Would you like to pursue a PhD on intercultural ethics of existential risk? Then apply for a fully funded position at TU Delft's Philosophy Section.
Job description
Philosophers are increasingly concerned with the impact of socially disruptive technologies on our existing concepts as well as new ones. One such concept that has recently emerged as a response to changing socio-technical circumstances is that of existential risks. Most discussions in the field don't pay attention to intercultural philosophical perspectives. For instance, the concept of existential risk finds its roots in a specific brand of Western-centric normative thinking, thereby influencing how we frame and approach what we find valuable and important for the purposes of preventing existential risks from materializing. The primary goal of the project is to study existential risks as part of 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.
This PhD position will be part of the Ethics of Socially Disruptive Technologies programme, ESDiT, a 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, and by matching funds from the participating institutions. The duration 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 "Foundation and Synthesis: Ethics of Technology, Practical Philosophy, and Modern Technology-Driven Societies".
This PhD project will be embedded in the Foundation and Synthesis line, as well as in the intercultural track that cross-cuts through the whole program. More information can be found on the ESDiT website: https://www.esdit.nl/ The candidate is expected to play an active role in the project described above and to participate actively in the workshops, public events, courses and other activities of the ESDiT programme in general and the "Foundation and Synthesis" research line and intercultural track in particular. ESDiT-PhD students are encouraged to spend a semester abroad, and a budget is available to cover expenses. Furthermore, generous (conference) travel budgets are available for the position.
The supervisory team for this position will consist of dr. Kritika Maheshwari (TU Delft), dr. Gunter Bombaerts (TU Eindhoven) and Prof.dr. Sabine Roeser (TU Delft). The position is based at the Ethics and Philosophy of Technology Section at the Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management (TPM) at TU Delft, which provides a stimulating and internationally oriented research environment. The candidate will participate in the activities of in the Graduate Schools of TU Delft, of the Faculty of TPM, and of the 4TU.Center for Ethics and Technology. Our PhD candidates also are expected to take on a small number of teaching tasks, under supervision.
Requirements
- You will have completed, prior to appointment, a Master's degree or equivalent degree in moral or theoretical philosophy, but other Master's degrees will also be considered if you have demonstrable expertise in conceptual problems and approaches to normative justification, in close connection with the themes of the research project.
- Familiarity with ongoing discussions in existential risk research is greatly valued.
- Strong conceptual and analytic skills.
- You have proven affinity with technology and the philosophy of technology.
- You have acquaintance with intercultural philosophy approaches.
- Relative to experience, you have excellent research skills and excellent academic writing and presentation skills.
- You can work both independently and as part of a team.
- You have a high level of proficiency in English
Doing a PhD at TU Delft requires English proficiency at a certain level to ensure that the candidate is able to communicate and interact well, participate in English-taught Doctoral Education courses, and write scientific articles and a final thesis. For more details please check the Graduate Schools Admission Requirements.
Conditions of employment
Doctoral candidates will be offered a 4-year period of employment in principle, but in the form of 2 employment contracts. An initial 1,5 year contract with an official go/no go progress assessment within 15 months. Followed by an additional contract for the remaining 2,5 years assuming everything goes well and performance requirements are met.
T Flexible work schedules can be arranged.
For international applicants, TU Delft has the Coming to Delft ServiceDual Career Programme for partners and they organise events to expand your (social) network.
TU Delft (Delft University of Technology)
Delft University of Technology is built on strong foundations. As creators of the world-famous Dutch waterworks and pioneers in biotech, TU Delft is a top international university combining science, engineering and design. It delivers world class results in education, research and innovation to address challenges in the areas of energy, climate, mobility, health and digital society. For generations, our engineers have proven to be entrepreneurial problem-solvers, both in business and in a social context.
At TU Delft we embrace diversity as one of our core values and we actively engage to be a university where you feel at home and can flourish. We value different perspectives and qualities. We believe this makes our work more innovative, the TU Delft community more vibrant and the world more just. Together, we imagine, invent and create solutions using technology to have a positive impact on a global scale. That is why we invite you to apply. Your application will receive fair consideration.
Challenge. Change. Impact!
Faculty Technology, Policy and Management
The Faculty of TPM provides an important contribution to solving complex technical-social issues, such as energy transition, mobility, digitalisation, water management and (cyber) security. TPM does this with its excellent education and research at the intersection of technology, society and policy. We combine insights from both engineering and social sciences as well as the humanities. TPM develops robust models and designs, is internationally oriented and has an extensive network of knowledge institutions, companies, social organisations and governments.
Click here to go to the website of the Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management.
Additional information
Application procedure
30 August 2024
via the application button and upload:- A 1 page cover letter stating your motivation to apply for this specific position.
- A 1 page research note setting out your ideas for this project.
- A CV.
- Academic grade transcripts.
- An academic writing sample, in English.
The intended starting date for this PhD position is December 1st 2024.
Interviews with selected candidates will presumably be held on the following dates: 1st round: 16 September 2024 (online), 2nd round: 26 September 2024 (in person at TU Delft).
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 want to encourage you to apply to them simultaneously. In our research as well as in the composition of our teams we strive to for diversity and inclusivity. We especially encourage candidates from underrepresented groups in academia to apply. And we also encourage candidates to bring in novel perspectives, e.g. Grounded in non-Western philosophical approaches or approaches from underrepresented perspectives.
Also note:
- A pre-employment screening can be part of the selection procedure.
- You can apply online. We will not process applications sent by email and/or post.
- Please do not contact us for unsolicited services.