With the Winter School we aim to facilitate two things:
First: On Thursday 6th, we are hosting a full-day workshop in intradisciplinary small groups of up to five people. This will give PhD students the opportunity to gain in-depth feedback on their work in the field of AI or digitization. Together with peers and a mentor, you will have the opportunity to focus on issues, difficulties or interesting aspects of your work, guided by an expert in the field. The aim of facilitating this exchange is to get to know the work of peers in one's field while receiving constructive feedback on issues that matter to you.
Second: To depict the interdisciplinarity of our SmAIR research group, we aim to bring together PhD students from different backgrounds to allow them to share and learn from each other's diverse approaches and perspectives on similar topics. To facilitate interdisciplinary exchange, we will attend a keynote speech given by one of the senior researchers, as well as the final discussion round and the Smart Regulation Symposium on Friday.
You will have the opportunity to get to know the other participants during dinner on Wednesday and Thursday evening.
We can offer scholarships to cover travel costs and accommodation for up to 12 participants who are not already based in Graz. There is no participation fee. Please indicate in your application if you would like to be considered for a scholarship.
We invite you to submit an abstract of your research (details see specific call details for the several disciplines below) by August 8th, 2025.
AI, Work Design, and Human-AI Collaboration
The integration of AI into diverse workplace contexts is profoundly reshaping the design, perception, and experience of work. The winter school aims to explore these developments from a psychological perspective, with a primary focus on work design.
We welcome applications from doctoral candidates whose research addresses the intersection of work psychology and artificial intelligence. Relevant topics include, but are not limited to, psychological and organizational implications of AI adoption, the design of human-AI collaboration, and the impact of automation on task structures and work processes.
The Winter School offers a supportive academic setting to receive constructive feedback, advance your research, and engage in interdisciplinary dialogue.
Details:
Intradisciplinary workshop: Present your research and receive constructive feedback from peers and a mentor (Dr. Marvin Walczok, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München).
Interdisciplinary discussions: Engage in interdisciplinary discussions with PhD students researching AI and digitalization in other disciplines (Data Science, Ethics, Law, Philosophy, Sociology).
Closing the Winter School, the Smart Regulation Symposium 2025 will take place on November 7th, 2025. All participants of the Winter School are invited to join the symposium, where experts from academia and business will present and discuss the future of regulation in times of technological, environmental and social change.
Target group:
PhD students from work/organizational/industrial psychology, human-machine interaction, or related fields.
Application and participation:
We invite you to submit an abstract of your research, with a maximum length of 500 words, by August 8th, 2025. Your abstract may address a (planned) study or provide a general overview of your PhD project.
Submission must be send to Simon Grob (simon.grob@uni-graz.at)
Carefully researching digitization
The Doctoral Winter School invites doctoral students to present their ongoing research work on digitization. The ongoing digitization of society, and more specifically the integration of artificial intelligence into a multitude of human activities, poses significant challenges. These challenges encompass the adaptation of human behaviors and the identification of novel methodologies for the effective integration of these technological advancements. The prevailing concern is that these developments may lead to the emergence of a technological oligarchy, characterized by the concentration of power and influence in the hands of a select few. Furthermore, there is a growing concern over the escalating demand for resources, which is contributing to the acceleration of climate change.
Based on the premise that our doing research is always also performative, co-creating the phenomenon to be researched we want to use the winter school to together elaborate one way on how to best co-create this issue of digitization and AI in our STS research. Basing the discussion on the notion of response-ability and the guidance of scholar Michela Cozza we want to take advantage of the small group setting and discuss these issues closely in relation to each participant's work.
Target group: 5 Doctoral students of Science and Technology Studies and/ or social sciences who critically examine questions of digitization, especially but not only AI and its consequences.
Concept:
- Joint reading of all contributions and additional texts picked by the mentor in advance
- Introduction by the mentor (Michela Cozza)
- Structured feedback from the doctoral panel and mentor (Michela Cozza)
- Open discussion with all participants
- Final discussion on overarching issues
Requirements:
- Submission of parts of an exposé or unpublished paper/dissertation chapter (5 pages max.) addressing the topic of the Winter School
- Submission of a letter of motivation (½ page)
- Submission must be send to Laura Kunz (laura.kunz@uni-graz.at)
Academic language: English
Digital-Governance zwischen Innovation und Recht
Die Doctoral Winter School lädt Promovierende ein, ihre laufenden Forschungsarbeiten zu präsentieren und mit anderen kritisch zu reflektieren. Der Workshop zielt darauf ab, neue Denkansätze zu fördern und interdisziplinäre Perspektiven auf die digitale Transformation zu entwickeln.
Zielgruppe: DoktorandInnen der Rechtswissenschaften, die sich kritisch mit Fragen der Digitalisierung, insbesondere, aber nicht nur, KI und daraus folgenden verfassungsrechtlichen Fragestellungen auseinandersetzen.
Inhaltliche Ausrichtung:
- Regulierung von Digitalisierung und digital-technischen Phänomenen
- Potenziale von Technologieinnovationen für staatliche Institutionen und für die öffentliche Verwaltung
- Öffentlich-rechtliche Problemstellungen im Zusammenhang mit dem technologischen Fortschritt
- Diskriminierungs- und datenschutzrechtliche Potentiale und Risiken staatlicher Digitalisierungsstrategien
Konzept:
- Übersendung von Teilen eines Exposés oder unveröffentlichten Papers/Dissertationskapitels, die im Vorfeld von allen anderen Teilnehmern gelesen werden
- Impulsvorträge der Teilnehmenden, mit anschließend offener Diskussion mit allen Teilnehmenden
- Strukturiertes Feedback durch die Doktorandenrunde und einen PhD-Mentor (Dr. David. M. Schneeberger)
- Die Übernahme der Reisekosten kann unter bestimmten Voraussetzungen übernommen werden
Call for abstracts:
Für die Teilnahme an der Winter School ist ein zweiseitiger Abstract über das geplante Thema mittels Mail an magdalena.eder(at)uni-graz.at bis zum 08.08.2025 einzureichen. Die Zusage erfolgt mit Anfang September. Im Rahmen des geplanten Formates werden die Teilnehmer und Teilnehmerinnen gebeten, spätestens zwei Wochen vor Workshopbeginn das Kapitel eines Exposés oder unveröffentlichte Paper/Dissertationskapitel zu senden, um den anderen Teilnehmern und Teilnehmerinnen die Möglichkeit zu geben, sich in die Themen einzulesen.
Für weitere Informationen wenden Sie sich bitte an magdalena.eder(at)uni-graz.at
Exploring Ethical Implications of AI in Organizations and Beyond
As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly embedded in everyday tools as well as decision-making processes in organizations, ethical challenges surrounding its development and deployment grow in urgency, thereby raising critical questions about responsibility, oversight, and the values embedded in these technologies.
This Winter School invites doctoral researchers whose work explores the ethical dimensions of artificial intelligence from an interdisciplinary stance. We particularly welcome contributions on topics such as AI literacy and competence, organizational governance of AI, algorithmic accountability, transparency, and the societal impact of automation and data-driven systems from an ethical perspective. Submissions addressing other ethical questions related to AI – beyond these focus areas – are also warmly encouraged.
Participants will have the opportunity to present their research, receive constructive feedback, and engage in dialogue with a small group of peers from diverse academic backgrounds and a post-doctoral mentor. The Winter School aims to foster a reflective and collaborative environment for advancing ethical inquiry.
Closing the Winter School, the Smart Regulation Symposium 2025 will take place on November 7th, 2025. All participants of the Winter School are invited to join the symposium, where experts from academia and business will present and discuss on the future of regulation in times of technological, environmental and social change.
Target group: PhD students from (applied) ethics, theology, philosophy or related interdisciplinary fields.
Application and participation:
We invite you to submit an abstract of your research, with a maximum length of 500 words, by August 8th, 2025. Your abstract may address a (planned) paper, a relevant chapter of your thesis, or provide a general overview thereof.
Applications must be send to: Spöck, Christoph (christoph.spoeck@uni-graz.at)
Academic language: English
AI and (Auto)Machine Learning
Artificial intelligence and (auto)machine learning raise key questions for the philosophy of technology, epistemology and philosophical anthropology. What does it mean when machines ‘learn’, “decide” or ‘interact’? Strictly speaking, can they do this at all? How does our concept of cognition change in the interplay of thought and algorithmic processes? And what happens to our self-image when humans increasingly reflect on their interaction with AI?
This panel of the PhD School invites submissions that address these and similar questions. We particularly welcome papers that introduce (post-)phenomenological perspectives, re-examine classical philosophical concepts in the light of current technologies or analyse forms of the human-machine relationship.
The school offers space to present your own ideas in a small setting (approx. 5 students per panel and 30 minutes presentation per person) and to discuss them in your own expert group. Dr Christoph Durt (Technical University of Munich) will be present as mentor for this panel.
Target group: PhD students of philosophy, preferably from (but not limited to) the disciplines of philosophy of technology, epistemology and anthropology.
Application and participation: We invite you to submit a summary of your research work (max. 500 words) by 8. August 2025 via E-Mail to clemens.lauermann(at)uni-graz.at
Academic language: English/German
Designing and Evaluating AI Artifacts in Business Analytics
As low code / no code (LCNC) platforms democratize AI development, the role of domain experts in shaping and evaluating AI artifacts becomes increasingly central. This Doctoral Winter School explores the intersection of Design Science Research (DSR), Business Analytics, and AI artifact design, with a focus on integrating theoretical rigor and practical relevance.
We welcome applications from PhD candidates whose research contributes to the development, evaluation, or theoretical grounding of AI-based artifacts in Business Analytics contexts. Contributions may relate to - but are not limited to - LCNC AI platforms, Human-AI interaction, Model quality assessment, Explainable AI, and domain-driven AI development.
Key Topics:
- Design and evaluation of AI artifacts through DSR
- AI model quality and trust in LCNC platforms
- Human-AI interaction and domain expert integration
- Explainable AI and visual analytics in business contexts
- Methodological rigor and relevance in AI research
What to Expect:
Intradisciplinary feedback sessions: Present your current work and receive tailored feedback from expert supervisors and peers.
Focused mentoring: Benefit from in-depth discussions with Prof. Dr. Isabella Seeber (Grenoble Ecole de Management, Technology & Strategy), with extensive expertise in DSR and AI research.
Target Groups:
PhD students in Information Systems, Business Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, or related fields. We aim to bring together 5 participants with an interest in bridging theory and practice.
Application:
Please submit an abstract (max. 500 words) outlining your research (completed or in-progress), including the relevance to AI artifact design or evaluation in business settings. Abstracts should be submitted by August 8, 2025 to benjamin.gigerl(at)uni-graz.at. Your abstract may describe a full study, a design artifact, or a theoretical / methodological contribution.
Academic language: English.
We look forward to receiving your compelling applications and to welcoming you to an inspiring and collaborative Winter School & Symposium in Graz!