HPI is recognized as one of the leading university institutes for computer science (www.hpi.de). Our goal is to strengthen Europe's digital sovereignty with excellent research and practice-oriented teaching in computer science. At HPI, we are convinced that excellence is created when knowledge from different disciplines is collaboratively combined to create responsible and pioneering solutions for the future.
In our research clusters "Systems," "Data and AI," "Foundations," "Digital Health," and "Security," researchers from various disciplines work together on topics relevant to solving the challenges facing society. The Digital Engineering Faculty of the University of Potsdam and HPI offers a computer science engineering degree program that is unique in Germany. 

In the course of its strong growth, the Hasso Plattner Institute is looking for a

Postdoctoral Researcher (m/f/x) in Computational Social Choice for AI Safety

This full-time position is expected to start around October 2025, with flexibility in the start date. The position is for 12 months.

The position is available within the research project "Aggregating Safety Preferences for AI Systems: A Social Choice Approach" (ASPAI). The project aims to develop formal methods for eliciting and aggregating safety specifications and risk thresholds for AI systems, with a particular focus on mechanisms that provide axiomatic guarantees, are algorithmically tractable, and show good performance in computational experiments. The project's research outcomes are expected to contribute to the design of safeguarded AI systems that reflect diverse stakeholder preferences.

The ASPAI project is led by the University of Warwick in collaboration with the University of Oxford, HPI, University of Groningen, and UC Berkeley. You will join a dynamic team of researchers across multiple institutions, working on problems at the intersection of (computational) social choice, judgment aggregation, and AI safety. The project is funded by the Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) as part of their Safeguarded AI program that aims to develop the safety standards needed for transformational AI. The successful candidate would become an ARIA R&D creator.

Your Responsibilities

• Conduct foundational research on aggregation mechanisms for safety preferences, e.g., formal modeling and axiomatic analysis, computational complexity and algorithmic analysis, and experimental evaluation in testbeds
• Collaborate actively with other project members and engage in project-related activities
• Disseminate research findings at leading international conferences and journals

Your Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Computer Science, Economics, Mathematics, or a closely related discipline
• Strong background in (computational) social choice, algorithmic game theory, or AI safety
• Excellent research track record with publications in relevant peer-reviewed conferences or journals
• Ability to work collaboratively within an interdisciplinary and international team
• Proficiency in German is not required

What we offer

• Participation in an international, interdisciplinary, and ambitious research project on cutting-edge topics
• Travel funding for conferences and research visits
• A workplace at the modern HPI campus in Potsdam-Babelsberg (with excellent commuting possibilities to Berlin)
• Possibility for remote work
• Opportunities to collaborate with top students from one of Germany’s leading computer science programs
  

We look forward to receiving your application. Interested candidates are requested to submit: curriculum vitae, research statement, and contact information for two references. For full consideration, apply by June 15 by means of the application form (click on "Apply" below on the advertisement on the university website). Applications will be reviewed until the position is filled.

Contact person HR-Recruiting

Tobias Pröchtel/ Nicola Mertens 
+49 331 5509-425/ 428

Contact for further information about the position
Niclas Boehmer
Niclas.boehmer@hpi.de

Hasso-Plattner-Institut für Digital Engineering gGmbH
Prof.-Dr.-Helmert-Str. 2-3
14482 Potsdam