2 PhD Positions on Integrating Values, Beliefs, and Social Dynamics into Conversational Agents and Knowledge-Driven NLG for Combating Hateful Misinformation. Application deadline: August 27th

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Apologies for cross-posting.

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The Language and Dialogue Technologies (LanD <https://land.fbk.eu/>) group
at Fondazione Bruno Kessler <https://www.fbk.eu/en/> (Trento, Italy) in
conjunction with the ICT International Doctorate School of the University
of Trento <https://iecs.unitn.it/> is pleased to announce the availability
of two fully-funded PhD position:

*1) TITLE*: *Integrating Values, Beliefs, and Social Dynamics into
Conversational Agents*

*DESCRIPTION*: Providing neural models with a persona profile has
demonstrated that conditioning such models on specific characteristics
produces more coherent and engaging conversations. However, current
representations remain shallow, typically relying on static biographical
facts. In reality, human communication is shaped by both profound internal
traits - such as goals, opinions, values, and beliefs - and dynamic
situational factors, including emotional states, conversational context,
and the specific relationship between speakers. The goal of this PhD Thesis
is to bridge these dimensions, moving beyond rigid profiles to develop
adaptive, context-sensitive persona models. By integrating deep profile
characteristics with real-time social dynamics, the research aims to
advance the state of language generation for conversational agents across
multiple domains and languages. *Link to the call*:
https://iecs.unitn.it/education/admission/reserved-topic-scholarships#A5

*2) TITLE*: *Knowledge-Driven Natural Language Generation for Combating
Hateful Misinformation*

*DESCRIPTION*: The convergence of online misinformation and hate speech
poses a significant threat to social cohesion, especially when manipulated
content is used to incite hostility toward marginalized groups. While large
language models (LLMs) offer potential for fact-checking and counterspeech,
current systems often struggle with factual accuracy, complex reasoning,
and the nuanced social dynamics of harmful content. This PhD project aims
to overcome these hurdles by developing knowledge-enhanced neural
generation frameworks. The research will integrate external knowledge and
computational argumentation to produce reliable, persuasive, and ethically
grounded responses, while also addressing the moral values and motivations
of users spreading hate-based misinformation. Ultimately, this work seeks
to advance generative AI that can mitigate harmful discourse and clarify
its underlying mechanisms. *Link to the call*:
https://iecs.unitn.it/education/admission/reserved-topic-scholarships#A6

*COMPLETE DETAILS AVAILABLE AT*:
https://iecs.unitn.it/education/admission/call-for-application

*IMPORTANT DATES:* deadline for application is 27th August 2026, hrs. 04:00
PM (CEST)

*FURTHER INFORMATION:* For preliminary interviews, and should you need
further information about the position, please contact me ([email protected])

Best Regards,

Marco Guerini

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