80% PhD Candidate at the Faculty of Economics and Management (GSEM)

80% PhD Candidate at the Faculty of Economics and Management (GSEM)

Job Description

The Faculty of Economics and Management – GSEM of the University of Geneva is seeking an 80% PhD candidate for its Institute of Management (IoM). The Institute of Management includes more than 30 renowned researchers conducting cutting-edge research in key management areas. The results of our research are regularly published in top academic journals.

This position is part of Professor Anouk Bergner’s four-year SNSF-funded research project entitled “Empathic AI Companions: From Linguistic Features to Psychological Mechanisms and Behavioral Outcomes”. The project analyses how the design of conversational AI agents and specific features of AI dialogue influence consumer behaviour and firm performance, as these agents become full participants in commercial exchanges.

The successful candidate must enrol in the GSEM PhD programme in management and write a doctoral thesis in the field of marketing under the supervision of Professor Anouk Bergner. The thesis will examine the behavioural and psychological mechanisms through which AI agent design influences consumer decisions and commercial outcomes, using controlled quantitative experiments and the analysis of large-scale data from consumer–AI interactions. The doctoral thesis will consist of 3 or 4 scientific articles.

Alongside their research activities, the person will be employed as a substitute doctoral teaching assistant to support the professor’s teaching activities and supervise bachelor’s and master’s level courses, such as Digital Marketing and Minds & Machines, a course on human decision-making in the AI era. Tasks include leading tutorials, preparing course materials, marking exams, and supervising master’s dissertations.

The successful candidate will be employed on a 1-year renewable contract with a maximum duration of 4 years. The first 3 months constitute a probationary period during which either party may terminate the contract with one month’s notice.

Title and Required Skills

• Master’s degree in marketing, management, psychology, computer science, human-computer interaction, or a related field;
• Strong analytical and methodological skills, including applied statistics, experimental design and/or machine learning;
• Experience in designing and analysing quantitative experiments (in lab, field or online);
• Familiarity with causal inference methods, including mediation, moderation and within-subject designs, is a significant asset;
• Proficiency in R or Python is required for statistical modelling, experimental analysis or processing large-scale behavioural data;
• Knowledge of natural language processing (NLP) for analysing unstructured text data (e.g., consumer reviews, conversation transcripts) is a significant asset;
• Demonstrated interest in consumer behaviour, decision-making, or the application of AI agents in commercial contexts;
• Fluency in English (spoken and written). Knowledge of French is an asset;
• Motivation, self-discipline and initiative to successfully complete a doctoral thesis;
• Good communication skills and ability to collaborate within interdisciplinary research teams.

Starting Date

1st September 2026 or date to be agreed.

Contact

For more details about the position, you may email Professor Bergner: anouk.bergner@unige.ch

Additional Information

Applications must be submitted exclusively via the link below (see Apply now). The deadline for applications is 30 June 2026, midnight, Geneva time. Applications should include:

• A motivation letter in English describing main professional experiences, skills and qualifications, and reasons for pursuing a PhD thesis in Marketing at GSEM;
• A CV;
• A proposal for a potential thesis topic (maximum 1000 words excluding references);
• Grade transcripts for Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees (interim transcripts accepted);
• A copy of the Master’s thesis or other research work (e.g., Bachelor thesis, seminar paper);
• A recommendation letter in English specifying the candidate’s strengths for this position.

Job description

The Geneva School of Economics and Management (GSEM) is opening an 80% PhD candidate position at the Institute of Management (IoM). Home to more than 30 renowned scholars, the IoM conducts cutting-edge research in core areas of management, regularly featured in leading academic journals.

The PhD position is part of a four-year research project funded by the SNSF, “Empathic AI Companions: From Linguistic Features to Psychological Mechanisms and Behavioral Outcomes”, led by Professor Anouk Bergner. The research project examines how the design of conversational AI agents and specific features of AI dialogue shape consumer behaviour and firm-level outcomes as AI agents become active participants in commercial exchange.

The selected candidate is expected to enrol in GSEM’s PhD in Management programme and pursue a doctoral thesis in Marketing under the supervision of Professor Anouk Bergner. The thesis will investigate the behavioural and psychological mechanisms through which AI agent design influences consumer decisions and commercial outcomes, using controlled quantitative experiments and the analysis of large-scale consumer–AI interaction data. The PhD thesis will consist of three to four research articles.

In addition to working on their research, the candidate will be hired as a teaching assistant for a variety of courses at both the Bachelor’s and Master’s levels, such as Digital Marketing and Minds & Machines, a course that explores human decision-making in the age of AI. Responsibilities will include conducting tutorials, preparing course and exam materials, grading assessments, and supervising master’s theses.

The chosen candidate will be hired on a 1-year renewable contract. The assistant position has a maximum duration of 4 years. An initial probationary period of 3 months applies, during which either party may terminate the contract with a one-month notice.

Job qualifications & requirements

• Master’s degree in marketing, management, psychology, computer science, human-computer interaction, or a related field
• Strong analytical and methodological skills, including applied statistics, experimental design, and/or machine learning
• Experience in designing and analysing quantitative experiments (lab, field, or online)
• Familiarity with causal inference methods, including mediation, moderation, and within-person designs, is a strong asset
• Proficiency in R or Python is required for statistical modelling, experimental analysis, or working with large-scale behavioural data
• Familiarity with natural language processing (NLP) techniques for working with unstructured text data (e.g., consumer reviews, conversational transcripts) is a strong asset
• Demonstrated interest in consumer behaviour, decision-making, or the application of AI agents in commercial contexts is a plus
• Fluency in English (both spoken and written) is required. Knowledge of French is a plus
• High motivation, self-discipline, and proactiveness to complete a doctoral thesis
• Strong communication skills and the ability to work collaboratively in a research environment

Starting Date

September 1st, 2026, or date to be agreed upon.

Applications

Applications with the following documents must be submitted exclusively online by clicking ‘Postuler / Apply now’ before June 30th, 2026, midnight, Geneva time:

• A motivation letter describing main work experiences, skills and qualifications, and explaining the candidate’s motivation to start a PhD thesis in Marketing at GSEM
• A curriculum vitae
• A proposal of a potential PhD thesis topic (maximum 1000 words, excluding references)
• Grade reports of bachelor’s and master’s degrees (or intermediate reports)
• A PDF copy of your Master thesis or other research-oriented work (e.g., Bachelor thesis, seminar papers)
• One recommendation letter explaining why the candidate is qualified for the position

For further inquiries about the position, please contact Professor Anouk Bergner at anouk.bergner@unige.ch

The University of Geneva offers motivating employment conditions in a stimulating work environment. By joining us, you will have the opportunity to showcase your skills and personality and actively contribute to the reputation of an institution founded in 1559.

In the interest of gender equality, the University encourages applications from underrepresented genders.