Two double-scholarships for PhD students (project on LLMs vs economic/human behavior)
Paweł Niszczota
Dear All,
The HAI Lab at the Poznań University of Economics and Business (Poland; https://hai.ue.poznan.pl) is currently recruiting two (prospective) PhD students, who will receive a double-scholarship (stipend) for their work on the project "Botonomics: the influence of intelligent machines on economic behavior", financed by the National Science Centre, Poland (NCN) from funding scheme SONATA BIS (equivalent to the ERC Consolidator grant), and a scholarship (stipend) from the Doctoral School of the Poznań University of Economics and Business.
Botonomics explores how large language models (e.g., GPT, Claude, Gemini) influence economic and human behavior. The project employs methods from behavioral economics and finance, such as economic games (e.g., Prisoner’s Dilemma, Ultimatum Game, Trust Game) and tasks analyzing dishonest or risk-taking behavior. Research involves both online experiments (e.g., Prolific) and laboratory experiments.
We are looking for two prospective doctoral students who will be involved in co-designing online or laboratory experiments, conducting online or laboratory experiments, analyzing statistical data, and co-writing papers. You will have the ability to disseminate findings on work carried out within the project at scientific conferences or workshops.
Key requirements and dates
- Candidates must hold a Master’s degree – recently obtained or just about to be obtained – in a relevant discipline (e.g., economics, finance, psychology, computer science). Candidates from STEM disciplines and linguistics with exceptional qualifications will also be considered.
- The selected candidates will pursue their PhD in the Doctoral School of the Poznań University of Economics and Business (henceforth: PUEB Doctoral School) under the supervision of the Principal Investigator. Admission to the PUEB Doctoral School is a condition for receiving the NCN research scholarship. For details on the admission procedure, please see https://ue.poznan.pl/en/doctoral/doctoral-school/admission/. Applying to the PUEB Doctoral School will require submitting a draft plan for the PhD thesis, along with other documents, no later than the 31st of July 2026.
- Place of work: Poznań University of Economics and Business. Note that participation in the PUEB Doctoral School requires participating in courses, and so the position requires working from Poznań or travelling to Poznań whenever attending courses is required.
- Deadline for offers: 15th of July 2026; submissions before this deadline are encouraged, as it will allow more time for the Principal Investigator to aid with the application to the PUEB Doctoral School.
- Start date of work: 1st of October 2026.
Conditions of employment
In brief: the scholarship pays roughly 5,000 PLN net per month (~€1,200 / $1,400, or ~€1,650 / $1,900 adjusted for purchasing power) for most of the program — more precisely ~5,168 PLN for the first 21–24 months and ~4,881 PLN thereafter, rising to ~6,881 PLN during any period when the SONATA funding is extended. The full breakdown below explains the variation.
Each doctoral student receives two stipends paid in parallel, both starting in October 2026:
Doctoral School stipend (PUEB) — up to 48 months
· ~3570 PLN gross (~3168 PLN net) per month before the mid-study assessment
· ~5500 PLN gross (~4881 PLN net) per month after the assessment
· The mid-study assessment falls around month 24, so the higher rate applies from roughly month 25 onward
· Amounts may rise over time, as the stipend is set as a percentage of the minimum salary for a full professor in Poland (see https://www.gov.pl/web/nauka/stypendium-doktoranckie)
SONATA BIS stipend (National Science Centre) — 21 months, extendable
· 2000 PLN net per month (the NCN stipend is not subject to personal income tax, so its gross and net amounts are the same — this is why only one figure is given)
· Paid for 21 months, with the possibility of an extension by a further 9–15 months (a total of 30–36 months)
Combined monthly take-home
The exact schedule depends on whether the SONATA BIS stipend is extended:
If the SONATA BIS stipend is not extended (21 months):
· Months 1–21: ~5168 PLN (3168 + 2000)
· Months 22–24: ~3168 PLN (Doctoral School only, pre-assessment) — a temporary dip after the SONATA stipend ends and before the higher Doctoral School rate begins
· Months 25–48: ~4881 PLN (Doctoral School only, post-assessment)
If the SONATA BIS stipend is extended (to 30–36 months):
· Months 1–24: ~5168 PLN (3168 + 2000)
· Months 25 until the SONATA BIS stipend ends (month 30–36): ~6881 PLN (4881 + 2000)
· From then until month 48: ~4881 PLN (Doctoral School only, post-assessment)
At current exchange rates (~4.28 PLN/€, ~3.67 PLN/$); PPP-adjusted figures in brackets:
· ~5168 PLN ≈ €1,205 / $1,405 (€1,675 / $1,955 at PPP)
· ~4881 PLN ≈ €1,140 / $1,330 (€1,580 / $1,845 at PPP)
· ~6881 PLN ≈ €1,605 / $1,875 (€2,230 / $2,605 at PPP)
Details on project
Title: “Botonomics the influence of intelligent machines on economic behavior”, grant number: 2021/42/E/HS4/00289, funder” National Science Centre, Poland, funding scheme SONATA BIS 11. Principal Investigator: dr hab. Paweł Niszczota (Associate Professor at Poznań University of Economics and Business). For more insight into the project’s scope, see papers authored by the Principal Investigator on arXiv (https://arxiv.org/search/cs?searchtype=author&query=Niszczota,+P) and a summary of the project available at the National Science Centre’s website (https://projekty.ncn.gov.pl/en/index.php?projekt_id=528961). The recruitment call for the PhD student scholarship is available here: https://www2.ncn.gov.pl/baza-ofert/?akcja=wyswietl&id=232885
Required documents
1. Cover letter in English addressed to the Principal Investigator justifying interest in the project.
2. CV in English containing detailed information about publications, work on research projects, and experience gained in working on projects, as well as the possession of skills relevant to the project.
3. A copy of the graduate (Master’s) diploma (or, for candidates yet to graduate, a declaration stating the expected date of obtaining the diploma).
4. A declaration of intent to apply for admission to the PUEB Doctoral School.
5. Confirmation of acceptance to the PUEB Doctoral School (16th of September 2026).
The required documents (apart from the confirmation of acceptance to the PUEB Doctoral School) should be submitted electronically to the e-mail address of the Principal Investigator: pawel.n...@ue.poznan.pl, with "SONATA BIS 11 Scholarship" in the e-mail subject line, by the 15th of July 2026 in PDF file format.
Incomplete applications, applications that do not meet the formal requirements, and those submitted after the deadline will not be considered. We will contact selected candidates by e-mail or phone.
Recruitment process
Recruitment is a three-stage process and includes:
1. An assessment of the candidates' documentation.
2. An interview via Microsoft Teams or an equivalent platform.
3. A parallel recruitment to the PUEB Doctoral School (deadline: 31st of July 2026). This will require consulting with the PI to determine a preliminary plan of the PhD thesis. See https://ue.poznan.pl/en/doctoral/doctoral-school/admission/ for more details. Early contact with the Principal Investigator is highly encouraged, to aid with the application to the PUEB Doctoral School.
Candidates who meet the formal requirements and receive the best evaluation in the first stage will be invited to an online interview. Candidates will be notified about the recruitment results by e-mail. The recruitment results will also be published on the website of the Poznań University of Economics and Business after the announcement of the results of the recruitment to the PUEB Doctoral School (the 16th of September 2026).
Please feel free to contact me (pawel.n...@ue.poznan.pl) for any enquiries! I appreciate passing on this information to anyone who might be interested in applying for this position.
Best,
Paweł Niszczota, PhD
Associate Professor
Head of Humans & AI Laboratory (HAI Lab)
Poznań University of Economics and Business
Poznań, Poland
PI in SONATA BIS 11 grant
pawel.n...@ue.poznan.pl