PhD Candidate - Cognitive Phenomena in Generative AI - Bridging Psychology and AI (m/f/d) -

We are CARIAD, the automotive software company of the Volkswagen Group. Our teams build automotive software platforms and digital customer functions for iconic brands like Audi, Volkswagen, and Porsche - supporting the Volkswagen Group in becoming the leading automotive technology company. With CARIDIANS in Germany, the USA, China, Estonia, and India, we are transforming automotive mobility for everyone.

Join us and be part of this exciting journey!

YOUR TEAM
The aim of our PhD Program is to promote innovative topics that are relevant to CARIAD. We cooperate with top universities and bring new research projects to life. Our PhD candidates get the opportunity to create new innovations in their projects for CARIAD and the respective scientific field. All PhD projects are accompanied by a supervising professor and a dedicated CARIAD mentor. Our PhD candidates further benefit from development programs and a strong academic exchange within the internal PhD network.

We offer you an exciting opportunity for a PhD dissertation in our pre-development team in the field of AI and UX/Psychology. For the following topic you get the responsibility: "Cognitive Phenomena in Generative AI - Bridging Psychology and Artificial Intelligence". The dissertation aims to systematically understand and explain human‑like cognitive phenomena emerging in AI language models (LLMs, VLMs, SLMs), identify their underlying mechanisms, and develop concepts to mitigate problematic behaviors, thereby enabling safer, more reliable, and trustworthy AI applications in the automotive context and beyond. We are a pre‑development team working on voice assistant and other infotainment features, combining hands‑on development with early concept validation. With mixed competencies across UX/UI, AI, data, and rapid prototyping, we explore and implement state‑of‑the‑art technologies to shape future in‑car user experiences.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

• Investigate and categorize human‑like cognitive phenomena in language and multimodal AI models
• Analyze underlying mechanisms from both computational and cognitive perspectives
• Design and run experiments to evaluate model behavior, bias, and reliability
• Develop concepts and prototypes to mitigate problematic behaviors in real applications
• Contribute to safer, more trustworthy AI for voice assistants and infotainment systems

WHO YOU ARE

• Finished master's degree, e. g. in Computer Science, AI/ML or Psychology
• Strong background in psychology or cognitive science (e.g., cognitive processes, experimental design, behavioral analysis)
• Solid knowledge in AI/ML, including experience with deep learning frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow) and language models
• Advanced knowledge and hands‑on experience with Generative AI, large language models (LLMs), small language models (SLMs) and vision‑language models (VLMs)
• Programming skills (Python preferred) and familiarity with data analysis
• Interest in interdisciplinary research bridging human cognition and AI systems
• Investigation and categorization of human-like cognitive phenomena in language and multimodal AI models
• Analysis of underlying mechanisms from both computational and cognitive science perspectives
• Design and execution of experiments to evaluate model behavior, bias, and reliability
• Development of concepts and prototypes to mitigate problematic behaviors in real-world applications
• Contribution to the development of safer, more trustworthy AI for voice assistants and infotainment systems

NICE TO KNOW

• Duration: 3 years
• Working with high-ranked University
• Possibility to supervise students
• Remote work options
• Temporary work from abroad in selected countries
• 30 days paid leave
• Special Events e.g. PhD-Day (Doktorandentag), Trainings
• Note: Please attach a transcript of records including a module overview to your application via the system after you have submitted your application. Otherwise the application cannot be processed.
• Important: The PhD admission requirements are set by the university and candidates have to fulfill these requirements before starting their projects. Candidates need a confirmation by the supervisor professor before onboarding (not necessary for application).If you have further questions about the candidate journey at CARIAD, please contact us: careers@cariad.technology

At CARIAD, we embrace individuality and diversity because we believe our differences make us stronger. We actively seek to build teams with a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences. Our goal is to create an environment where everyone feels valued and empowered to contribute. If you need assistance with your application due to a disability, please reach out to us at careers@cariad.technology - we are happy to support you.