This fully-funded, 4-year PhD research position is part of the project "Don't Forget the Forgotten! Towards a Platform-Based Approach for Sustainable Employment of Workers with a Disability". This project, funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO), addresses the challenge of limited sustainable employment opportunities for workers with disabilities (i.e., a healthy, productive, and meaningful career). By developing online platform cooperatives and algorithms for matching disabled workers and employers, you address this urgent challenge while contributing to broader societal issues such as labor market shortages, budget strains, and the energy transition.
PhD project
This PhD project builds on the notion that existing matching algorithms and domain models insufficiently address the characteristics of workers with a disability. The project aims to develop novel knowledge representations (ontologies) that better capture these aspects. We will employ an empirical and participatory approach to elicit requirements for the knowledge representation frameworks via data collection from relevant stakeholders. The requirements are used to design a novel domain-specific ontology that mathematically captures relevant worker characteristics and their relations regarding employee competencies, interests, values, and vulnerabilities. The ontology is the basis for building a novel matching algorithm that emphasizes the inclusion of workers with a disability. A prototype implementation of the matching algorithm will be developed as a proof of concept that demonstrates how an inclusive algorithm fosters a better person-environment fit for workers with a disability and facilitates sustainable employment.
The prospective candidate is expected to:
You will receive mentorship by an experienced, international team of senior scholars with expertise in online platforms, labor markets, and AI systems at work.
Are you interested in this position? Please send your application via the 'Apply now' button below by July 5th 2024, and include:
Preferred starting date of position: before November 15th, 2024.
For more information regarding this position, you are welcome to contact Dr. Birna van Riemsdijk (m.b.vanriemsdijk@utwente.nl).
This position is embedded in the Human Media Interaction (HMI) department at University of Twente. HMI is a multidisciplinary group in which computer science meets social science to investigate, design and evaluate novel forms of human-computer interaction. We develop and use (logic-based) AI techniques to support meaningful interactions between people and digital technologies. We are socially engaged researchers, with a particular interest and expertise in research with vulnerable and marginalized groups. The group has a very friendly, collaborative and welcoming atmosphere, centring wellbeing and work-life balance.
The faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science (EEMCS) uses mathematics, electronics and computer technology to contribute to the development of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). With ICT present in almost every device and product we use nowadays, we embrace our role as contributors to a broad range of societal activities and as pioneers of tomorrow's digital society. As part of a people-first tech university that aims to shape society, individuals and connections, our faculty works together intensively with industrial partners and researchers in the Netherlands and abroad, and conducts extensive research for external commissioning parties and funders. Our research has a high profile both in the Netherlands and internationally. It has been accommodated in three multidisciplinary UT research institutes: Mesa+ Institute, TechMed Centre and Digital Society Institute.
Looking for a job that matters? Join the university of technology that puts people first – and shape new opportunities both for yourself and for ou...
Visit the employer page