The Department of Political Science and the Center for War Studies at SDU are seeking a motivated student assistant to support the project “The Distributed Agency of Humans and Machines in Military Applications of AI” (HuMach) and the organization of the conference “Innovation vs. Regulation? The Innovation vs. Regulation? The Future of Europe’s Approach to AI Governance”. 

About the HuMach project

The 4-year long HuMach project (08/2024-07/2028) is funded by the Independent Research Fund Denmark and led by Professor Ingvild Bode. HuMach examines the extent to which increasing instances of human-machine interaction may change the exercise of human agency in warfare in theoretical, empirical, and practical terms. To do this, HuMach works with collaborators at Georgetown University, Northeastern University, the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, and the Royal Danish Defence College. For more information, please see: www.humach.eu

About the conference “Innovation vs. Regulation?”

The conference “Innovation vs. Regulation? The Future of Europe’s Approach to AI Governance” will be held on 8-9 December 2026 at SDU. It will bring together scholars at various career stages and representing different disciplines to conceptualize the ‘innovation vs. regulation’ debate in Europe’s approach to AI governance and assess its multifaceted implications. This conference is funded by the Carlsberg Foundation (grant CF25-2210) and organized by the Center for War Studies and the Department of Political Science, SDU.

Key responsibilities

• Help with coding and analysing qualitative data (in both Danish and English) using NVivo 

• Contribute to the organization of events and activities within the HuMach project as well as the project’s public dissemination agenda

• Manage the HuMach project’s social media accounts and website

• Participate in regular meetings of the HuMach project

• Assist with conference logistics, including venue setup and catering coordination

• Manage and maintain participant databases 

• Handle correspondence with speakers, attendees, and service providers

• Prepare and distribute conference materials (programs, badges, name tags)

• Coordinate travel and accommodation arrangements for invited speakers

Qualifications

We are seeking for a student assistant who: 

• Is well-organized and proactive

• Can work independently and as part of a team

• Is fluent in both Danish and English

• Possesses basic Microsoft Office skills

• Possesses basic NVivo skills 

• Has experience with organizing large-scale events, preferably academic conferences

• Can work irregular hours during the conference period

What we offer

• The opportunity to gain knowledge about the topic of global AI governance, including in the military domain

• Networking opportunities with academics and professsionals

• Practical experience with organizing an international conference

• Flexible working hours that match your study schedule 

For more information, please contact Professor Ingvild Bode bode@sam.sdu.dk or Postdoc Anna Nadibaidze anadi@sam.sdu.dk. 

Application and employment

Employment will take place in accordance with the framework agreement between the Ministry of Finance and SUL (National Union for Student Teachers in Government Service).

Please note, the selected candidate must be enrolled as a student at SDU.

The employment period is one year with an average of 5,5 working hours a week, with the possibility of extension, starting on 1 September 2026 or as agreed. 

Application deadline: 5 August 2026, at 11:59 PM/ 23:59 (CET/CEST) 

The application must include a cover letter, a CV and a transcript of grades. 

All documents in connection with the application should not contain CPR number (civil registration number) – in that case, the CPR number must be crossed out.

All attached files must be in Adobe PDF format. Cover letter and CV can contain max. 5 Mb.

We recommend that you read how to apply before you apply. 
 

The University wishes our staff to reflect the diversity of society and thus welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background.

About SDU

The University of Southern Denmark was established to create value for and with society. Whether our contributions come in the form of excellent research, innovative solutions, education or learning, we must make a positive difference to society and contribute to a sustainable future. We do this by cultivating talents and creating the best environments for research and learning. It is therefore crucial that SDU retains, develops and recruits talent. At the same time, we need to ensure consistently high quality in all our activities – and we can only do that with the right people. The University’s researchers, lecturers, students, managers and technical/administrative staff are the foundation of our success.