PhD Student in Law

The doctoral researcher will focus on the role of AI in judicial decision-making, with an emphasis on legal reasoning, behavioral responses, and institutional implications. Core responsibilities include: Studying judicial decision-making and legal reasoning in the presence of AI tools, contributing to the development of experimental designs and evaluation frameworks for AI-assisted decision-making, collaborating with the technical team to study the interaction between AI systems and legal users, publishing research findings in leading journals and presenting at international conferences, and the position is designed for a cumulative PhD at the intersection of law, computer science, and empirical social science.

As part of the SNSF-funded project “Responsible AI for the Swiss Judiciary”, we work on real-world applications of artificial intelligence for the Swiss judiciary in close collaboration with courts and partners across Switzerland. This doctoral position is part of the SNSF-funded project “Responsible AI for the Swiss Judiciary” at ETH Zurich. The project provides a unique opportunity to study judicial decision-making in a real-world institutional setting, combining legal analysis with experimental and empirical methods. ETH Zurich is one of the world’s leading universities specialising in science and technology. We are renowned for our excellent education, cutting-edge fundamental research and direct transfer of new knowledge into society. Over 30,000 people from more than 120 countries find our university to be a place that promotes independent thinking and an environment that inspires excellence.

• Hold an excellent bachelor’s and master’s degree in law from a Swiss university

• Have a strong interest in judicial decision-making and legal reasoning

• Are interested in interdisciplinary research at the intersection of law, AI, and social science

• Are motivated to work with quantitative empirical methods and are willing to acquire skills in experimental and quantitative research

• Have an excellent command of English; German and/or French language skills are a plus