Faith and AI Postdoctoral Fellowship

Job Overview

The Institute for Ethics and the Common Good (ECG), the administrative home of the Ethics Initiative (EI) and the Global Catholic Research Initiative (GCRI) invite applications for a co‑sponsored postdoctoral fellowship. We are seeking a postdoc to join a vibrant, interdisciplinary cohort dedicated to advancing research on faith‑based ethical approaches to powerful AI, with a particular focus on the Catholic Church’s teachings and pastoral applications related to human formation and flourishing in eras of significant technological innovation and change.

How do communities of faith, and their leaders, draw upon the Church’s teachings—including recent and past encyclicals, pastoral applications, and the Catholic Social Tradition—to respond to the fast paced, significantly emerging influence of artificial intelligence and to ensure that human dignity remains central to human flourishing and the common good?

Throughout the 20th century, religious and faith‑based communities were instrumental in many of the era’s most significant moral and social movements—from the promotion of human rights to advocacy for nuclear disarmament and leadership in the Civil Rights Movement. These examples illustrate the enduring capacity of faith traditions to provide moral clarity and shape the direction of public life.

In the face of today’s rapid advances in artificial intelligence, faith traditions have remained largely silent. Ethical conversations surrounding AI are currently dominated by secular perspectives from philosophy, law, and computer science, while the rich moral resources of religious traditions have yet to offer sustained or cohesive engagement.

This call invites proposals for research projects that aim to break that silence and explore the ethical dimensions of artificial intelligence through a global lens and the lens of Church encyclicals and teachings, including Antiqua et Nova and the highly anticipated encyclical on faith and AI from Pope Leo XIV.

• Conduct a substantial research project on the Catholic Church’s teaching on AI from a global perspective.
• Serve as liaison between EI/ECG and GCRI on the shared research theme.
• Provide administrative leadership for a major conference in Rome focused on Pope Leo XIV’s forthcoming encyclical on AI, incorporating the DELTA framework.
• Develop and/or curate DELTA‑framed curricular resources for faith communities.
• Participate in weekly ECG seminars and present research twice during the academic year.
• Attend ECG retreats, special events, and engage regularly with fellows and leaders.
• Serve as ambassador for GCRI and contribute to its postdoctoral community.
• Participate in a vibrant interdisciplinary community and take part in regular seminars and collaborative events.

The fellowship is open to scholars from all academic disciplines, including theology, philosophy, psychology, sociology, political science, and history. Applicants should be conducting a serious research project related to faith and AI within a global Catholic tradition.

Candidates must have completed all Ph.D. requirements by June 1, 2026 and be within five years of earning their degree.

Applicants from outside the U.S. are encouraged to apply. Fellows are required to reside in the South Bend area and remain in residence at the University of Notre Dame during the full fellowship period (July 2026 through June 2027), except for vacation periods, holidays, and university breaks.

This is a one‑year postdoctoral fellowship, with the possibility of renewal for a second year.

Postdoctoral fellows receive $80,000 each year in salary, $1,000 each year in dedicated research funds, and Notre Dame benefits.

The University of Notre Dame seeks to attract, develop, and retain the highest quality faculty, staff and administration. The University is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, sex, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or age in employment. Moreover, Notre Dame prohibits discrimination against veterans or disabled qualified individuals, and complies with 41 CFR 60‑741.5(a) and 41 CFR 60‑300.5(a).

We strongly encourage applications from candidates attracted to a university with a Catholic identity.