1. Overcoming Societal Tensions in Europe: Can Age-Diverse Friendships be the Solution, financed by Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science

Description: This Ph.D. project aims to explore the potential of age-diverse friendships to strengthen cooperation and tolerance across different generations in Europe. This project seeks to understand the dynamics of age-diverse friendships, particularly within workplace settings, and how these relationships may help alleviate societal tensions linked to issues such as migration, pension, and social security. The project will employ a mix of different methods (such as experimental dyadic quantitative analyses, qualitative analysis etc.) to study the effects of age-diverse friendships. This includes understanding the meaning of age-diverse friendships in different contexts, studying how and when these friendships lead to support across age groups, exploring the potential of age-diverse friendships to reduce broader societal tensions, examining how age-diverse friendships facilitate social cohesion, and investigating how organizations can support the formation and maintenance of these friendships. The ideal candidate will have a background in work and organizational psychology or social psychology.

Responsible of the project: Michela Vignoli <michela.vignoli [at] unitn.it>

2. Human-centred approaches to Artificial Intelligence in education, financed by Fondazione Bruno Kessler - FBK

Description: The goal of this Ph.D project is to explore innovative, technology-based approaches to facilitate education for collaborative and student-centered learning environments. The project aims to develop semi-automatic and adaptive educational paths, as well as personalized support systems that benefit both educators and learners. This will involve utilizing various technologies and methods, such as end-user programming or multimodal, competence-based learning, to co-create learning activities that consider specific needs and preferences; of particular interests (but not limited to) are multilingual and speech-based tools.
The ideal candidate have a background in Computer Science, Psychology or Cognitive Science, with knowledge of data science, artificial intelligence. Experience in designing interactive digital technologies, good skills in Python programming, and quantitative analysis are strongly required. Knowledge of educational theories is a plus, and in case it has to be acquired during the initial phase of the project.
The PhD position is offered in co-tutoring between the i3 research unit of the Augmented Intelligence center of FBK and the Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science.

Responsible of the project: Massimo Zancanaro <massimo.zancanaro [at] unitn.it>

3. Enhancing Data Driven Communication for Evidence-Based Policy-Making, financed by Fondazione Bruno Kessler - FBK

Description: In the information age, the policy-making process struggles to effectively integrate findings from data science. Despite the abundance of data, the complexity of concepts and the difficulty in translating complex analyses into concrete policies hinder the full utilization of data. This issue is compounded by the misalignment between short-term political priorities and evidence supported by the data. Furthermore, additional data is often needed to comprehensively frame the problems at hand. Given these obstacles, a key research question is how to effectively communicate findings from data science in policy-making and ensure decisions are relevant and based on solid evidence.

Responsible of the project: Maurizio Napolitano <napo [at] fbk.eu>

Note:

The PhD student awarded the scholarship financed by FBK is obliged to maintain confidentiality in regard to the disclosure and use of any information, data, software, discovery, invention, idea, method, process (in any format including the source code) or other knowledge discovered, conceived, developed and/or implemented within the research activities financed relatively not only to the object of the PhD scholarship awarded to the PhD student, but also to possible changes made to the object of the grant as agreed with FBK.