PhD Position SNSF Project\"Beyond the Gig Economy:Exploring the New Frontiers of Algorithmic Control\"

Université de Lausanne; Vaud; On-site; CHF 33,000 - 47,000; Full time

Job summary

Université de Lausanne invites applications for a PhD position in Information Management within the IDHEAP unit, led by Prof. Tobias Mettler. The project examines algorithmic control in the gig economy and social norms encoding. Start date is November 1, 2026, with 4-year funding and 100% activity rate.

Ideal candidates hold a Master’s in information systems or management, with strong qualitative research skills and fluency in English and either French or German. Applications close Oct 28, 2026.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in information systems, management with a minor in innovation, technology, or computer science.
• Interest in artificial intelligence beyond prompting.
• Knowledge of qualitative research and interdisciplinary work.
• Passion for writing and presenting research findings to a variety of audiences.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Excellent knowledge of English; Excellent knowledge of French or German.

Responsibilities

• Field research, design research, and publication in the field of Information Systems.
• Time allocated to administrative tasks (10–20%).

Skills

Interest in artificial intelligence

Qualitative research

Writing & presenting research

Independent & team work

English and French or German

Innovative, accurate, reliable

Education

Master's degree in information systems, management (with a minor in innovation, technology, or computer science)

Job description

UNIL is a leading international teaching and research institution, with over 5,000 employees and 17,000 students split between its Dorigny campus, CHUV and Epalinges. As an employer, UNIL encourages excellence, individual recognition and responsibility.

The Swiss Graduate School of Public Administration (IDHEAP) at the University of Lausanne invites applications for a PhD position in the "Information Management" research unit headed by Prof. Tobias Mettler. IDHEAP is the largest university institute in Switzerland dedicated entirely and exclusively to the public sector. We offer excellent research support in a dynamic public policy and public administration research community and are committed to promoting the careers of young scholars.

Are you interested in the future of AI and the algorithmic state? Are you enthusiastic about developing research at the crossroads between Public Management and Information Systems? Join our research team in the project “Beyond the Gig Economy: Exploring the New Frontiers of Algorithmic Control”. The project examines the implications and different design alternatives of algorithms gradually replacing human decision-making. A core problem we will explore is how social norms can be encoded into algorithmic control while enabling meaningful exception handling. The ideal candidate is therefore sensitive to technical and social questions and interested in conducting challenging empirical work in a fast-moving environment.

Job information

Expected start date in position : November 1, 2026 / to be agreed

Contract length : 1 year, renewable 2 x, maximum 4 years

Activity rate : 100%

Your responsibilities

Their tasks will involve field research, design research, and publication in the field of Information Systems and related. They will spend between 10% and 20% of their time on administrative tasks.

In order to complete our team, we are looking for someone with the following skills:

• Master's degree in information systems, management (with a minor in innovation, technology, or computer science)
• Interest in artificial intelligence beyond prompting
• Good knowledge of qualitative research and sensitive to interdisciplinary work
• Passion for writing and presenting research findings to a variety of audiences
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team
• Innovative, accurate, reliable and persistent;
• Excellent knowledge of English; Excellent knowledge of French or German.

What the position offers you

Integration in a young, and dynamic research group in a leading institute of public administration with highly motivated and engaged members

Funding for full time (100%) for four years, subject to approval of the PhD proposal by the end of the first year

Attractive salary and additional financial support for conferences and methodological courses

We offer a nice working place in a multicultural, diverse and dynamic academic environment. Opportunities for professional training, a lot of activities and other benefits to discover.

Further inquiries can be directed to [e-mail]

Your application

Deadline : October 28, 2026

Please, send your full application (letter of motivation, current CV, transcripts, master's thesis (including a short summary)), and the contact information of two people who are willing to serve as references) in Word or PDF.

Only applications through this website will be taken into account.

We thank you for your understanding.

Additional information

UNIL is committed to:

• equity, diversity and inclusion within its community;
• ensuring an open and respectful environment that is conducive to personal development;
• offering working conditions that facilitate work-life balance;
• supporting early career researchers.