Open vacancy for applied data scientist

The successful candidate will join the ECAT team responsible for scientific and technical contributions to the enforcement of the Digital Services Act (DSA). For this team, we are looking for a technology specialist in areas such as data science, artificial intelligence and the various types of algorithmic systems used by large online platforms, such as content recommendation systems, content moderation systems, and generative AI. 

In addition to technical expertise, the ideal candidate should have a keen awareness of systemic risks in the online space, especially those in which algorithmic systems play a role, ranging from the amplification of illegal and harmful content, to the use of generative AI in the context of disinformation campaigns. 

Concrete areas of work may include: 

• Defining and implementing practical experiments to assess societal risks posed by online platforms’ services, and the effectiveness of mitigation measures put in place; 
• Defining –and applying in real-world settings– new methodologies and tools for the analysis, inspection and auditing of complex state-of-the-art algorithms and AI systems;
• Analysing and requesting information from large online platforms and search engines about their technical systems, such as algorithms, data sets, risk assessments; 
• Directly participating in DSA supervision and enforcement activities and investigations, producing evidence that could be used in formal infringement cases. 

Candidate requirements:

• A university degree and at least 2 years of experience or a PhD (doctoral diploma) in disciplines relevant to this vacancy such as computer science, AI or engineering.
• Practical experience in data science, data engineering, or in the design, implementation and evaluation of state-of-the-art AI systems. 
• Very good (C1 level) knowledge of English.

Any of the following skills and experience would be highly desirable:

• Experience studying and assessing societal risks (and mitigations) in the context of online platforms, such as the spread of illegal content, or the spread of disinformation. 
• Experience inspecting and auditing algorithm systems, especially those used for content recommendation or content moderation, including generative AI systems.
• Excellent software engineering and development skills; ability to develop, maintain and deploy high quality data science and AI libraries, tools and applications in Python.

Read the vacancy notice and apply here

APPLICATION DEADLINE: 23/09/2024 23:59 Brussels time