Computational argumentation theory provides essential tools for analyzing structured debates, with applications in AI-assisted decision-making systems, online discussion platforms, and human-AI interaction. In this context, explainability is critical: systems must not only determine which arguments are accepted based on abstract semantics, but also make this reasoning transparent and cognitively accessible to human users. Yet, existing semantics—typically grounded in logic-based frameworks and Dung's abstract argumentation—might fail to align with human intuitions, limiting both their usability and trustworthiness in practice. This fully funded PhD thesis will focus on improving the alignment between formal acceptability semantics and human reasoning.

Keywords: Argumentative AI, Explainable Reasoning, Human-Centered AI, Argument Influence
Starting Date: October 2025
Location: Centre de Recherche en Informatique de Lens (CRIL UMR 8188 - CNRS & Université d'Artois), France
Supervisors: Dr Srdjan Vesic (CNRS CRIL Université d'Artois) and Dr Mathieu Hainselin (CRP-CPO Université de Picardie Jules Verne)

Applications are invited for a Postdoctoral Position in Computational Social Choice to work with Prof. Ulle Endriss at the Institute for Logic, Language and Computation (ILLC) of the University of Amsterdam. This position is part of an ERC Synergy Project on Digital Democracy. We specifically encourage women and members of other underrepresented groups to apply for this position.