PhD Opportunity at Trinity College Dublin – "Charting the Course for Trustworthy AI" (HARNESS-DC1)

Applications are now open for a fully funded interdisciplinary PhD position at the School of Law, Trinity College Dublin, as part of the HARNESSS Doctoral Network.

The Doctoral Candidate will investigate the regulatory approaches adopted by the EU Artificial Intelligence Act and germane legislation to address the decades-old conundrum relating to (personal) data processing and technology development activities of creating an environment that is both business-friendly and responsive to duties of care and diligence, including rights, towards individuals and society at large. The DC will chart the legal tools disciplining trustworthy AI and germane data technologies, with an eye to the incentives introduced to engender technology uptake, deterrence against non-compliance in the form of risk management and liability and punishment in the form of penalties, as they would apply to concrete technologies falling within the remit of the AI Act and related legislation. The DC will critique the ability of data processing and AI regulatory approaches to fulfil the “twin objective” of promoting the uptake of innovative technologies (impact to be studied at MRU) and of addressing the risks to humans and their rights and freedoms associated with the use of AI systems.

Expected Results:
A cartography (atlas) of regulatory approaches applicable to trustworthy AI and data intensive technologies and tools for compliance with existing and new legal obligations. Development of use cases for the development and deployment of concrete AI and related technologies in which regulatory approaches play out. Recommendations for supplementary legislation to address potential mismatch across instruments. The role involves planned secondment at Mykolo Romerio Universitetas (3 months in Vilnius, Prof Pakutinskas, to study impact on competition) and Shine Analytics Ltd (4 months in Dublin to test GDPR compliance tools)

Requirements

Skills and Qualifications:

Applicants must have an excellent primary degree in law or cognate discipline, from a reputable institution and should normally have an excellent Masters degree, in law or cognate discipline, from a reputable institution. Must meet TCD University requirements at (https://www.tcd.ie/study/apply/admissionrequirements/postgraduate/)

Specific Requirements:

Advanced knowledge of EU law and policy
An interest in the ethical and regulatory aspects of AI
Prior knowledge or experience in law and technology is an advantage

In addition HARNESS PhD students must demonstrate:

An ability to collaborate with international research teams in the English language.
An enthusiasm for working on multidisciplinary research problems, including research collaboration and publication across disciplinary boundaries.

Required Languages:

Doctoral studies in TCD require; Band C as detailed here

Eligibility Criteria:

All researchers recruited must be Doctoral Candidates.
Must not have a doctoral degree at the date of their recruitment
Can be of any nationality.
Should be enrolled in a doctoral programme during the project.
Should comply with the mobility rules: in general, they must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the recruiting organisation for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before their recruitment date. Compulsory national service, short stays such as holidays, and time spent as part of a procedure for obtaining refugee status under the Geneva Convention are not taken into account.

Researchers are required to undertake physical, transnational mobility (i.e. move from one country to another) when taking up their appointment.

For more information and details about the application and selection process, please click : Adaptcentre or Euraxess.

For informal enquiries please contact Prof Dave Lewis at Dave.Lewis@tcd.ie