Leiden University’s Faculty of Science and the Leiden Institute of Advanced Computer Science (LIACS) invite applications for a fully funded PhD position focused on Emotionally and Socially Aware Natural Language Processing. The project addresses the limitations of current NLP systems and large language models (LLMs) in handling human emotions and social contexts, aiming to develop frameworks and models that are not only accurate but also emotionally responsive, culturally sensitive, and safe. The research will involve creating datasets and benchmarks that capture emotional cues, conversational norms, and cultural variation beyond English, running user studies to understand human perceptions and collaboration with conversational AI, and designing methods and metrics to evaluate bias, fairness, inclusivity, safety, and emotional responsiveness.

Applications include conversational agents, mental well-being, and education, with a strong emphasis on emotion safety. The successful candidate will design interventions to reduce bias and improve fairness and safety in human-AI interaction.

The project combines computational modeling (NLP, machine learning, deep learning) with human-centered research (user studies, experimental design, qualitative analysis). Candidates should have a strong technical background and a curiosity about the emotional and social impact of language technologies. The PhD student will be embedded in the Human AI cluster at LIACS, supervised by Dr. Flor Miriam Plaza del Arco, Prof.

Suzan Verberne, and Prof. Joost Broekens. The position offers a four-year contract, starting with a one-year term and extension upon positive evaluation.

Salary ranges from €3,059 to €3,881 gross per month, with additional holiday and end-of-year bonuses, training, career development, sabbatical leave, and potential tax breaks for international candidates. The university values diversity and inclusion, and all PhD students are part of the Leiden University Graduate School of Science, which offers a range of training courses. Applicants must hold a relevant MSc degree, have strong programming and deep learning skills, and demonstrate interest in interdisciplinary research.

Applications must be submitted online by 17 November 2025, including a CV, motivation letter, grade list, MSc degree, thesis draft, references, and code repository link. For more information about the Human AI cluster and LIACS, visit the provided links.