PhD Position 100% – AI Literacy & Regulatory Learning (m/w/d)

Universität St.Gallen; Sankt Gallen; On-site; CHF 60,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

International training programs

Intersectoral secondment

Summer schools and seminars

Job summary

University of St.Gallen invites applications for a doctoral position within the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Network REGULAIRE. This opportunity spans cross-institutional supervision, international mobility, and a secondment to a partner organization, with emphasis on AI governance and regulatory learning.

The position includes rigorous training, summer schools, and engagement with policymakers, researchers, and practitioners across Europe.

Qualifications

• Master's degree (or equivalent) required to access doctoral studies at the University of St.Gallen.
• Skills or demonstrable interest in case studies and intervention research, including pre/post assessment designs.
• Strong interest in AI literacy, public administration, AI governance and interdisciplinary research.

Responsibilities

• Examine how AI-literacy frameworks cultivate absorptive capacity in public bodies and support regulatory learning.
• Use case studies and pre/post assessments to measure literacy effects on evidence generation and procurement choices.
• Build an inventory and typology of AI-literacy frameworks and develop guidance for integrating literacy with procurement and review cycles.
• Refine research questions with supervision and prepare ethics, data-management and open-science materials; complete a doctoral thesis and related publications.
• Participate in REGULAIRE training, network reviews, dissemination, and monthly paper development seminars.

Skills

Fluent English

International mobility

Interdisciplinary interest

Education

Master's degree

Job description

The Institute of Law and Economics (ILE-HSG) conducts research at the interface of law (tax law and public law) and business (corporate governance, reporting and tax & trade). www.ile.unisg.ch.

We offer

• A doctoral position within the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Network REGULAIRE, with an international cohort of 15 doctoral candidates across ten European universities.
• Cross-institutional supervision, network-wide methods training, three residential summer schools, monthly paper development seminars and practitioner engagement.
• A stimulating interdisciplinary research environment at the University of St.Gallen with opportunities to contribute to national and international research and policy networks.
• A planned three-month intersectoral secondment as part of the doctoral project.

The opportunity to complete a doctoral thesis and develop an independent research profile in AI governance, law and technology, and regulatory learning.

Documents:

Motivation letter; CV; academic credentials/transcripts; at least two reference letters; a short research proposal engaging with the doctoral project.

Apply:

Apply on the portal of the University of St. Gallen

Application deadline:

07.11.2026

Your tasks

• Examine how AI-literacy frameworks cultivate individual and organisational absorptive capacity in public bodies and support regulatory learning.
• Use case studies and pre/post assessments to measure how literacy interventions affect evidence generation, procurement choices, escalation paths and the circulation of lessons across units and agencies.
• Build an inventory and typology of AI-literacy frameworks, validate interventions, report on literacy effects, and develop guidance for integrating literacy with procurement and review cycles.
• Refine the research questions and design with the supervision team; prepare ethics, data-management and open-science materials; complete a doctoral thesis and related publications.
• Participate in REGULAIRE training, network reviews, dissemination, practitioner engagement, summer schools and monthly paper development seminars.

Secondment

Within the position, a secondment to a partner organization is planned.

Supervision

Primary supervision by Prof. Aurelia Tamò-Larrieux (HSG), co-supervision by Ass. Prof. Sandra Cortesi, plus a sectoral mentor at the secondment host. The secondment provides direct insight into the design and evaluation of AI-literacy initiatives in a public administration.

Your profile

• Master's degree (or equivalent qualification giving access to doctoral studies at the University of St. Gallen) in public administration, political science, learning sciences, information systems, communication, law, or a related social science/interdisciplinary field, completed by the start date.
• Skills or demonstrable interest in case studies and intervention research, including pre/post assessment designs.
• Strong interest in AI literacy, public administration, AI governance and interdisciplinary research.
• Excellent written and spoken English; reliable, independent and analytical working style.
• Willingness to engage in international mobility and network-wide activities, including the planned secondment.
• Fulfilment of the doctoral admission requirements of the University of St.Gallen and the MSCA eligibility conditions.

Eligibility

• Applicants may be of any nationality and must not hold a doctoral degree at the start of MSCA employment.
• Applicants must comply with the MSCA mobility rule: they must not have resided or carried out their main activity in Switzerland for more than 12 months during the 36 months immediately preceding the start date (subject to the standard MSCA exclusions).
• Applicants must be eligible for timely enrolment in the relevant doctoral programme at the University of St.Gallen.

"A place where knowledge is created" - As one of Europe's leading universities of economics and business administration, the University of St.Gallen (HSG), Switzerland, is committed to the education of over 10'000 students. The HSG is one of the largest employers in the region and provides an attractive and innovative environment for more than 3'800 researchers, educators and professional staff.