Call for applications: Female Excellence Award -Ethics in digital education (apply by 15 Sep 2025)
The rapid development of digital technologies, most recently illustrated by the emergence of ChatGPT, brings both new opportunities and significant challenges. Large Language Models (LLMs) can now handle tasks in text generation and processing that seem to require creativity and originality, surprising even experts in the field.
Alongside their benefits in education, such as personalized learning and interactive teaching environments, LLMs also raise important ethical concerns. These include issues of fairness in assessment, equal access to education, data privacy, and the potential reinforcement of social inequalities. More broadly, they prompt questions about which skills should be taught in education and which might be taken over by technology.
It is therefore essential that the use of LLMs in education be guided by ethical principles such as transparency, equity, autonomy, and accountability. Addressing these challenges requires interdisciplinary discussion.
Central question for reflection:
How can the development and use of Large Language Models (LLMs) in education be responsibly designed to address challenges such as fairness, equality, and data protection?
Who can participate?
The research competition is aimed at female students and doctoral candidates. Outstanding theses and dissertations that deal with the above-mentioned issues and are no more than three years old can be submitted.
In view of the enormous variety of topics, there is no restriction to one specialist discipline. The scientific work can come from the natural sciences as well as the humanities and social sciences.
Two theses/dissertations will be awarded 3.000 € each.
The application must be submitted electronically by 15 September 2025 at Sophia Merkel and must include the following documents:
- Curriculum vitae,
- Letter of motivation (max. 500 words),
- Abstract (max. 1,000 words),
- Research paper (only if it is a thesis/dissertation)
The submitted papers will be evaluated on the basis of two criteria:
- Originality and relevance of the contribution,
- scientific excellence.
The projects will be selected by an independent jury of scientists of the KIT according to the criteria described above. The award ceremony is expected to take place publicly at KIT in the last quarter of 2025.
More information: https://www.arrti.kit.edu/female-excellence-award.php
Contact: Sophia Merkel