Dear colleagues,

We are looking for a PhD candidate in Emotionally and Socially Aware Natural Language Processing at LIACS, Leiden Universityhttps://liacs.leidenuniv.nl/. The PhD will be supervised by myself, Prof. Suzan Verbernehttps://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/staffmembers/suzan-verberne#tab-1, and Prof. Joost Broekenshttps://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/staffmembers/joost-broekens#tab-1. The position is part of the Human-AI clusterhttps://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/science/computer-science/research/human-ai, a great environment for interdisciplinary research where AI and machine learning meet philosophy, cognitive science, and the creative arts.

This PhD position focuses on advancing AI models that don’t just optimize for accuracy, but also recognize and respond to emotions responsibly and adapt to social context. Current systems often reproduce or amplify social biases, generate toxic context, or do not respond safely to emotional cues. The goal of this PhD is to design AI systems that promote inclusivity, fairness, and emotional intelligence in human-AI interaction, with a particular focus on applications in mental well-being, education, and other socially sensitive contexts where how AI interacts with people has a big impact.

The deadline to apply is November 17, 2025.

Details on the position and the application procedure can be found in the job ad: https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/vacancies/2025/q4/16038-phd-candidate-i...

Please send me an email if you have any questions regarding the position.

Best regards, Flor Plaza ------------------------------------------------ Flor Miriam Plaza del Arco, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Leiden Institute of Advanced Computer Science (LIACS), Human AI Leiden University Office: BM 3.03, Gorlaeus Gebouw – BE-vleugel Einsteinweg 55, 2333 CC Leiden, Netherlands

🌐 Websitehttps://fmplaza.github.io/ | 🦋 BlueSkyhttp://florplaza.bsky.social/