Sijia Xiao
This is for people exploring academic jobs in Europe, especially in HCI, Responsible AI, Social Computing, and related areas in Computer Science. I put together these notes based on personal job-search experiences, conversations, and public resources. They are not meant to be comprehensive, but I hope they can be a helpful starting point. Please feel free to reach out if you notice anything inaccurate, outdated, or incomplete, or if you have other resources to suggest.
Many relevant opportunities may be listed under HCI, human-centered AI, responsible AI, trustworthy AI, interaction design, media informatics, social computing, computational social science, digital society, or usable privacy/security.
Germany has many HCI, human-centered AI, trustworthy AI, media informatics, and usable privacy/security groups. HCI positions may also appear under adjacent labels.
Possible schools / institutes to watch: Max Planck Institutes, CISPA, Saarland University, TU Darmstadt, LMU Munich, TU Munich, RWTH Aachen, TU Berlin, University of Stuttgart, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, University of Hamburg, University of Bremen, University of Bielefeld, University of Duisburg-Essen.
The Netherlands has HCI-related opportunities across Computer Science, Industrial Design, Engineering, Data Science, and AI.
Possible schools to watch: TU Delft, Eindhoven University of Technology / TU/e, University of Amsterdam, Utrecht University, University of Twente, Tilburg University, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, University of Groningen.
Switzerland has strong CS/AI research environments and good funding opportunities.
Possible schools to watch: ETH Zurich, EPFL, University of Zurich.
Nordic countries are worth watching for HCI, participatory design, digital society, responsible AI, and social computing.
Sweden: KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm University, Linkoping University, Lund University, Uppsala University, Chalmers University of Technology, University of Gothenburg, Umea University.
Denmark: Aalborg University, Aarhus University, University of Copenhagen, IT University of Copenhagen, Technical University of Denmark.
Finland: Aalto University, University of Helsinki, Tampere University, University of Oulu.
Norway: University of Oslo, University of Bergen, NTNU.
Austria is also worth watching, especially for CS, HCI, AI, and digital society opportunities.
Possible schools to watch: University of Vienna, TU Wien, ISTA, Graz University of Technology.
Belgium has several relevant universities. Some positions may have local-language expectations over time, depending on teaching and appointment requirements.
Possible schools to watch: KU Leuven, Ghent University, Hasselt University.
The UK has many relevant institutions for HCI, responsible AI, AI governance, and digital society work.
Possible schools / institutes to watch: Oxford Internet Institute, Alan Turing Institute, Ada Lovelace Institute, UK AI Safety Institute, UCL.
Eligibility rules and deadlines change, so it is worth checking the official call pages.
European academic jobs are posted year-round. There is usually less of a single fixed hiring season than in the U.S., so it helps to monitor job boards regularly and apply when a relevant position appears.
Job titles vary across Europe. The same title, such as "assistant professor," may mean different things depending on the country and university. When evaluating a position, pay attention to permanence or tenure-track status, PI independence, PhD supervision rights, teaching load, student/postdoc funding, startup support, and promotion criteria.
Some systems regularly hire international candidates, while others may place more weight on local language, national procedures, or existing networks. Some positions may also expect local-language teaching or administration over time, especially for undergraduate teaching or permanent appointment.
Startup packages in Europe are not always directly comparable to U.S. packages. Some may look smaller, but PhD student lines, equipment, travel, or project funding may be allocated separately. It is useful to ask what is included, what is centrally supported, and what needs to be covered through external grants.
Some committees may be less familiar with HCI conference publication norms, while others already recognize venues like CHI, CSCW, UIST, DIS, FAccT, IUI, and TOCHI. For HCI, Responsible AI, and Social Computing candidates, it can help to explain the role, selectivity, and field status of top venues in application materials.
Relevant jobs may appear under terms such as human-centered AI, responsible AI, trustworthy AI, computational social science, digital society, AI governance, AI safety, usable privacy and security, human-centered security, media informatics, interaction design, and social computing.
Networking can help you learn about fit, expectations, and upcoming openings, especially when job titles or departmental structures are hard to interpret from the posting alone.
Application materials are often similar to U.S. academic applications. Common materials may include a cover letter, CV, research statement, teaching statement, publication list, diversity or service statement, recommendation letters or referee contacts, and degree documents.
Initial interviews are often remote. Later stages may include a job talk, teaching demo, department meetings, or a campus visit.
Useful questions include: What does this job title mean in this system? Is the position permanent, tenure-track, or fixed-term? What are the promotion or tenure criteria? What is the expected teaching load? Are courses taught in English, the local language, or both? Are PhD students or postdocs included in the package? Can assistant professors formally supervise PhD students? What startup funds or research support are available? Is there lab space or shared research infrastructure? How are CHI, CSCW, UIST, DIS, FAccT, IUI, and TOCHI evaluated in this department?
