Postdoc position in generative AI and educational research

Aalborg University; Aalborg; On-site; DKK 420,000 - 540,000; Part time

Job summary

Aalborg University invites applications for a 2.5-year postdoctoral position in the Department of Culture and Communication. The role focuses on generative AI in Danish upper secondary education, with tasks spanning local data collection, interviews, surveys, cross-national analyses, and policy work.

The position is 30 hours per week and may extend with teaching duties. The candidate should hold a PhD and possess strong qualitative and quantitative research skills, capable of coding interview

Qualifications

• PhD required for postdoctoral appointment.
• Experience with qualitative and quantitative research methods in humanities or social sciences.
• Ability to plan, transcribe, code interviews and focus groups.

Responsibilities

• Conduct local Danish data collection and collaborative analyses.
• Lead focus groups with Danish upper secondary students and interviews with teachers and leaders.
• Gather and analyze quantitative survey data in collaboration with partners.
• Perform cross-national data comparisons and policy analysis.
• Contribute to project meetings, reporting, and dissemination through publications.

Skills

Qualitative methods

Quantitative methods

Data collection

Interviews (focus groups)

Survey design

Cross-national analysis

Policy analysis

Academic writing

Education

PhD degree

Job description

Are you curious about how generative AI is reshaping teaching in today’s upper secondary schools? The Department of Culture and Communication at Aalborg University invites applications for a 2,5 year postdoctoral position starting on 1 December 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter. We are offering a 30-hour-per-week part-time position, with the possibility of extending if teaching responsibilities are assigned.

The position is linked to the Nordic Baltic research project GAIYA: Generative AI in Education for Young Adults (2026–2030), funded by NordForsk. As postdoctoral researcher, you will investigate generative AI in Danish upper secondary education while being part of an active international research network.

Who are we?

GAIYA is a Nordic Baltic research project that studies how generative AI, especially chatbots, is changing upper secondary education. Focusing on digital literacy and gender equality, it examines how students and teachers use generative AI tools in majority language subjects in Denmark, Norway and Sweden, compares media and AI literacy policies across five countries including Estonia and Finland, and develops gender-inclusive teaching strategies and policy recommendations to support fair and responsible AI use among young adults.

GAIYA is a research action project that examines generative AI in education through a platform studies perspective, combining qualitative and quantitative methods in authentic teaching contexts. The project produces evidence based insights to inform future teaching practice and policy development.

The GAIYA project consortium consists of researchers from Aalborg University, Østfold University of Applied Sciences, Gothenburg University, and Tartu University.

Digitalisation is a prioritised research field at Aalborg University, which hosts several thriving hubs for artificial intelligence research, and within this landscape GAIYA serves as an important stronghold for maintaining a humanities perspective on new technological developments.

Read more about GAIYA through the GAIYA website and the GAIYA LinkedIn page.

What are your work tasks?

Your work tasks will be directly tied to the empirical research activities in the research project. You will conduct local Danish data collection and perform collaborative and comparative analyses of the data. The following tasks will all be core activities:

• Conduct and analyse focus group interviews with Danish upper secondary students
• Conduct and analyse teacher interviews with Danish upper secondary teachers and institutional leaders
• In collaboration with consortium partners, gather quantitative survey data from Danish upper secondary students
• Compare cross-national data and analyse complete datasets in collaboration with consortium partners
• Gather and perform preliminary policy analysis of digital and AI literacies in Danish upper secondary school policies in relation to other Nordic-Baltic systems
• Participate in core project activities, including official meetings, workshop and online group meetings
• Facilitate communication and dissemination of project results through the project’s communication channels
• Contribute to online project reports and disseminate project results through peer reviewed publication activities

The position may include teaching responsibilities in relevant study programmes within the department, depending on the applicant’s expertise and the department’s teaching needs.

The position involves solid research experience in both qualitative and quantitative methods within the humanities or social sciences, preferably in fields such as education, media studies, communication, or related areas. You need to be able to plan, conduct, transcribe, and systematically code interviews and focus groups with upper secondary students, teachers, and school leaders, and to translate these materials into coherent, theoretically informed analyses.

You are comfortable working with survey data and preferably have experience contributing to the design and implementation of questionnaires, handling larger datasets, and taking part in comparative analyses across countries. It will be an advantage if you have worked with policy analysis, for example within education, digital literacy, or artificial intelligence, and feel able to identify, interpret, and situate Danish policy documents within a broader Nordic‑Baltic context.

Qualification requirements

Appointmentaspostdoc requires academic qualifications at PhD level.

Aalborg University wants to reflect the surrounding society and has diversity as a core value. Therefore, everyone, regardless of personal background and orientation, is encouraged to apply for the position.

Do you have any questions?

If you have any questions about the position, you are more than welcome to contact us. You will find contact persons at the bottom of the jobpost.

Further information

Read more about our recruitment process here

The appointment process at Aalborg University involves a shortlisting process. You can read more about the shortlisting and appointment process here.

The hiring process at Aalborg University may include a risk assessment as a tool to identify potential risks associated with new hires, ensuring the safety, compliance, and integrity of the workplace.

Salary and terms of employment

The employment is in accordance with the Ministerial Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Universities (the Appointment Order) and the Ministerial Order on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities (in Danish) and protocol on certain terms of employment of academic staff at universities (in Danish).

Salary and terms of employment are in accordance with the collective agreement between the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations and the state (AC collective agreement) (only in Danish) and protocol on certain terms of employment of academic staff at universities (only in Danish).

There is a mutual probationary period of 3 months for the position.

Aalborg University - Knowledge for the world

Aalborg University is an international workplace with more than 3,700 employees. We offer real-world-oriented education and create world-class research results through collaboration between researchers, students, and public and private companies. This is how we achieve insights, new solutions to societal problems, and knowledge that changes the world. Our main campus is in Aalborg, but we also have campuses in Esbjerg and Copenhagen.