Doctoral student in Technology and Society on regulatory learning and supervisory competence

Lund University

Lund University was founded in 1666 and is repeatedly ranked among the world’s top universities. The University has around 46 000 students and 8 500 staff based in Lund, Helsingborg and Malmö. We are united in our efforts to understand, explain and improve our world and the human condition.

Lund University welcomes applicants with diverse backgrounds and experiences. We regard equality, equal opportunities and diversity as a strength and an asset.

Description of the workplace

This doctoral position is part of REGULAIRE, which is a MSCA doctoral pan-European network that studies how regulation can learn and adapt in situations where technologies, risks, and expectations change quickly. The network will train fifteen fellows to examine this learning process from different angles. They will look at how authorities detect early signals, design and test interventions, evaluate what works, and share findings across organisations.

REGULAIRE stands for Regulatory Learning for the Governance of Transformative Technologies, and the consortium is led by Technical University Munich. The consortium includes technical universities, business schools, social and legal scientists, and public sector actors.

This call is of a doctoral position at LTH, Lund University. The research group environment at LTH in Lund, led by Stefan Larsson, focuses on social science-oriented but multidisciplinary issues linked to AI, with affiliated researchers at both junior and senior levels. The research group has a working space at LTH and is part of the Department of Technology and Society. Read more about the research group on the Research Portal of Lund University.

Being a doctoral student

As a doctoral student, you are both admitted as a student and employed at Lund University.

As a doctoral student, you will be trained in a scientific approach. In short, you will be trained to think critically and analytically, to solve problems independently using the right methods, and to develop an awareness of research ethics. In addition, you will have the opportunity to work on projects, to develop your leadership and pedagogical skills. Throughout your studies, you will be guided by supervisors. Doctoral studies end with a thesis and a doctoral degree.

More about being a doctoral student at LTH on lth.se.

Subject and project description

The doctoral subject Technology and Society encompasses multi- and interdisciplinary studies on the role, interaction, regulation and significance of technology within society. Research includes both qualitative and quantitative studies and is often characterized by a diversity of methods and theories.

Regulatory flexibility helps law keep pace with fast-moving technologies, but law also needs predictable norms. This doctoral project studies how the two sit together, asking whether flexibilities, delegations, open-textured duties and codes of practice shift authority among legislators, the Commission, standardisers, private actors, and with a special attention to supervisory authorities.

Work duties

You will primarily devote yourself to your doctoral programme, which includes participation in research projects as well as third cycle courses, seminars and conferences.

You will map supervisory competence, organisation and tooling in selected jurisdictions, using the AI Act to structure comparison, and combine document analysis, interviews and process tracing to link design choices to predictability for firms and protection for citizens.

The work will from a critical perspective analyse flexibility mechanisms and their governance implications. It could be grounded in supervisory practice, comparative case reports and contribute to an assessment framework for supervisory capability. It will also translate evidence into guidance on aligning flexibility with foresight without eroding legal certainty, if possible. This project offers a focused route into socio-legal research, AI governance and the study of technology-oriented supervision.

The employment will include a three-month intersectoral secondment in another country.

• Refine the research questions and design with the supervision team, and prepare ethics, data-management and open-science materials.
• Collect, manage and analyse research data using the approved project-specific methods.
• Complete a doctoral thesis and related research outputs under the doctoral programme and the REGULAIRE plan.
• Take part in local and network-wide training, cohort activities, network reviews, dissemination and practitioner engagement, including three residential summer schools and monthly paper development seminars.
• Undertake the planned three-month intersectoral secondment with a partner institution within REGULAIRE.
• The duties may also include participation in teaching and other departmental work (however, a maximum of 20% of working hours).

We offer

Lund University is a public authority which means that employees get particular benefits, generous annual leave and an advantageous occupational pension scheme.

More about working at Lund University on lu.se.

About the employment

The employment is a fixed-term employment at full time, starting 1 January 2027 or by agreement, but no later than 1 June 2027. Third cycle studies at LTH consist of full-time studies for 4 years. In the case of teaching and other departmental duties, the employment is extended accordingly. Doctoral studentships are regulated in the Higher Education Ordinance (1993:100), chapter 5, 1-7 §§.

You will receive a monthly salary according to the regulations of the MSCA Grant Agreement.

More about terms of employment for doctoral students on Lund University’s Staff pages.

About the Faculty of Engineering

LTH is Lund University’s Faculty of Engineering. At LTH we educate people, build knowledge for the future and work hard for the development of society. We create space for brilliant research and inspire creative advancements in technology, architecture and design. We have nearly 12,000 students. Every year, our researchers – many of whom work in world-leading profile areas – publish around 100 theses and 2 000 scientific findings. In addition, a number of research results and degree projects are transformed into innovations. Together we explore and create – to benefit the world.

We kindly decline all sales and marketing contacts.

• Stefan Larsson, associate professor, stefan.larsson@lth.lu.se
• OFR/ST:Fackförbundet ST:s kansli, 046-2229362, st@st.lu.se
• SACO:Saco-s-rådet vid Lunds universitet, 046-2220000, kansli@saco-s.lu.se

Qualifications

To be eligible for admission and employment as a doctoral student, you must fulfil the requirements below.

Admission requirements

A person meets the general admission requirements for third-cycle courses and study programmes if the applicant:

• has been awarded a second-cycle qualification, or
• has satisfied the requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits of which at least 60 credits were awarded in the second cycle, or
• has acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad.

A person meets the specific admission requirements for third cycle studies in Technology and Society if the applicant has:

• at least 30 credits awarded in the second cycle relevant to the subject area.

Additional requirements

In order to complete the doctoral programme in question, the following are also required:

• An educational background in relevant field, for example law, socio-legal studies, political science, science and technology studies, or related social science and interdisciplinary fields.
• You take initiatives, are structured and persistent.Good ability to work independently and to formulate and tackle research problems.
• Good written and oral communication skills
• Good ability to cooperate
• Very good knowledge of English, spoken and written

To be eligible for MSCA funding, the selected candidate must also, on the first day of employment:

• not hold a doctoral degree; candidates who have successfully defended a doctoral thesis but have not yet formally received the degree are not eligible;
• comply with the MSCA mobility rule, meaning you must not have resided or carried out your main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Sweden for more than 12 months during the 36 months immediately preceding that date, excluding compulsory national service, short stays such as holidays, and time spent in a procedure for obtaining refugee status under the Geneva Convention.

Other qualifications

For the doctoral programme in question, the following are considered as other qualifications:

• experience of qualitative methods, such as document analysis, interviews or process tracing.
• sociolegal knowledge on how society and law interacts.
• technological knowledge of emerging technologies.

How to apply

Applications shall be written in English and include:

• CV and a cover letter stating the reasons why you are interested in the doctoral programme/employment and in what way the research project corresponds to your interests and educational background.
• Copies of issued study certificates and/or awarded degree certificates. These must confirm that you meet the general and specific admission requirements for the doctoral programme and show that you have the subject knowledge required for the doctoral programme project.
• Other documents you wish to be considered (grade transcripts, contact information for your references, letters of recommendation, etc.)

We welcome your application.