Bias in Data Pipelines and AI Systems

This PhD scholarship is in the context of an Australian Research Council fellowship titled "A Principled Approach to Data Bias Management in Data Pipelines". The overall project involving three PhD students will investigate how to tackle fundamental problems of bias in data and Artificial Intelligence (AI), proposing the new concept of bias management.

Being trained with massive amounts of human generated content, AI may reflect and reinforce human bias and stereotypes and may be used for malicious purposes. The goal is to support the average person in better understanding if the output of AI systems can be trusted or not. This project builds and evaluates novel methods to track, quantify, and deal with bias rather than to mitigate or remove it. This will empower end-users making informed data-driven decisions.

Possible PhD research topics include, among others:

- Tracking bias in human annotations

- Quantifying bias in data

- Dealing with bias in data pipelines

- Increasing the transparency of data and AI pipelines

- Measuring the impact of data bias and AI transparency on human decision making

The University of Queensland, Australia is a world's top 50 university (QS World University Rankings 2025). Embedded in the Data Science discipline at The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, you will be part of a world-leading research group in Data Science and AI with research funding coming both from the industry sector (e.g., Meta, Google) and the public sector (e.g., Australian Research Council, Swiss National Science Foundation).

Host for the 2032 Olympic Games, Brisbane is one of the fastest-growing capital cities in Australia in terms of population and employment. Brisbane residents are young and skilled, highly educated and culturally diverse. With 12 months of sunshine filled days and clear blue skies, Brisbane has a climate that sets the scene for year-round alfresco activities. Even in the midst of a Brisbane winter you’ll be yearning to play in the parks and dine outdoors. As the most biologically-diverse capital in Australia, Brisbane is a green city with clean, healthy air and a clear commitment to its environment. The Brisbane City Council achieved carbon neutral status for its operations in 2017. Brisbane’s public transport system is a clean and green network of trains, ferries (CityCats) and buses that have been integrated so commuters can travel seamlessly between each service. Brisbane's nightlife is extensive, spread across both sides of the River, and packed with variety and options. https://www.visitbrisbane.com.au/

This is an Fellowship support scheme scholarship project that aligns with a recently awarded Australian Government grant.

The scholarship includes:

• living stipend of $36,400 per annum tax free (2025 rate), indexed annually
• your tuition fees covered

Learn more about the Fellowship support scheme scholarship.

You must contact the principal supervisor for this project to discuss your interest. You should only complete the online application after you have reached agreement on supervision.

Always make sure you are approaching your potential supervisor in a professional way. We have provided some guidelines for you on how to contact a supervisor.

Your application will be assessed on a competitive basis.

We take into account your:

• previous academic record
• publication record
• honours and awards
• employment history.

A working knowledge of machine learning would be of benefit to someone working on this project.

You will demonstrate academic achievement in the field of data science and the potential for scholastic success.

A background or knowledge of data science is highly desirable.

This project requires candidates to commence no later than Research Quarter 1, 2026. To allow time for your application to be processed, we recommend applying no later than 30 September, 2025 30 June, 2025.

You can start in an earlier research quarter. See application dates.

Before you apply

1. Check your eligibility for the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).
2. Prepare your documentation.
3. Contact Associate Professor Gianluca Demartini (g.demartini@uq.edu.au) to discuss your interest and suitability.

When you apply

You apply for this scholarship when you submit an application for a PhD. You don’t need to submit a separate scholarship application.

In your application ensure that under the ‘Scholarships and collaborative study’ section you select:

• My higher degree is not collaborative
• I am applying for, or have been awarded a scholarship or sponsorship
• UQ Earmarked Scholarship type.

Apply now