide the appropriate knowledge and personal and material support based on the candidate's specific knowledge and skills. 

Salary and benefits

The candidate will work at Sciences Po's médialab in the 7th arrondissement of Paris with a team of researchers, engineers and designers. 

The position starts, ideally, in April 2024 for 30 months, 1 FTE. 

  • The gross grant offered is € 3200 per month. The position includes full health cover, 40 days paid holiday per year, 5 RTTs, 50% cover for public transport and lunch vouchers. 

Other benefits of the position:

  • Independent research and creative opportunities to develop an original scientific profile.
  • An international project context with a highly visible and relevant subject. 
  • A strong international and interdisciplinary network and cooperation with renowned project partners.

Application procedure

Applications must be sent before March 4th, to recrutement.medialab@sciencespo.fr

and to donato.ricci@sciencespo.fr, specifying “Post-doc EL2MP” in the subject line of the e-mail.

They must include:

  • a CV; 
  • A 2-page narrative résumé describing, in relation to the scope of the EL2MP, the contributions to
    • a) generation of new tools, methodologies or knowledge;
    • b) development of effective working relationships;
    • c) wider research and innovation community;
    • d) wider societal benefit
  • A PhD certificate;
  • one or more relevant texts (articles, dissertation, etc.);
  • a letter of recommendation.

The call for applications will remain online and therefore open until a suitable candidate is found. The careful selection of new members of our team is very important to us and we ask you to understand that we will conduct several selection interviews during the process. If you have any questions about the content of the position, please contact Donato Ricci (donato.ricci@sciencespo.fr).

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Ecologies of LLMs Practices is funded by Google.Org