MSCA Doctoral Position in Human–AI Coexistence and the Transformation of Professional Work

About EMANAIRE

EMANAIRE is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Doctoral Network bringing together 15 doctoral candidates at nine European universities to study how AI is changing work. Its projects examine what happens when generative and agentic AI enters leadership, everyday workflows, team communication, professional learning and career decisions.

Across the network, human agency means the practical ability to understand AI-supported decisions, exercise judgement, question outputs and shape how work is organised. Each researcher joins an international cohort, receives supervision across institutions, and takes part in three residential schools, methods workshops, monthly research seminars and collaborative work with organisations beyond academia.

The doctoral project

In consultancies, banks and other high-trust workplaces, AI is changing who does what and who remains accountable. These developments can redraw professional roles before job descriptions and governance arrangements have caught up, potentially creating uncertainty, confusion and alienation among employees.

The doctoral project will investigate how employees in professional services navigate shifting job boundaries and responsibilities as the use of AI systems expands. You will examine how these changes affect task allocation, professional identity, trust and everyday coordination. You will also identify the workflow, interface and governance conditions associated with different patterns of human–AI co-existence, relationality and interaction.

The project will use a longitudinal qualitative research design, likely drawing on observation, interviews and organisational materials, subject to access. The final field sites and combination of methods will be agreed with the doctoral candidate, the host organisation and the supervision team.

The project aims to develop an empirically grounded account of how human and AI roles are reconfigured over time in professional service firms. It will contribute to understanding the changing nature of professional work and provide practical insights for managers and policymakers concerned with role design, professional development, strategy and the future organisation of professional services.

Supervision, training and mobility

The doctoral researcher will be supervised by Katja Einola and Andreas Werr at the Stockholm School of Economics.

The six-month intersectoral secondment will take place with a partner organisation in the professional services sector. The doctoral researcher will also undertake a separate academic mobility visit at the co-supervisor’s institution or another academic institution participating in the doctoral network. The location and timing will be determined later.

Your responsibilities

The doctoral researcher will:

• Examine how the deployment and use of AI change job boundaries and responsibilities in professional services workplaces.
• Investigate how employees experience and negotiate role changes as AI systems evolve.
• Identify the workflow, interface and governance conditions behind different patterns of human–AI co-existence.
• Develop an empirically grounded model, process maps of task redistribution and practical guidance for workplace transitions.
• Refine the research questions and research design with the supervision team.
• Prepare ethics, data-management and open-science materials.
• Comple a doctoral thesis and related research outputs in accordance with the host doctoral programme and the EMANAIRE research plan.
• Participate in local and network-wide training, cohort activities, reviews, dissemination and practitioner engagement.
• Complete a six-month intersectoral secondment with a partner organisation.
• Undertake a separate international academic mobility visit at another institution in the doctoral network.
• Contribute to research integrity, equality, responsible AI, open science and FAIR data practices.

The doctoral researcher will complete 90 ECTS credits of structured doctoral training, including at least 10 ECTS credits through network-wide provision. EMANAIRE combines local doctoral courses with three residential schools, monthly paper-development seminars, work-package workshops and network reviews.

A Personal Career Development Plan will be agreed upon within the first three months and reviewed every six months.

Your profile

We are looking for an intellectually curious and highly motivated candidate with a strong interest in how technology is transforming professional work and organisations. You are capable of conducting independent research while contributing actively to an international and collaborative research environment.

You are interested in management theory, theory development and practical organisational phenomena. You can plan ahead, adapt as a research project develops and carry intellectually demanding work through to completion. As the position includes international training, a secondment and an academic mobility visit, you must also be willing to travel and engage with academic and non-academic partners.

Qualifications

• A relevant master’s degree or equivalent, completed before the position’s starting date.

• A strong academic record and high grade point average.

• Demonstrated potential to undertake independent doctoral research.

• An interest in professional roles and work, trust, technology adoption or organisational change.

• Experience or training in qualitative research.

• Excellent written and spoken English.

• The ability to balance independent and collaborative work.

• The ability to complete the doctoral project within the 48-month appointment.

• Willingness to travel and work with international partners and colleagues.

Meritorious

• Experience with longitudinal case research, interviews or observation.

• Previous experience as a research assistant.

• Relevant research, policy or industry experience.

• Knowledge of professional service firms or other high-trust workplaces.

• An interest in translating theoretical and empirical evidence into practical guidance on role design, training, strategy and communication.

MSCA eligibility requirements:

Applicants may be of any nationality. To qualify for MSCA funding, the selected candidate must meet the following conditions on the first day of MSCA employment:

• The candidate must not hold a doctoral degree. Candidates who have successfully defended a doctoral thesis but have not yet formally received the degree are not eligible.
• The candidate must comply with the MSCA mobility rule. They must not have resided or carried out their main activity, such as work or studies, in Sweden for more than 12 months during the 36 months immediately preceding the employment date. Compulsory national service, short stays such as holidays, and time spent obtaining refugee status under the Geneva Convention are excluded.
• The candidate must be enrolled in, or meet the conditions for timely enrolment in, the PhD Program in Business Administration at the Stockholm School of Economics.

The appointment is conditional upon documentary verification of these requirements and fulfilment of the Stockholm School of Economics’ doctoral admission requirements.

We offer you

This doctoral position offers the opportunity to conduct ambitious research at one of Europe’s leading business schools while participating in an international and interdisciplinary doctoral network.

You will join EMANAIRE, a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Network bringing together 15 doctoral candidates at nine European universities to investigate how AI is changing work. The network’s projects examine what happens when generative and agentic AI enter leadership, everyday workflows, team communication, professional learning and career decisions.

Across EMANAIRE, human agency refers to the practical ability to understand AI-supported decisions, exercise judgement, question outputs and shape how work is organised. As part of the network, you will receive supervision across institutions and participate in three residential schools, methods workshops, monthly research seminars and collaborative activities with organisations beyond academia.

The position includes:

• A full-time doctoral appointment for 48 months.
• A 36-month MSCA-funded period and an additional year funded by the Department of Management and Organization.
• Admission to the PhD Program in Business Administration at the Stockholm School of Economics.
• Advanced doctoral training through the Stockholm School of Economics and the EMANAIRE network.
• Close supervision in an international and multidisciplinary research environment.
• Opportunities to collaborate with academic and non-academic partners across Europe.
• A six-month intersectoral secondment with a partner organisation in the professional services sector.
• A separate international academic mobility visit at another institution in the doctoral network.
• Structured support for your academic and professional development.

How to apply

Your EMANAIRE application must include:

• A curriculum vitae.
• Degree certificates and academic transcripts, or evidence that the qualifying degree will be completed before the position’s starting date.
• Contact details for at least two academic or professional references.
• A proposal of approximately 2,000 words demonstrating independent engagement with the doctoral project and outlining the proposed research focus, methods and relevant literature.
• A declaration concerning your doctoral status and compliance with the MSCA mobility rule.

Applications are open from 1 December 2026 until 15 January 2027 at 23:59 CET.

Apply through the PhD Program in Business Administration application page. Select the PhD Program in Business Administration and indicate Management and Organization as your preferred specialisation. Then follow the instructions in the application portal.

The application page also sets out the general admission requirements applying to all doctoral candidates at the Stockholm School of Economics.

This is a full-time, temporary doctoral position based in Stockholm, Sweden. The appointment runs for 48 months and is expected to begin in June 2027, in agreement with the successful candidate.

For questions about the doctoral project, contact:

• Katja Einola: katja.einola@hhs.se
• Andreas Werr: andreas.werr@hhs.se

For questions about the Stockholm School of Economics’ doctoral programmes or the admissions process, contact phd.admissions@hhs.se.

About the Stockholm School of Economics

The Stockholm School of Economics is ranked as the leading business school in the Nordic and Baltic countries and enjoys a strong international reputation. World-class research forms the foundation of our educational offering, which includes bachelor’s, master’s, PhD, MBA and executive education programmes.

Through creativity and collaboration, the Stockholm School of Economics provides an environment where ambitious students and accomplished researchers meet to address contemporary challenges in business and economics, particularly those concerning sustainability, diversity and innovation.

The Stockholm School of Economics is committed to a balanced gender distribution and values a variety of backgrounds and experiences among its employees. We welcome applicants regardless of gender, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, disability, sexual orientation, age, religion or other beliefs. We strive to maintain a fair and inclusive recruitment process.

For more information, visit the Stockholm School of Economics and the Department of Management and Organization websites.