Jobs in Philosophy in Europe

University of Lausanne,
Lausanne,
Switzerland
Post date: October 3, 2024
PhD Researcher in the areas of scientific evidence interpretation and decision analysis
Deadline: October 22, 2024

Introduction:

The University of Lausanne (UNIL) is a leading international teaching and research institution, with over 5,000 employees and 17,000 students split between its Dorigny campus, CHUV and Epalinges. As an employer, UNIL encourages excellence, individual recognition and responsibility.

Presentation:

The School of Criminal Justice of the Faculty of Law, Criminal Justice and Public Administration of the University of Lausanne is seeking a PhD researcher (graduate teaching assistant).

We welcome submissions of fundamental and/or applied PhD research proposals in the areas of scientific evidence interpretation and decision analysis at the interface of forensic science and law from qualified candidates with a background in forensic science, statistics, philosophy of science, or other relevant fields that focus on analytical and interdisciplinary perspectives on evidence, proof and decision science.

Original PhD research project proposals may relate to any forensic science discipline or combination of disciplines. Project proposals may include, but are not limited to, frontier topics such as machine-generated information and the challenges of human-machine interaction, the combined assessment of results from multiple sources of information, the coherent management of uncertainty in evidential reasoning and rational decision making using formal methods, and evidential issues arising in the analysis of complex cases at different stages of the legal process.

Job information:

Expected start date in position : 01.01.2025 or to be agreed
Contract length : 1 year, renewable 2 x 2 years, maximum 5 years
Rate of employment : 80 %
Workplace : 1015 Lausanne-Dorigny, Switzerland

Your responsibilities:

Scientific duties : At least 50% of the time will be devoted to research towards a PhD in Forensic Science. The candidate is expected to be involved in scientific publication and communication activities and to participate in the academic life of the School of Criminal Justice activities;
Teaching duties : The candidate will assist in the preparation of teaching materials, supervise the practical work and research projects of forensic science students;
Administrative tasks.

Your qualifications:

MSc in Forensic Science, MSc in Crime Data Analysis and Traceology or any other discipline relevant to criminal justice research;
Strong interest in academic research, scientific publication and participation in international conferences and research communication;
Strong analytical thinking skills, intellectual curiosity and interest in interdisciplinary, international and comparative perspectives;
Solid knowledge of probability and statistics, probabilistic graphical models and decision theory is an asset ;
Ability to work both independently and collaboratively (teamwork);
High motivation to work in an interdisciplinary research and teaching environment.

What the position offers you:

We offer a nice working place in a multicultural, diverse and dynamic academic environment. Opportunities for professional training, a lot of activities and other benefits to discover.

Contact for further information:

Prof. Alex Biedermann
alex [dot] biedermann [__at__] unil [dot] ch

Your application:

Deadline : 22.10.2024
Applications must be submitted in Word or PDF format and include a letter of motivation, curriculum vitae, copies of diplomas and a proposal for a doctoral research project.
Only applications through the website https://tinyurl.com/forsciphdpos24 will be taken into account. Thank you for your understanding.

Additional information:

UNIL is committed to equal opportunities and diversity.
www.unil.ch/egalite
UNIL supports early career researchers.
www.unil.ch/graduatecampus

HU Berlin,
Berlin,
Germany
Post date: August 15, 2024
Research Fellow (PostDoc)
Deadline: September 30, 2024

HU Berlin, Faculty of Arts and Humanities - Department of Philosophy
Research Fellow (PostDoc) (m/f/d) with full-time employment - E 13 TV-L HU (third-party funding limited for 12 months, expected dates January 2025 to December 2025)

The Emmy-Noether research group "A Sensible World", to be funded by the DFG for up to six years (2020-2026), aims to study the debates on secondary qualities that took place in and around the School of Brentano. It will analyze these debates in all their richness and complexity, and thus explore this issue through a broad network of authors: in Franz Brentano himself and his closest pupils Anton Marty and Carl Stumpf, in Alexius Meinong and his heirs Alois Höfler and Stephan Witasek, and in Edmund Husserl and his early students Adolf Reinach and Edith Stein, among many others. The research group will study the novel, but still little-known inquiries conducted within this network of authors on the phenomenology, metaphysics, and epistemology of secondary qualities, and consequently on the relation between our naive and scientific worldviews. For more information on the project, please visit its website: www.a-sensible-world.net.

job profile
- scientific work in topics related to the project "A Sensible World"
- collaboration in the translation in English of (German) texts of early phenomenologists
- preparation for further academic qualification (widening of scholarly expertise in philosophy)

requirements
- completed university degree and PhD in philosophy
- research experience in nineteenth and twentieth century philosophy, including phenomenology, and in contemporary theories of colors and other sensory qualities and/or in issues about the naive and the scientific worldviews and/or in perception
- excellent knowledge of English and German (both oral and written)

Please send your application (letter of motivation, CV, relevant diplomas, research plan of 1,000 words max. on the topics of the project ‘A Sensible World’, writing sample of 8,000 words max. and a recommendation letter) until 30 September 2024, quoting the reference number DR/107/24 to Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Department of Philosophy, Dr. Hamid Taieb, Unter den Linden 6, 10099 Berlin or preferably by E-Mail in one PDF-file to: hamid [dot] taieb [__at__] hu-berlin [dot] de.
The letter of recommendation should be sent separately and directly by its author to hamid [dot] taieb [__at__] hu-berlin [dot] de.

The Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin is seeking to increase the proportion of women in research and teaching, and specifically encourages qualified female scholars to apply. Severely disabled applicants with equivalent qualifications will be given preferential consideration. People with an immigration history are specifically encouraged to apply. Since we will not return your documents, please submit copies in the application only.

Data protection information on the processing of your personal data within the framework of the advertisement and selection procedure can be found on our Website: https://hu.berlln/DSGYO.

Please visit our website www.hu-berlin.de/stellenangebote, which gives you access to the legally binding German version.

Johannes Kepler University Linz,
Linz,
Austria
Post date: August 12, 2024
2-3 years predoc position in philosophy and economics
Deadline: September 30, 2024

Job posting
2-3 years predoc position in philosophy and economics (30h per week)

The OeNB's Anniversary Fund project "Carl Menger as a Central Banker? From the Origin to the Future of Money" (PI Alexander Linsbichler) at the Institute of Philosophy and Scientific Method (Johannes Kepler University Linz) seeks candidates for one 2-3 years predoc position.

Deadline for applications: 30.09.2024
Applications will be possible as of 05.09.2024 at the job portal of Johannes Kepler University Linz: https://karriere.jku.at/hcm/jobexchange/showJobOfferList.do

Start date: 01.01.2025 (or as soon as possible after that)
End date: 31.12.2026
Possible extension to 31.12.2027 (with 30-40 hours per week)

More information about the project: https://www.jku.at/en/institute-of-philosophy-and-scientific-method/rese...

Job Duties:
• Conduct research and write a doctoral thesis in the context of the OeNB project “Carl Menger as a Central Banker?”
• Participate in the project’s and the institute’s administrative tasks
• Teaching option in the third year

Your Qualifications:
• The successful candidate must hold a Diploma/Master’s degree in Philosophy & Economics, Philosophy, HPS, PPE, Economics, or another relevant discipline by the time employment starts
• Good knowledge or willingness to quickly acquire good knowledge of as many of the themes of the project as possible: philosophy of economics, Mengerian economics and methodology, different monetary theories and their critics (MMT, chartalism, Austrian, Eigentumsökonomik, …), cryptocurrencies, how-possibly-explanations, the fact-value-dichotomy and barriers to entailment, explication and rational reconstructions, economic modelling, philosophy of disagreement
• Strong command of English (B2 minimum)
• Strong command of German (reading C1) is an asset but not necessary
• Strong team player
• Intellectual curiosity regarding the themes of the project and beyond

What we offer:
• On the basis of full-time employment (40 hours/week) the minimum salary in accordance with the collective agreement is € 3,578.80 gross per month (14 x per year, CA Job Grade: B1)
• Dynamic and internationally well-connected research environment
• Stable employer
• Attractive campus environment with good public transportation connections
• Broad range of on-campus dining services / healthy meals (organic food at the cafeteria)
• Exercise and sports classes (USI)
• … and much more

Application documents:
• Cover letter [optional]
• CV
• Reading sample (seminar paper, MA thesis, published paper, review essay, …) [5000-50000 words]
• Outline of your previous involvement with themes relevant to the project and/or sketch of ideas for your research in the project [500-5000 words]
• Transcript and/or diploma
• Other documents [optional]
Contact: alexander.linsbichler(at)jku.at
Subject to change.

TU Delft,
Delft,
Netherlands
Post date: July 11, 2024
PhD on The Role of Moral Creativity in Responsible Technology Development
Deadline: August 30, 2024

TU Delft is looking for a PhD candidate to work on the project “The Role of Moral Creativity in Responsible Technology Development” embedded in the ESDiT (www.esdit.nl).
This project investigates the role of creativity (including artistic creativity) in moral decision-making, especially in connection with the innovation of technologies. The envisaged outcomes of this project include a theory of the role of creativity in the responsible development and anticipation of new technologies and the establishment of methodological tools for transdisciplinary collaborations, including artists, philosophers, and technology developers. The PhD project will investigate these questions by combining philosophical reasoning with participation in transdisciplinary collaborations involving artists who work at the intersection of art, technology and society. To make this possible, we have established a collaboration with Waag Futurelab, which has experience with the exercise of moral creativity in artistic practice surrounding technologies.

TU Delft,
Delft,
Netherlands
Post date: July 11, 2024
PhD on project “Towards an intercultural ethics of existential risks"
Deadline: August 30, 2024

TU Delft is looking for a PhD candidate to work on the project “Towards an intercultural ethics of existential risks” embedded in the ESDiT (esdit.nl) programme.
The primary goal of the project is to study existential risks as part of a broader conceptual cluster disrupted by socio-technological developments through the lens of general intercultural philosophy or a specific non-Western ethical framework. The resulting approach of ‘intercultural ethics of existential risks’ would be operationalized to explore whether and how insights and perspectives from under-represented philosophical traditions bear upon understanding existential risks (and related concepts), and subsequently, normative and practical questions associated with why their mitigation matters, for whom, and so on. The full research proposal is provided below.

Institute of Philosophy,
Prague,
Czech Republic
Post date: June 25, 2024
0,5 FTE PhD Level Researcher in environmental ethics at CETE-P
Deadline: July 5, 2024

This position at CETE-P must be combined with PhD study in “Philosophy” at the University of Pardubice (Centre for Ethics) under supervision of Iwona Janicka – tuition free, monthly stipend, summer 2024 entrance exam (expected application deadline: end of July 2024)

CETE-P – a newly created research center based at the Institute of Philosophy of the Czech Academy of Sciences, established in collaboration with the ERA Chair Holder prof. Mark Coeckelbergh, and funded by the European Union – is seeking to appoint a PhD Level Researcher with focus on environmental ethics (broadly considered). Since the Institute of Philosophy of the Czech Academy of Science is a non-university research institution, the position is to be combined with PhD study of Philosophy at the University of Pardubice (Centre for Ethics) under supervision of Iwona Janicka (CETE-P Research Team Leader).

Qualification requirements
• Finished MA in philosophy or ethics before the application deadline
• PhD project in environmental ethics (preferably in one of the areas specified below)
• Readiness to relocate to the Czech Republic and study the PhD program “Philosophy” at the University of Pardubice (Centre for Ethics)
• Fluent oral and written academic English
• Excellent communication skills

Criteria to be explicitly addressed in the evaluation process
• Originality and innovativeness of PhD project
• Potential to contribute to the development of CETE-P’s research environment
• Personal suitability and motivation for the position – good team player and versatile at all levels
• Skills within popular dissemination and public outreach

Preferred areas of PhD project
• Gender and environment (especially ecofeminism)
• Political ecology and more-than-human approaches
• Affect and ecology
• Environmental activism
• Interrelations of ecology and emerging technologies

We offer
• Half-time research position with no teaching and low administrative obligations
• Contract for 3 years, with a 3-month probation period
• Salary approximately CZK 250.000 per annum (gross, halftime), which will be combined with extra stipend paid from the University of Pardubice (about CZK 12.000 per month)
• A professionally stimulating working environment
• Office space located in the historical center of Prague
• Professional administrative and academic support
• Assistance with the application process for the PhD study in Pardubice

The successful candidate for this post will commence duties preferably on 1 October 2024, or as soon as possible thereafter.

How to apply
The application must include:
• Cover letter (statement of motivation, summarizing research interest)
• Curriculum Vitae (max. 3-4 pages)
• PhD project (1-2 pages + representative bibliography + short abstract [max. 150 words])
• A sample of written work (approximately 10-20 pages, or a full MA thesis)
• List of 2 academic references (name, position, relation to candidate, e-mail and phone number)
• Please note that all documents must be in English

The application with attachments must be submitted via email on 5 July 2024 (11:59pm) at the latest to Petr Urban at urban [__at__] flu [dot] cas [dot] cz.

About the selection procedure and entrance exam
Applicants will be informed about the results by 15 July 2024. The application deadline for the PhD study in Philosophy at the University of Pardubice is the end of July 2024. Entrance exam will take place in August 2024. Start of the study is the end of September 2024.

Equal opportunity
The Institute of Philosophy of the Czech Academy of Sciences conducts an equal opportunities policy and encourages everyone to apply. Applications from the currently underrepresented groups in philosophy are especially welcome.

Contact information
To explore the vacancy further or for any queries you may have, please contact Petr Urban at urban [__at__] flu [dot] cas [dot] cz.

Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e),
Eindhoven,
Netherlands
Post date: June 24, 2024
PhD on Preserving Human Capabilities & Extending Well-Being
Deadline: August 15, 2024

Rapid advances in sensors, artificial intelligence (AI), and the Internet of Things (IoT) promise to enhance human capacities and prolong well-being as we age. Philosophers increasingly view human well-being as exercising various capacities, some of which significantly changes during senescence. Cutting-edge augmentation technologies have the potential to replace or improve many deteriorating capabilities, enabling us to maintain physical abilities (e.g., exoskeletons) and cognitive health (e.g., brain-computer interfaces). Such technologies increase our ability to live independently for longer, while also boosting our overall quality of life. Nevertheless, technological advances of augmentation technologies simultaneously disrupt long-held normative notions about how human capabilities are connected to the good life (Nussbaum 2020, 2011) and how to view senescence (Sen 1993). This has direct implications for the design of technologies that seek to augment our capabilities, especially when such augmentation technologies aim to replace capabilities later in life.

Scientific progress on the question of how to enhance age-dependent capabilities is hampered by a widening gap between 1) the power of STEM-based technologies to enhance a wide range of human capabilities, and 2) normative accounts of well-being, specifically ethical theories that link the ability to exercise a full range of capabilities to living well (Jacobs 2020). The PhD researcher will join an interdisciplinary team aiming to unite the practices of STEM disciplines that make augmentation technologically possible with philosophical insights that shed light on which augmentation technologies are ethically desirable for improving life quality. This stands to significantly improve the future design of end-of-life technologies, especially technologies that explicitly connect the exercise of human capabilities to well-being in later life.

By uniting STEM and ethical approaches to the future design of augmentation technologies, the holder of this PhD position will have the following key deliverables:

Developing a generalisable approach to how STEM subjects and normative (ethical, legal) disciplines work together, emphasising how STEM practitioners can actively co-design normative frameworks. To do this, the candidate will develop methods that foster a productive dialogue between STEM and ethical disciplines, exploring generalizable approaches – possibly moving beyond ethics guidelines – for the collaborative integration of technological and normative practices.
Unpack cultural and conceptual differences to create new approaches to interdisciplinary confrontation. Potentially, share these with affiliated research programmes that also seek to do multi- and/or trans-disciplinary research (e.g., Hybrid Intelligence, SIENNA).
Show how a framework that emphasises preserving human capabilities & extending well-being can be useful in the ethical evaluation of other socially disruptive technologies.
Funding & Institutional Embedding

This PhD position is funded by the Ethics of Socially Disruptive Technologies (ESDiT). It will be hosted by Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), primarily by the Human-Technology Interaction Group and the Philosophy & Ethics Group. The PhD will participate in the activities of these groups, as well as the recently launched, Expertise Centre Dementia & Technology.

Please note that there are other vacancies funded by the ESDiT programme that are currently advertised. If you are interested in several of these, we encourage you to apply to them simultaneously: https://www.esdit.nl

Human-Technology Interaction Group

The Human-Technology Interaction (HTI) group analyses human interactions with technology with the aim to better understand and improve the match between technology and its users. HTI combines expertise from areas of social sciences (mainly cognitive and social psychology and perception) with engineering. The group’s lab facilities offer opportunities to study virtual reality, auditory perception, gaming, lighting, and general psychological lab resources. The group’s research centers around five main areas: human-computer interaction and affective computing, decision-making and human-data interaction, social psychology and persuasion, contextual environmental psychology, and human perception and cognition. HTI takes part in multiple collaborations and multidisciplinary research. More information about HTI can be found here.

Philosophy & Ethics Group

TU/e’s Philosophy and Ethics (P&E) group connects philosophy and ethics to emerging technologies and innovation. Researchers in the P&E group primarily study innovative technologies and technology-related problems in detail to enable empirically informed analyses that are meaningful to philosophers, researchers across disciplines, and other societal stakeholders. To do this, the group has established close interdisciplinary collaborations with researchers from groups in the TU/e School of Innovation Sciences, as well as with mechanical engineers, climate scientists, and archaeologists, among others. The group’s expertise covers a variety of philosophical sub-disciplines, including applied ethics, normative ethics, meta-ethics, philosophy of science and technology, and epistemology. More information about P&E can be found here.

Expertise Centre Dementia & Technology

The ECDT collaborates with Alzheimer Nederland and TU Eindhoven, aiming to contribute to changing the approach to dementia in society. The technology developed and implemented is referred to as “Warme Technologie” (Warm Technology), as it involves continuous collaboration with individuals with dementia and their caregivers, following the principle: “Nothing about us, without us”. Existing assistive technology is still too often developed for the elderly instead of with the elderly. And too often, the technology, such as interactive screens and sensors, is the focus instead of the needs, wishes, and possibilities of the target group. At ECDT, researchers work with healthcare organizations, caregivers, nurses, companies, designers, and others. Together, we develop warm technology that is user-friendly and non-stigmatizing and aims to improve the quality of life and well-being of people with dementia. More information about ECDT and warm technology can be found here.

Job requirements

A master’s degree (or an equivalent university degree) in philosophy or related discipline.
A research-oriented and impact-orientated attitude.
Ability to work as part of a team of researchers working on similar topics.
Interested in collaborating with governmental, policy, and industry stakeholders.
Fluent in spoken and written English.
We particularly welcome applications from candidates belonging to groups that have been traditionally underrepresented in academia, including, but not limited to, women and ethnic minorities.
The desired starting date is November 2024.
Conditions of employment

A meaningful job in a dynamic and ambitious university, in an interdisciplinary setting and within an international network. You will work on a beautiful, green campus within walking distance of the central train station. In addition, we offer you:

Full-time employment for four years, with an intermediate evaluation (go/no-go) after nine months. You will spend 10% of your employment on teaching tasks.
Salary and benefits (such as a pension scheme, paid pregnancy and maternity leave, partially paid parental leave) in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, scale P (min. €2,770 max. €3,539).
A year-end bonus of 8.3% and annual vacation pay of 8%.
High-quality training programs and other support to grow into a self-aware, autonomous scientific researcher. At TU/e we challenge you to take charge of your own learning process.
An excellent technical infrastructure, on-campus children's day care and sports facilities.
An allowance for commuting, working from home and internet costs.
A Staff Immigration Team and a tax compensation scheme (the 30% facility) for international candidates.
Information and application

More information

Do you recognize yourself in this profile? Would you like to know more? Please contact
dr. Matthew J. Dennis, m [dot] j [dot] dennis [__at__] tue [dot] nl, dr. Linghan Zhang, l [dot] zhang1 [__at__] tue [dot] nl, or prof. Wijnand IJsselsteijn, w [dot] a [dot] ijsselsteijn [__at__] tue [dot] nl.

Visit our website for more information about the application process or the conditions of employment. You can also contact H. Buijs-Palmen, HR-Advice IE&IS, j [dot] b [dot] huijs [dot] palmen [__at__] tue [dot] nl or +31 40 247 9111.

Documents to Apply:
Cover letter in which you describe your motivation and qualifications for the position.
Curriculum vitae and the contact information of three references.
Brief description of your MA or MSc thesis.
One-page statement, elaborating on your potential ideas for this project.
Writing sample (MA/MSc thesis, etc. 20 pages max.)

University of Technology Nuremberg,
Nuremberg,
Germany
Post date: June 21, 2024
Professor (m/f/d) (W3) of the History of Philosophy with Special Focus on Early Modern Philosophy
Deadline: July 19, 2024

(For the full job posting, please visit our website: https://www.utn.de/en/career/professorships/)

We are innovating university! Interdisciplinary, international, and digital – these are pillars of the University of Technology Nuremberg. We interlink engineering, humanities, and sciences. The University focuses on interdisciplinary studies, digital learning, and cutting-edge research. We will enroll up to 6,000 students on a campus that combines research, learning, and living. The project is one of the most important higher education projects of the Free State of Bavaria, Germany.

The University of Technology Nuremberg is looking to fill, at the earliest possible date, a position as a Professor (m/f/d) (W3) of the History of Philosophy with Special Focus on Early Modern Philosophy at the Department of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Your tasks: You represent the subject history of philosophy with a focus on Early Modern Philosophy in research and teaching and you have a focus in Epistemology.

Your profile: Excellent research achievements in the field of Early Modern Philosophy, especially with focus on epistemology of the Early Modern Period, demonstrated by relevant publications and conference contributions, are expected. The application of philological research methods is welcomed. In your application and in the selection process, you should demonstrate the relevance of your work for interdisciplinary dialog with other disciplines and your willingness to participate in the Department's research area “Human and Artificial Intelligence”.

Interested? Please refer to the reference number PF-2024-02 in your application. Please apply by 19.07.2024 in English and with all relevant application documents (letter of motivation, CV including externally funded projects and awards, list of publications, research statement, teaching statement, high school and relevant university diplomas (e.g. degree certificates, doctoral certificate (if applicable) etc.), four publications most relevant to your research profile) exclusively via our application portal: https://www.utn.de/en/career/professorships/

Questions? If you have any administrative questions please contact the Appointments Team, appointments [__at__] utn [dot] de.
If you have questions regarding the profile of the position, contact the Founding Chair of the Department of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Prof. Dr. Gyburg Uhlmann, gyburg [dot] uhlmann [__at__] utn [dot] de.

University of Leiden,
Leiden,
Netherlands
Post date: June 19, 2024
PhD candidate, Compliance by Design: Technical Challenges of EU AI Act Requirements and Their Ethical Implications
Deadline: July 15, 2024

AI Compliance by Design: Technical Challenges of EU AI Act's Requirements and Their Ethical Implications. As artificial intelligence technologies are increasingly subject to regulation, complex questions are arising regarding both technical feasibility of assessing compliance and the wider ethical implications thereof. This PhD project aims to critically evaluate the European Union's Artificial Intelligence Act as an instance of this. The project will approach the technical challenges of promoting and monitoring compliance from several standpoints, focusing on the feasibility of translating its requirements into tangible technological solutions for assessing AI compliance. The project integrates ethical and technical dimensions, aiming to understand both how the AI Act’s ethical requirements can be translated into technical specifications and how the corresponding design choices (and their implications) can be evaluated in light of broader ethical principles. The project explores the design, development, and assessment of algorithms and systems that embody the Act's mandates, thus ensuring that AI applications meet both ethical guidelines and technical standards. In addition, the project will explore more general principles that flow for this case for other attempts at “compliance by design” in the domain of rapidly developing AI technologies.

This PhD position is a part of the Ethics of Socially Disruptive Technologies (ESDiT) programme, a new ten-year long international research programme of seven academic institutions in the Netherlands that has started in January 2020. This programme has a combined budget of € 27 million and is funded by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research in the Gravitation funding scheme for excellent research, with the matching funds from the participating institutions. The programme has the aim of achieving breakthrough research in at the intersection of ethics, philosophy, technology / engineering and social sciences, and to position its consortium at the top of its field internationally. A key objective is to investigate how new technologies challenge moral values and ontological concepts (like “nature”, “human being” and “community”), and how these challenges necessitate a revision of these concepts. The programme includes four research lines, “Nature, life and human intervention”, “The future of a free and fair society”, “The human condition” and “Synthesis: Ethics of Technology, Practical Philosophy, and Modern Technology-Driven Societies”. This position belongs to research track STEM. A fuller description of the project as a whole, can be pointed to through the ESDiT website: https://www.esdit.nl/

Please note that there are other vacancies in the Ethics of Socially Disruptive Technologies programme at different participating universities. Applicants are encouraged to apply for more than one ESDiT position simultaneously in case of several positions are of interest to the applicant.

Key responsibilities

assess technical feasibility of implementing the EU AI Act’s requirements in practical AI systems, identifying technical methodologies for compliance assessment, against the background of critical review of existing efforts;
examine how the AI Act's guidelines can be translated into technically feasible implementations, focusing on the integration of considerations into technical research and development processes, from the early stages, in a transdisciplinary fashion;
identify insights from relevant previous attempts to integrate considerations regarding the feasibility of compliance into the design specification of the new technology;
design and implement algorithms that meet the EU AI Act's requirements, demonstrating technical possibilities and limitations, with an eye to developing 'best practices' of algorithmic design in accordance with the AI Act;
develop methodologies for evaluating the risk levels of AI applications, aligned with the Act's classifications and assessing systems' adherence to ethical and legal standards;
formulate more general recommendations regarding how regulatory guidelines can be designed in a way that optimises the technical feasibility of compliance (and compliance monitoring);
be actively involved in the project including following courses in ethics of technology (20 ECTS);
assist in relevant teaching activities within LIACS;
Selection Criteria
The successful applicant should be a motivated university graduate who is a top performer among his/her peers and has an excellent education and/or research track record proven by relevant experience, publications, etc. The applicant is expected to have:

MSc degree in Artificial Intelligence, Data science, Applied Mathematics, Computer science, or related field;
Strong interest in ethics;
Good programming skills in, e.g., Python;
Credible experience with Machine Learning and/or Data science;
Excellent written and oral communication skills in English, Dutch proficiency or willingness to learn is a plus;
Ability to work with diverse stakeholders, along with an affinity for connecting work in Computer Science to other relevant disciplines and societal challenges.
Research at our faculty
The Faculty of Science is a world-class faculty where staff and students work together in a dynamic international environment. It is a faculty where personal and academic development are top priorities. Our people are committed to expand fundamental knowledge by curiosity and to look beyond the borders of their own discipline; their aim is to benefit science, and to contribute to addressing the major societal challenges of the future.

The research carried out at the Faculty of Science is very diverse, ranging from mathematics, information science, astronomy, physics, chemistry and bio-pharmaceutical sciences to biology and environmental sciences. The research activities are organised in eight institutes. These institutes offer eight bachelor’s and twelve master’s programmes. The faculty has grown strongly in recent years and now has more than 2.300 staff and almost 5,000 students. We are located at the heart of Leiden’s Bio Science Park, one of Europe’s biggest science parks, where university and business life come together. For more information, see www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/science and www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/working-at

The Leiden Institute of Advanced Computer Science (LIACS) is the Artificial Intelligence and Computer Science Institute in the Faculty of Science of Leiden University. We offer courses at the Bachelor and Master of Science level in Artificial Intelligence, Computer Science, ICT in Business, Media Technology, and Bioinformatics. According to an independent research visitation, we are one of the foremost computer science departments of the Netherlands. We strive for excellence in a caring institute, where excellence, fun, and diversity go hand in hand. We offer a clear and inviting career path to young and talented scientists with the ambition to grow. For more information about LIACS, see www.cs.leiden.edu

Terms and conditions
We offer a full-time position for one year initially. After a positive evaluation of the progress of the thesis, personal capabilities and compatibility, the appointment will be extended by further three years. Salary ranges from € 2.770,- to € 3.539,- gross per month (pay scale P in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities). Preferred starting date for this position is October 1, 2024 or soon thereafter. Leiden University offers an attractive benefits package with additional holiday (8%) and end-of-year bonuses (8.3%), training and career development and sabbatical leave. Our individual choices model gives you some freedom to assemble your own set of terms and conditions. Candidates from outside the Netherlands may be eligible for a substantial tax break.

All our PhD students are embedded in the Leiden University Graduate School of Science www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/science/graduate-school-of-of-science Our graduate school offers several PhD training courses at three levels: professional courses, skills training and personal effectiveness. In addition, advanced courses to deepen scientific knowledge are offered by the research school.

Within this project, PhD students are encouraged to spend a semester abroad, and a budget is available to cover their expenses. Moreover, generous (conference) travel budgets are available for the position.

D&I statement
Diversity and inclusion are core values of Leiden University. Leiden University is committed to becoming an inclusive community which enables all students and staff to feel valued and respected and to develop their full potential. Diversity in experiences and perspectives enriches our teaching and strengthens our research. High quality teaching and research is inclusive.

Information
Enquiries can be made to Dr Anna Kononova, a [dot] kononova [__at__] liacs [dot] leidenuniv [dot] nl. If you have any questions about the procedure, please send an email to jobs [__at__] liacs [dot] leidenuniv [dot] nl.

Applications
Please submit online your application via the blue button in the vacancy. Please ensure that you upload the following additional documents quoting the vacancy number:

Motivation letter
Curriculum vitae
Academic transcript of the MSc degree
Names of 2-3 references if applicable
Only applications received before July 15, 2024 can be considered. Selected candidates will be invited for an interview in early August 2024.

Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e),
Eindhoven ,
Netherlands
Post date: June 18, 2024
PhD on how AI technologies could be used to improve ethics methodology
Deadline: August 31, 2024

Can and should philosophers employ large language models or other artificial intelligence tools in the course of doing ethics? Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), in collaboration with the inter-university research consortium, "Ethics of Socially Disruptive Technologies (ESDiT)," seeks to hire a PhD student for a four-year project on whether (and if so, how) philosophers can use AI technologies to improve ethics methodology.

Job Description

In the last few decades, philosophers have speculated about how AI systems could support or enhance individual moral reasoning, deliberation, and other moral functioning. Following recent developments in AI research, philosophers may well ask what role AI can play within ethics as a discipline. Can AI technologies be used to improve the methods of ethics, including the methods that ethicists of technology use for responding to socially disruptive technologies?

Socially disruptive technologies pose new types of ethical challenges. AI could conceivably help us respond to those challenges by facilitating better ethical theorizing and decision-making. For instance, philosophers might attempt to incorporate AI technologies into processes of conceptual analysis, conceptual engineering, reflective equilibrium, development of new ethical principles and theories, generation of possible arguments and objections, generation of counterexamples to theories, preliminary identification of morally significant risks and benefits in scenarios, and so on. One way to approach such an ambition would be by using finetuning and special prompting to create large language model-based systems to perform or assist with some of these tasks. Philosophers might also try using AI systems to support exploratory anticipation and prospection activities—developing AI systems that help generate technomoral scenarios with a range of salient features, for human discussion and reflection. To facilitate group deliberation, philosophers might incorporate AI into systems for more frequently and efficiently eliciting, analyzing, and aggregating beliefs and preferences within groups, identifying and characterizing points of overlap and disagreement, and helping humans communicate with other humans about what their values are, what norms they endorse, their reasons for their moral views, etc. Insofar as decisions about technology design, implementation, maintenance, modification, etc., should be informed by the values and preferences of stakeholders, researchers might use AI systems to more effectively request and synthesize inputs from ordinary people about how various designs are falling short in ethically-significant dimensions. Alternately, philosophers may want to develop AI agents for engaging in dialogue or negotiating on behalf of individuals or interest groups.

The project is not committed from the outset to the idea that AI systems should be incorporated into ethics methodology any time soon or even ever. There are many potential objections to incorporating AI into ethics—e.g. that human individuals bear special duties to perform certain aspects of ethical reasoning or discernment for themselves, that use of AI within certain ethics tasks would reduce the value of those tasks, or that the opaqueness of the AI systems involved mean that humans cannot rely on AI systems for certain purposes.

In this PhD project, the student will characterize some ways in which AI might conceivably be used to improve ethics methodology and they will develop and defend a position on whether humans should or should not attempt to incorporate AI into ethical methodology in those ways.

This PhD position will be part of the Ethics of Socially Disruptive Technologies (ESDiT) programme, a ten-year international research programme of seven academic institutions in the Netherlands that started in January 2020. This programme has a combined budget of €27 million and is funded by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) in the Gravitation funding scheme for excellent research, and by matching funds from the participating institutions. The duration of the programme is from January 2020 to December 2029. The programme has the aim of achieving breakthrough research in at the intersection of ethics, philosophy, technology/engineering and social sciences, and to position its consortium at the top of its field internationally. A key objective is to investigate how new technologies challenge moral values and ontological concepts (like “nature”, “human being” and “community”), and how these challenges necessitate a revision of these concepts. The programme includes four research lines, “Nature, Life and Human Intervention”, “The Future of a Free and Fair Society”, “The Human Condition,” and “Foundations & Synthesis”.

This PhD position will be situated within the Foundations & Synthesis research line, and it will contribute to the ESDiT research objective on “New approaches for ethical assessment and guidance of SDTs”. A fuller description of the Foundations & Synthesis research line, as well as the programme as a whole, can be found through the ESDiT website: https://www.esdit.nl/

You will be embedded within the Philosophy & Ethics group in the Faculty of Industrial Engineering and Innovation Sciences at TU/e. Philosophy & Ethics at TU/e is a vibrant international community, consisting of around 30 members with research interests ranging from philosophy of science and technology to ethics and the philosophy of AI. We have strong cooperation with other departments and the new Eindhoven Artificial Intelligence Systems Institute (EAISI). TU/e is part of the 4TU Ethics consortium (https://ethicsandtechnology.eu/ ), (comprised of TU/e, Delft, Twente, and Wageningen), where we cooperate closely on research and education of students.

The project will be supervised by Elizabeth O’Neill and Philip Nickel.

Please note that there are other vacancies in the Ethics of Socially Disruptive Technologies programme at different participating universities. In case several are of interest to you, we encourage you to apply to them simultaneously.

Job requirements

We are looking for a PhD candidate who has:

A completed master’s degree in philosophy, preferably in normative ethics, applied ethics, metaethics, ethics of technology, or philosophy of technology.
Excellent speaking and writing skills in English.
An aptitude for independent work.
A background in computer science, especially machine learning, is a plus.
Conditions of employment

A meaningful job in a dynamic and ambitious university, in an interdisciplinary setting and within an international network. You will work on a beautiful, green campus within walking distance of the central train station. In addition, we offer you:

Full-time employment for four years, with an intermediate evaluation (go/no-go) after nine months. You will spend 10% of your employment on teaching tasks.
Salary and benefits (such as a pension scheme, paid pregnancy and maternity leave, partially paid parental leave) in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, scale P (min. €2,770 max. €3,539).
A year-end bonus of 8.3% and annual vacation pay of 8%.
High-quality training programs and other support to grow into a self-aware, autonomous scientific researcher. At TU/e we challenge you to take charge of your own learning process.
An excellent technical infrastructure, on-campus children's day care and sports facilities.
An allowance for commuting, working from home and internet costs.
A Staff Immigration Team and a tax compensation scheme (the 30% facility) for international candidates.
ESDiT PhD students are encouraged to spend a semester abroad, for which a budget is available to cover expenses; a generous conference travel budget is also available for the position.

Everyone deserves to feel at home at our university. TU/e as well as the larger ESDiT research program encourage applications from women, scholars with disabilities, scholars from minority backgrounds, and other persons from groups that are currently underrepresented in philosophy.

Information and application

About us

Eindhoven University of Technology is an internationally top-ranking university in the Netherlands that combines scientific curiosity with a hands-on attitude. Our spirit of collaboration translates into an open culture and a top-five position in collaborating with advanced industries. Fundamental knowledge enables us to design solutions for the highly complex problems of today and tomorrow.

Curious to hear more about what it’s like as a PhD candidate at TU/e? Please view the video.

Information

Do you recognize yourself in this profile and would you like to know more?
Please contact dr. Elizabeth O’Neill, e [dot] r [dot] h [dot] oneill [__at__] tue [dot] nl.

Visit our website for more information about the application process or the conditions of employment. You can also contact HRServices [dot] IEIS [__at__] tue [dot] nl.

Are you inspired and would like to know more about working at TU/e? Please visit our career page.

Application

We invite you to submit a complete application by using the apply button.
The application should include a:

Cover letter in which you describe your motivation and qualifications for the position
Curriculum vitae and the contact information of three references
Brief description of your master’s thesis
One-page statement elaborating on your ideas for this project
Writing sample
We look forward to receiving your application and will screen it as soon as possible. The vacancy will remain open until the position is filled.

Desired start date (negotiable): Dec. 1, 2024