Welcome to Linnaeus University! Here you'll meet 2 200 staff members and 40 000 students, all united in following the vision to set knowledge in motion for a sustainable societal development. With us, research and education are conducted with an eye towards the future. Our proximity to the business world, both locally and globally, gives us a wide reach and the ability to create change that makes an impact. All that's needed is a place where ideas have the space to meet and grow. That's what we've created – and you are invited.
Change starts here!
**Field of subject for appointment**
**:**
Sociology
**Location:**
Växjö
**Term and hours:**
The postdoctoral fellowship is a full-time position for a maximum of three years
**Starting data:**
Starting date by agreement
**Problem area**
The Development Of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) And Autonomous Systems Has Profound Implications For Professional Knowledge, Expertise, Problem-solving, And Practice. The Medical Profession (physicians) Is At The Forefront Of This Ongoing Knowledge Revolution. The Rapid Acceleration In Data-driven Life Science And Precision Medicine, Positions Physicians In The Midst Of a Profound Transformation, With Certain Specialties Already Well Advanced In The Implementation Of AI. The Medical Profession, Whose Legitimacy Is Based On Scientific Knowledge, Professional Judgment, Autonomy, Ethics, And Personal Responsibility, Is Thus Facing Major Changes. As Medical Knowledge Is Increasingly Codified, Stored, And Processed By AI, The Profession's Traditional Control Over The Knowledge Domain Is Changing, And Questions Of Accountability And Ethics In Relation To Medical Decisions Are Brought To The Fore. The Relationship Between Doctor And Patient Is Affected By New Ways Of Working, Which In Turn May Reshape The Conditions For Transparency And Trust The Doctor–patient Relationship. Against This Background, There Is a Need To Investigate How AI Reshapes Physicians’ Professional Identity, Professional Practice, And Societal Legitimacy. Key Questions To Answer Are
- How does AI affect physicians’ work processes in routine tasks as well as in complex, knowledge-intensive and cognitive processes?
- How do physicians’ discretionary space and reasoning change when clinical assessments increasingly take place in interaction with algorithmically generated knowledge?
- How is the interaction between physicians with different generalist and specialist competencies developing in relation to AI?
- Which human knowledge and skills are likely to be replaced by AI, and which new competencies will need to be developed to make use of the opportunities offered by this new technology?
- How is the doctor-patient relationship affected by intensified AI use?
**Project design**
The project is carried out in collaboration with general practitioners, i.e.
- a) physicians’ professional knowledge should be investigated, specifically, how it is created, developed, used and changed through the implementation of AI-based tools,
b) the research problem should be rooted in everyday clinical practice and related to the above or related research questions
c) The research questions should be relevant to social science and grounded in theories within the sociology of professions,
- d) the project should be carried out using methods suitable for studying AI and physicians' knowledge in clinical practice,
- e) the results should be highly relevant to practice and contribute to international research.
The project is located at the Department of Social Studies at Linnaeus University and relates to the research environment Forum for Research on Professions , a multidisciplinary research platform with a focus on the study of professions. The project is part of WASP-HS, Wallenberg AI, Autonomous Systems and Software Program – Humanity and Society , a national research program on the consequences of AI and autonomous systems for humans and society. The research is carried out under the leadership of a steering group consisting of research supervisors and practicing physicians. The steering group is supported by a reference group that partly follows the postdoc's research and partly is kept informed about and maintains a broader discussion about AI and professional knowledge in the medical profession. The reference group includes representatives appointed by the Swedish Society of Medicine and WASP-HS.
**Job Description**
The duties mainly consist of research . Teaching and supervision comprising a maximum of 20% of full-time may be included. In your employment, you are expected to actively participate in the department's environment and network both internally and externally.
Forum for Research on Professions, with an organisational location at the Department of Social Studies (ISS), is a multidisciplinary network environment that includes around 50 researchers at Linnaeus University. ISS is made up of around 30 employees within sociology, peace and development studies and gender studies, and about ten active doctoral students. The research environment in sociology includes studies of professions, working life, organisation, social relations, school and higher education, environment and civil society, migration and ethnicity. In terms of methodology, the department includes competences in ethnography and traditional qualitative methods as well as quantitative methods and computational social science. Educations are offered in sociology, peace and development studies and gender studies. Teaching is conducted at basic and advanced levels, and the department offers a doctoral degree in sociology. The department also offers courses in collaboration with other departments at the university.
**Requirements**
To be eligible for employment, a doctoral degree or an equivalent foreign degree is required. Your degree must be completed no later than the time the employment decision is made. Your degree must be completed no more than three years before the application deadline for this position. Applicants who completed their doctoral degree at an earlier date may be considered if there are special circumstances, such as periods of statutory leave. Candidates must not have held a postdoctoral position for more than one year in the same or related subject area at Linnaeus University. Proficiency in both Swedish and English, orally and in writing, is required, as data collection and collaboration are conducted within Swedish healthcare, whereas scientific dissemination and reporting are primarily carried out in English.
In addition to this, we would also like you to have
- Documented experience of independent data collection and empirical analysis.
- Ability to independently plan, implement, analyze and report research.
- Experience of scientific writing, as demonstrated by publications in peer-reviewed journals.
- Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively and to work in a structured manner with multiple stakeholders and concurrent activities.
- Emphasis will be placed on personal suitability. Desirable personal qualities are ability to collaborate effectively with others, initiative, interest in development work and the ability and interest in pursuing an academic career.
**Assessment criteria**
In the assessment of scientific merit, particular consideration will be given to the independence, scope, and quality of the applicant’s research. The postdoc should have a good ability to express themselves orally and in writing in Swedish and English and be able to work independently and solve problems. The work is carried out in collaboration, which is why great importance is attached to the ability to collaborate and be flexible. Significant weight will also be given to personal suitability
**The application**
The application can be written in Swedish or English.
The application must include;
(i) CV and list of merits;
(ii) contact details of two academic references;
(iii) a copy of the doctoral thesis (or equivalent) and any additional scientific publications, and,
(iv) a preliminary research plan of 3-5 pages.
The research plan describes the planned research within the framework of the postdoctoral position and how it relates to the problem area of Al and professional knowledge in the medical profession.
- A title (that clearly expresses what your intended work will be about)
- Abstract/Summary (short summary of the research plan, max 10 lines)
- Problem area (a brief description of the problem area, possible theoretical perspectives and empirical and theoretical motives for the study)
- Specified research questions (well-defined questions for your study).
- Method (describe the methods you intend to use to conduct the study)
- Ethical considerations (describe any ethical considerations that may be relevant)
**Please submit your application no later than January 6, 2027.**
**Contact persons**
Head of Department: Gergei Farkas ( gergei.farkas@lnu.se ), tel. 0470-708808
Research leader: Ylva Ulfsdotter Eriksson ( Ylva.Ulfsdotter.Eriksson@lnu.se ), 0470-708766
HR partner: Ulrika Petersson ( ulrika.petersson@lnu.se ), 0480–446996
**Want to know more?**
Department of Social Studies: https://www.lnu.se/medarbetare/organisation/fsv/institutioner/samhallsstudier/
Forum for Professional Research: https://www.lnu.se/forskning/forskargrupper/forum-for-professionsforskning/
WASP-HS: https://wasp-hs.org/
Linnaeus University has the ambition to utilize the qualities that an even gender distribution and diversity brings to the organization.
Please apply by clicking on the Apply button at the bottom of the ad. Your application should be designed according to the Template for application which can be found in the Guide to Appointment procedures under important documents below the ad. The credentials you invoke must be verified with certification and they must be attached digitally in your application. Other documents, including various types of scientific works, must be submitted digitally along with the application. The application and other documents to be marked with the reference number. All documents cited must be received by the University no later than 23.59 (Local time in Sweden) on the closing day.
Linnaeus University is an employer that meets the requirements of the European Charter for Researchers and follows the recruitment guidelines. Therefore, the university has received the HR Excellence in Research award.
