Postdoc - Generative AI content moderation

Help shape the future of AI governance in Europe. Join an ambitious research project on how platforms and providers moderate generative AI online content and how EU law can better protect fundamental rights in the digital age.

Researching GenAI Content Moderation and Fundamental Rights

This is a part-time, research-based Postdoctoral position of 30.4 hours per week (4 days per week) for a period of 36 months. Although the position is primarily research-focused, there will be opportunities to contribute to educational activities.

You will carry out your research at the Institute for Information Law (IViR), Amsterdam Law School, University of Amsterdam. The position forms part of the NWO-funded Vidi project Generative AI Content Moderation: Regulation for Fundamental Rights (Grant ID: https://doi.org/10.61686/HTKXT49425), under the supervision of the project’s Principal Investigator (PI), Dr João Pedro Quintais. The project explores how EU law addresses the moderation of problematic generative AI (GenAI) content, with a focus on protecting freedom of expression. As GenAI tools raise risks such as disinformation and censorship, existing EU laws remain fragmented and unclear. The project combines legal analysis, empirical research, and normative theory to examine current regulation, provider practices, and their normative implications. The empirical component combines qualitative and quantitative methods to study how providers of GenAI tools and hybrid VLOPSEs embedding those tools govern illegal and prohibited content in practice.

You will become part of a dynamic and international research environment at the intersection of platform governance, AI regulation, empirical legal studies, and digital rights.

In this role, you will contribute primarily to the empirical work package on provider regulation and “house rules,” focusing on terms of service, systemic risk and transparency reporting, moderation practices, and governance processes. You will work closely with the PI, an interdisciplinary team of researchers at IViR, and international partners including academics, civil society organisations, and digital policy experts.

We are looking for a researcher with experience in EU digital regulation, platform governance, AI governance, or content moderation research.  You enjoy combining legal and policy analysis with empirical methods and are comfortable working across disciplinary boundaries. Experience with qualitative analysis, transparency research, or socio-technical approaches to platform governance will be particularly valuable. The position offers strong opportunities for academic development, interdisciplinary collaboration, international networking, publishing, and public engagement in a rapidly evolving field.

What you will do

• Conduct empirical research on generative AI content moderation, platform and provider rules, systemic risk and transparency practices.


• Analyse terms of service, moderation policies, transparency reports, and related datasets using qualitative and quantitative methods.


• Contribute to academic publications, policy outputs, workshops, and conference presentations.


• Collaborate with interdisciplinary research partners, civil society organizations, and international experts.


• Help develop open-access research tools, datasets, and methodological resources for the study of GenAI governance.


• Where appropriate contribute to new grant applications;


• Collaborate with the research team and other IViR researchers and participate in other IViR activities, including those related to the Digital Services Act Observatory and the Algosoc project.

What we expect from you

• A PhD in Law, Communication Sciences, Technology, Policy and Management, or a closely related field, relevant for this research project; demonstrable knowledge of EU digital regulation, platform governance, AI governance, content moderation, or fundamental rights online;


• Proven knowledge of the EU regulatory framework applicable to digital technologies, online platforms, AI systems, and data governance (with and emphasis on the Digital Services Act and the AI Act);


• Excellent research skills demonstrated through publications in relevant journals, conferences, or edited volumes, or a demonstrable capacity to develop such a publication record;


• Demonstrable interest in questions of content moderation, transparency, accountability, +systemic risks, and freedom of expression in digital environments, as evidenced through research, teaching, policy work, or public engagement;


• Experience with interdisciplinary research methods, including doctrinal legal analysis and qualitative and/or empirical research approaches, is a plus;


• Experience organising workshops, conferences, lecture series, or other activities that facilitate academic exchange and knowledge dissemination;


• A collegial attitude and the capacity to work both independently and collaboratively in interdisciplinary research teams;


• Excellent written and spoken command of English, demonstrated through academic writing, teaching, or presentations; written and spoken command of other languages, including Dutch, is a plus.

If the vacancy appeals to you, but you are doubting whether you might be THE person we are looking for, please do apply? We encourage all qualified applicants, including minorities, women, people with disabilities, and members of other groups underrepresented in academia. We wish to create a research group that consists of persons who each contribute in their unique way to the team. Complementarity and not homogeneity is what we are looking for.  

What we offer you

The Postdoctoral Researcher will be appointed at the University of Amsterdam, preferably starting on 1 September or 1 October 2026.

The employment contract will be for 1 year, with an extension of 2 years (in total 36 months), for 30,4 hours a week, with a probationary period of two months.

The salary, depending on relevant experience before the beginning of the employment contract, will be € 3.546 to € 5.538 (scale 10) gross per month, based on a fulltime contract (38 hours a week). This is exclusive 8% holiday and 8.3% end-of-year bonus. The starting salary will be based on qualifications, expertise and relevant experience. A favourable tax agreement, the ‘30% ruling’, may apply to non-Dutch applicants. The Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities is applicable, CAO | Universiteiten van Nederland. The UvA offers excellent possibilities for further professional development and education.

Your workplace

Your Postdoc position is hosted at the Institute for Information Law (IViR), Amsterdam Law School, University of Amsterdam. With more than 50 researchers from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds, the IViR is the largest research facility in the field of information law in Europe, and one of the largest of its kind in the world. The Institute’s mission is to further the development of information law into a balanced framework that accommodates the needs and interests of the information society. The IViR also hosts the DSA Observatory, which will work as a collaborative hub for this postdoc position.

If you feel the profile fits you, and you are interested in this postdoc position, we look forward to receiving your application. You can apply online via the link below. We will accept applications until Monday, 15 June 2026.

Applications should include the following information (submitted in one pdf):

• A letter of motivation (max one page, font size 12) explaining why you are a good candidate for carrying out this research project;


• A full academic CV, including a list of publications;


• The names and contact details of two references who may be approached by the selection committee.

Only complete applications received within the response period via the link below will be considered. 

The first round of application interviews will take place online during the second half of June 2026.

For questions about the position, please contact:

• Joao Pedro Quintais, Associate Professor


• E: [email protected]