Apply for the 4-year funded University College Dublin Studentship. Stipend of €25,000/year. Deadline 2 June 2026.

Academic Careers: University College Dublin Studentship in Generative AI and Climate Change

Join our WhatsApp Group

🎓 University College Dublin Studentship OVERVIEW & FUNDING STRUCTURE

Host Institution: University College Dublin (UCD), Ireland
Research Focus: Generative AI, Large Language Models (LLMs), and Climate Change Misinformation
Project Frame: Structured, cohort-based PhD training programme under a multi-institutional national centre for data science and AI funded by Research Ireland.
Academic Supervisors: Prof. Ciara Greene (UCD School of Psychology) & Prof. Andrew Parnell (UCD School of Mathematics and Statistics)
Financial Package: €25,000 tax-free annual stipend for four (4) years, plus conference and training travel allowances.
Tuition Fees: Covered for EU students; Non-EU candidates are eligible for institutional fee waivers.
Program Commences: September 2026
Application Deadline: Tuesday, 2 June 2026 (5:00 PM Irish Standard Time)

University College Dublin (UCD), in partnership with Research Ireland, has announced a fully funded, four-year University College Dublin Studentship tackling the critical intersection of generative AI technologies and public understanding of climate science. This interdisciplinary doctoral project bridges cognitive psychology, behavioral science, and advanced mathematical statistics to map out how naturalistic chat interfaces impact human belief systems.

The University College Dublin Studentship successful doctoral candidate will join a structured national cohort, benefiting from integrated transferable skills training in ethics, science communication, and tech entrepreneurship. The training layout features high-impact group activities, including national hackathons, peer-led research seminars, reading groups, and spin-out sprints designed to bridge academic findings with real-world policy solutions.

Apply for the fully funded Taiwan AID Fellowship 2026 for NGO professionals

Detailed Project Scope & Dual Research Objectives

As individuals increasingly substitute traditional search engines with generative AI chatbots (such as ChatGPT and Gemini) for complex scientific information, understanding information integrity becomes vital. This research project investigates the content accuracy of LLMs and evaluates the downstream psychological effects of AI-generated content on users’ environmental behaviors.

The chosen scholar for this University College Dublin Studentship will execute two core scientific objectives:

Objective 1: LLM Prompt Vulnerability and Training Dataset Auditing

Naturalistic Conversational Testing: Investigating how leading commercial and open-source LLMs handle complex, conversational user queries regarding climate change.
Bias and Leading Prompt Exposure: Evaluating whether chatbots agree with or amplify misleading claims when nudged by leading queries (e.g., “The climate has always been changing, so how can humans have had anything to do with it?”).
Training Data Leakage Analysis: Examining how “polluted” or unverified climate datasets within an LLM’s initial training pipeline skew its downstream responses during active user engagement.

Objective 2: Human Behavioral Modeling and Experimental Misinformation Delivery

Experimental Chatbot Interactions: Designing and launching controlled human-subject experiments where participants interact with a custom AI chatbot configured to deliver varying levels of biased or inaccurate climate data.
Psychological Impact Modeling: Measuring and statistically modeling how exposure to AI-generated content shifts a user’s belief in anthropogenic climate change and their subsequent willingness to adopt pro-environment habits.
Comparative Persuasion Metrics: Comparing the persuasive power of conversational AI interfaces directly against older misinformation channels, such as standard text documents or static social media timelines.
Green Behavior Nudging: Formulating and testing subtle architectural changes in chatbot responses to determine if conversational AI can effectively “nudge” users toward sustainable lifestyle choices.

Candidate Specifications and Selection Thresholds

The supervisory board is seeking an analytical researcher who can seamlessly connect experimental psychology methodologies with modern data science practices for the University College Dublin Studentship.

Evaluation Category	Mandatory Institutional Selection Standards	Desirable Operational Assets
Academic Credentials	Honours Degree in Psychology or a closely related cognate discipline, with a minimum classification of an Upper Second Class (2.1) or its verified international equivalent.	A completed Master’s Degree in Psychology, Cognitive Science, Behavioural Economics, or a related quantitative science field.
Data & Technical Skills	Verifiable, excellent skills in quantitative data analysis and statistical modeling software frameworks.	Strong computer programming skills (e.g., R, Python) and direct experience working with or fine-tuning LLMs.
Experimental Design	Basic understanding of psychological or behavioral methodologies.	Practical experience designing, coding, and deploying experimental psychological frameworks, preferably via online testing software.
Soft Skills & Logistics	Excellent oral, written, and presentation communication skills; proven organizational discipline to hit strict publication and research deadlines.	A specialized theoretical background in cognitive psychology, human memory, or belief-formation mechanics.

ALSO READ: Apply for the FAO Green Cities Network, a global community of practice uniting municipalities.

Application Guidelines and Portal Protocols

Prospective doctoral candidates matching the required profile for this University College Dublin Studentship must complete a centralized, online cohort application.

Important Pre-Application Step: The University College Dublin Studentship applicants are strongly encouraged to contact the primary research supervisor, Prof. Ciara Greene, directly via email at ciara.greene@ucd.ie to discuss their research alignment prior to logging a formal portal entry.

Portal Submission Steps:

Access the centralized national data science PhD application system via the general cohort-based programme portal.
Select “Information Integrity” as your absolute first-choice research theme.
Select “UCD” (University College Dublin) as your absolute first-choice academic institution.
Specify this exact project title within your preference justification text: “Generative AI and Climate Change Misinformation”.
Upload your academic transcripts, reference letters, CV, and a statement of purpose.

Ensure your University College Dublin Studentship digital application dossier is finalized and submitted before the absolute server cutoff at 5:00 PM on Tuesday, 2 June 2026. The academic committee will host competitive interviews later in June, with formal offers extended shortly thereafter for a mandatory September 2026 intake.

Disclaimer: The Business Pulse shares verified opportunities from trusted sources. We are not a recruiting agency and do not request any payment for applications.

View More details