PhD student in Information Society, with focus on Agent-Based Social Simulation for Crises Preparedness

The Department of Computer and Systems Sciences. With over 200 employees and 4,500 students, the Department of Computer and Systems Sciences (DSV) is a strong and dynamic research and educational environment. The discipline of computer and systems sciences bridges the gap between technology and the humanities, social sciences, and behavioural sciences, with great relevance to our lives today and in the future. Our research addresses how new information and communication technology should be designed to benefit people, organizations and entire societies.

DSV offers a stimulating research community in an international environment. As a doctoral student at DSV, you study together with many other doctoral students, collaborate with senior research colleagues and get connected to other researchers in Sweden and abroad. DSV’s location is Stockholm University's campus in Kista, north of central Stockholm.

More information about us, please visit: the Department of Computer and Systems Sciences.

Project description

Within the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation program under the Marie Skodowska-Curie Action (MSCA doctoral network), Stockholm University is offering a PhD fellowship for a Doctoral Candidate (DC), starting February 1st, 2027 or as soon as possible thereafter. The doctoral project is part of the MSCA Doctoral research and training network “Acting in Crisis: Understanding Social Complexity to improve Crisis Preparedness” (SoCRISP, see https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101312131). The network consists of a consortium of leading universities and non-academic partners that will train 15 DCs in cutting-edge methods, theory, and transferable skills to improve crisis preparedness using agent-based social simulation and complementary methods.

The current project will focus on "Governmental communication and citizen crisis preparedness", combining social science theories, empirical case studies from Italy and Sweden, and computational modelling. It explores how social identities, trust in institutions, and socio-cultural contexts shape citizens' readiness to respond to crises. The research will analyse the causal effects of socially sensitive messaging and develop an agent-based social simulation to capture how communication is perceived and acted upon, including citizens and decision-makers in the design and validation of the model. This work includes cooperation with relevant academic and non-academic partners, two 1-month internships within Sweden and Italy, and consortium meetings and PhD courses within the network taking place in different countries.

The project is part of a vibrant academic community with a strong international network, offering opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration, seminars, and scientific exchange within both academia and industry. In addition to a competitive salary and wellness benefits, the candidate is offered strong support for academic development, including funding for books, conference travel, and professional growth opportunities.

Qualification requirements

In order to be admitted to postgraduate education, the applicant must have the general and specific entry requirements. The qualification requirements must be met by the deadline for applications.

You meet general entry requirements if you have completed a second-cycle degree, or completed courses equivalent to at least 240 higher education credits, of which 60 credits must be in the second cycle, or have otherwise acquired equivalent knowledge in Sweden or elsewhere.

Specific entry requirements are described in the general syllabus for doctoral studies in the field of Information Society and state that the applicant must have completed courses within second-cycle level studies encompassing at least 60 higher education credits in computer and systems sciences, the humanities, behavioural science, education, health care services, psychology, communication studies or another subject of relevance to the programme. The applicant must also have completed a degree project (thesis) of at least 15 higher education credits. In addition, the applicant is required to have English language skills equivalent of Common European Framework of Reference for Languages Level B2.

Applicants will also be required to meet the European Commission’s MSCA Doctoral Network eligibility criteria, notably:

• Mobility Rule – applicants can be of any nationality and must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Sweden for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before the start of their employment at Stockholm University. 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 considered.
• Doctoral Candidate requirement – the applicant must not be in possession of a doctoral degree on the first day of employment. Researchers who have successfully defended their doctoral thesis, but who have not yet been awarded the doctoral degree are not eligible.

Please note that you will only be considered for the position if you meet the general and specific entry requirements of postgraduate education and fulfil both of the above eligibility criteria of the European Commission’s MSCA Doctoral Network.

Selection

The selection among the eligible candidates will be based on their capacity to benefit from the training. The following criteria will be used to assess this capacity:

• Independence in the analysis and organization of the earlier scientific work
• Problem formulation and rigor in previous scientific work and in the research plan
• Previously shown ability to keep the specified time limits
• Methodological and scientific maturity
• Communication and cooperation skills
• Subject specific knowledge relevant to education.

The following will be considered meritorious:

• Track record demonstrating excellent social simulation modelling work related to human behaviour, communication, or crisis preparedness evidenced by an M.Sc. thesis or equivalent
• Interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary experience or education
• Extensive methodological toolkit related to behavioural and social sciences, including experience in collecting and handling qualitative and quantitative data, social inquiry, computational formalisation of theoretical, empirical, and/or causal reasoning
• Domain knowledge of human behaviour under crisis, crisis preparedness, or crisis communication
• Demonstrated interest in systems thinking, sustainability and interdisciplinary inquiry
• Documented experience in working collegially as part of an inter- and transdisciplinary team with researchers from different disciplines
• Ability to communicate research results and an interest to engage with stakeholders outside the academic community.
• Excellent written and spoken English skills (Swedish is not a requirement)
• Demonstrated ability to speak and read Swedish and/or Italian is a merit.

Admission Regulations for Doctoral Studies at Stockholm University.

About the employment

We offer a fixed-term employment as a doctoral student according to Chapter 5 of the Higher Education Ordinance (1993:100). The period of employment may not be longer than what corresponds to full-time doctoral education for four years. As a doctoral student, you should primarily devote yourself to your own doctoral education, but the employment may include work with education, research and administration to a limited extent (maximum 20 %).

A new employment as a doctoral student is for a maximum of one year, the employment is then renewed for a maximum of two years at a time.

Stockholm University strives to be a workplace free from discrimination and with equal opportunities for all.

Contact

For more information, please contact Professor Harko Verhagen, [email protected], or Director of PhD studies, Åsa Smedberg, [email protected].

Application

Apply for the PhD student position at Stockholm University's recruitment system. Attach a personal letter and CV as well as the attachments requested in the application form. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the application is complete in accordance with the instructions in the job advertisement, and that it is submitted before the deadline. We recommend that the application, with associated documents, be written in English.

The instructions for applicants are available at: How to apply for a position.

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