Call for Applications:

The Leiden University Faculty of Humanities invites applications for a full professorship in Practical Philosophy. Starting date: 1st January 2014.

Chair (full professor) in Practical Philosophy, 38 hours per week (1,0 fte)
Vacancy number: 13-214

The chair is part of the Leiden University Institute of Philosophy (IPh). IPh conducts research in theoretical and practical philosophy. Within practical philosophy the focus is on ethics as well as political philosophy. The professor will be responsible for, and perform, research, undergraduate and graduate teaching, and PhD supervision in both areas. The professor will actively seek cooperation with other partners in Leiden University, including the Campus The Hague.

Leiden University
Founded in 1575, Leiden University is the oldest university in the Netherlands. Leiden University aims for an internationally recognized position as a top-ranking university within the European Higher Education and Research Areas. Leiden University is a member of the League of European Research Universities (LERU). Currently, Leiden University has around 20,000 students and 4,000 staff.

Faculty of Humanities
The Faculty of Humanities consists of the Institutes for Area Studies, Creative & Performing Arts, History, Linguistics, Philosophy, Religious Studies, and the Centre for Arts and Science. It has about 4,500 students and 800 staff. Staff and students come from all over the world. The faculty offers numerous BA and MA programmes. The majority of the MA programmes are taught in English. The faculty has a Graduate School with an annual output of about 50 PhDs. Faculty researchers are involved in several of the University’s key research areas: Asian Modernities and Traditions; Global Interaction of People, Culture and Power through the Ages; Language Diversity in the World; Political Legitimacy: Institutions and Identities; and Brain Function and Dysfunction over the Lifespan.

Institute of Philosophy
The members of IPh study philosophy in all its aspects and in relation to all subjects that are taught in the university. Research in IPh emphasizes the interaction between systematic and historical approaches to philosophy, and thrives on intensive national and international collaboration. IPh has defined two main research profiles: “Normativity and its sources: agency, interaction and conflict”, and “Philosophy of knowledge: the universal, the global, and the local”.
The new professor will lead a practical philosophy section that currently holds 3 permanent fulltime staff members working on political philosophy and ethics, with a growing number of postdocs and PhD candidates already acquired by this staff. The new professor will find ample opportunities of collaboration with partners in the Faculty of Humanities, Leiden University, and the Campus The Hague, which in a number of cases has already been developed to the point of realization. Contracts with UDP Santiago di Chile and Beijing Normal University have opened up staff and student exchange, as well as PhD trajectories, with two countries that are of growing international significance, also academically, not least for issues in practical philosophy. The chair thus has a great potential for growth.

Tasks
- Leadership of the Practical Philosophy section.
- Teaching and curriculum development at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, in lecture and seminar formats, primarily in ethics and political philosophy.
- Original research in practical philosophy.
- Initiation and supervision of postgraduate research.
- Acquisition of project funding.
- Co-directorship of the Centre for Political Philosophy.
- Development of activities that aim at cooperation with national and international partners of IPh.
- Contribution to running IPh projects, e.g., the development of teaching and research in comparative philosophy, and/or the exploration of philosophical aspects of the work of the Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC).
- Administrative and management duties within IPh and the Faculty of Humanities, as well as in research programmes and networks.
- Representation of the field to external audiences and media.
- Contribution to the university’s societal mission.

Your profile
- Excellent research qualities, apparent from a PhD degree and a high-quality, internationally acknowledged research and publication record.
- Disciplinary expertise in practical philosophy with competence in political philosophy.
- Ample experience and proven excellence in teaching in various forms of university education, as well as thesis supervision.
- Candidates who will be invited for an interview with the committee, will be asked to document their teaching qualities by means of evaluation reports, as well as syllabi and course outlines. Candidates should meet the requirements of the ‘BasisKwalificatie Onderwijs’ (BKO) (for detailed information, please see http://www.leidenuniv.nl/en/bko/content_docs/bko-final-attainment-object...).
- Openness to interdisciplinary cooperation.
- Proven ability to acquire funding for and manage international research projects.
- Demonstrated administrative, management and leadership abilities and readiness to participate actively in the administrative and management duties within IPh and the Faculty of Humanities, as well as in research programmes and networks.
- An excellent command of English (at the C1 level of the CEFR).

If the successful candidate does not speak Dutch, he/she is expected to acquire a good command of Dutch within two years from taking up duty (to the level of Staatsexamen NT2, Programma 2). Language acquisition facilities are available.

Leiden University requires staff to obtain the Basic Teaching Qualification (BKO). In case the successful applicant does not possess this qualification or its equivalent, the Institute will offer support in obtaining it.

We offer
The successful candidate is eligible for a permanent, fulltime appointment, provided his or her suitability is determined on the basis of previous experience as a full professor, and provided he or she has successfully completed a tenure track, or can demonstrate other broadly recognized achievements in teaching and research over a period of at least five years as a senior university lecturer (or comparable position). In other cases an appointment is initially for a period of five years, convertible into a permanent position pending satisfactory performance.

The gross monthly salary is set on € 5.003,- to € 7.285,- per month (scale H2), depending on qualifications. This is based upon a fulltime employment and in conformity with current salary scales under the collective employment agreement (cao) for Dutch Universities.

Candidates from outside the Netherlands may be eligible for a substantial tax break.

Procedure
The candidate will be asked to give a lecture as part of the application procedure, and may be required to participate in a management assessment.

Information
Prof. dr. H.W. van den Doel, Dean of the faculty of Humanities, P.O. Box 9515, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands, phone: +31 71 527 1628, leerstoelen [__at__] hum [dot] leidenuniv [dot] nl.

The Dean may also be contacted for inquiries and for recommending potential candidates.

Applications
The electronically submitted application should include a motivation letter, a curriculum vitae, a list of publications and courses taught, an outline of planned research (individual and/or team projects, 2 to 3 pages), and the names and contact details of three referees.

Please submit your application (with the vacancy number) before August 15, 2013, to Prof. dr. H.W. van den Doel, Dean of the faculty of Humanities, P.O. Box 9515, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands, phone: +31 71 527 1628, leerstoelen [__at__] hum [dot] leidenuniv [dot] nl.

Leiden University aims at employing more women in areas where they are underrepresented. Women are therefore especially invited to apply.

There is a full-time academic vacancy in the Institute of Philosophy at KU Leuven in the areas of philosophy of science / analytic ontology. We are looking for internationally oriented candidates with an excellent research record and with educational competence within the field of philosophy of science and/or analytic ontology.

Research
Candidates are expected to:
- develop a research programme at an international level in the areas of philosophy of science and/or analytic ontology.
- set up collaborations within and outside of the department. They support national and international collaborations of the research group and help promote and further develop these. They also actively assist in the development of the group's future research projects.
- acquire competitive funding and supervise PhDs at an international level.

Teaching
Candidates are expected to:
- deliver high-quality education within the area of analytic philosophy, with a clear commitment for the quality of the programme as a whole. They are prepared to teach courses and seminars in Dutch and English, to graduate and undergraduate students both at the Institute of Philosophy and other KU Leuven faculties. They also contribute to the pedagogic project of the faculty through the supervision of master theses and as a promoter of PhD students.
- develop their teachings in accordance with KU Leuven's vision on activating and researched-based education and make use of the possibilities for the educationalist professionalisation offered by the faculty and the university.

Service
Candidates are expected to provide scientific, social and internal services.

Requirements
Candidates are expected to:
- possess a PhD in Philosophy.
- have a strong research profile in the field of philosophy of science and/or analytic ontology. The quality of their research is proven by publications in leading journals and books and through international research experience.
- have demonstrable qualities related to academic education. Teaching experience is an advantage.
possess organizational skills and have a cooperative attitude. They also possess leadership capacities within a university context.
- A good command of English is required. KU Leuven provides courses in academic English.
- The administrative and educational language at KU Leuven is Dutch. If, at your appointment, you do not speak Dutch at all or do not speak it well, KU Leuven will provide a training offer that must equip you to be able to teach in Dutch within three years. If your teaching assignment is completely in a language other than Dutch, then it is expected that you have mastered the Dutch language to a level that will allow you to participate in the administrative meetings.

Offer:
- We are offering full-time employment in an intellectually challenging environment. KU Leuven is a research-intensive, internationally oriented university that carries out both fundamental and applied scientific research. It is highly inter- and multidisciplinarily focused and strives for international excellence. In this regard, it actively works together with research partners in Belgium and abroad. It provides its students with an academic education that is based on high-quality scientific research.
- You will work in Leuven, a historic, dynamic and lively city located in the heart of Belgium, within 20 minutes from Brussels, the capital of the European Union, and less than two hours from Paris, London and Amsterdam.
- Depending on your record and qualifications, you will be appointed to or tenured in one of the grades of the senior academic staff: assistant professor, associate professor, professor or full professor. In principle, junior researchers are appointed as assistant professor on the tenure track for a period of 5 years; after this period and a positive evaluation, they are permanently appointed (or tenured) as an associate professor.

Interested?

Before applying, candidates are kindly requested to contact Prof. G. Van Riel, chair of the Appointment Committee of the Institute of Philosophy, Kard. Mercierplein, 2, B-3000 Leuven, e-mail: gerd [dot] vanriel [__at__] hiw [dot] kuleuven [dot] be or Prof. Bart Raymaekers, dean (elect) of the Institute of Philosophy, Kard. Mercierplein, 2, B-3000 Leuven, e-mail: bart [dot] raymaekers [__at__] hiw [dot] kuleuven [dot] be.

The candidate is to carry out a research project titled ‘Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason in light of Baumgarten’s Metaphysics’. The project is part of a program titled ‘Kant’s critical conception of a metaphysical system: its origin, characteristics, and transformation in early post-Kantian philosophy’. See for a detailed description of the project: http://hiw.kuleuven.be/eng/jobsscholarships.html

Requirements:

- MA in Philosophy
- Independent and self-motivated
- Excellent writing skills
- A high level of proficiency in English
- Proficiency in German and Latin

The candidate will conduct research with the aim of publishing a doctoral thesis and presenting the results of her/his research in journals and at conferences. Candidates are expected to assist in the organization of workshops and/or conferences. They will be charged with minor teaching responsabilities (up to 2 hours a week during the academic year) and/or administrative tasks (up to 4 hours a week during the academic year).

Duration: 2 years (extendable with another 2 years)

The KU Leuven pursues a policy of equal opportunity and diversity.

Apart from a letter and c.v., applications should include a writing sample and the names and contact details of two academic referees. Applications can be submitted at
http://www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jobsite/vacancies.html

Ethical Issues in Synthetic Biology

The Department of Media, Cognition and Communication, Faculty of Humanities, University of Copenhagen, Denmark, invites applications for a 3-year PhD scholarship. The position is part of the bioSYNergy project which is funded by the University of Copenhagen?s Excellence Programme for Interdisciplinary Research. The successful candidate will be affiliated with the Department of Media, Cognition, and Communication, and will be expected to begin on September 1, 2013 or as soon as possible thereafter.

Description of the project
The aim of the PhD project is to investigate ethical and other philosophical issues pertinent to the emerging field of synthetic biology. The project should contribute to the bioSYNergy project?s aim to promote an ethically sound approach to synthetic biology and engagement in proactive communication of research advances. We are happy to consider applicants who, whilst having a strong academic record, have not previously worked on the research areas covered by the project. The successful applicant will already have a Masters degree in philosophy. The application should include a proposal outlining the overall aims and methodology of the PhD project as well as a time-plan.

The application should include a proposal outlining the overall aims and methodology of the PhD project as well as a time-plan. Follow the link for more information:http://phd.humanities.ku.dk/how_to_apply/proposalguidelines/

Deadline for application: May 29 2013.

No supplementary documents will be taken into consideration after this deadline.

To see the full version of the call, and information on how to apply please visit the PhD School?s website:http://phd.humanities.ku.dk/how_to_apply/calls/

Please note that all applications must be submitted via an electronic application system.

Apply online