Ph.D. Student in ethics (fulltime) | University of Twente

The Department of Philosophy of the University of Twente in the Netherlands is looking for a Ph.D. student in ethics (fulltime) for the EU-funded SATORI project for the development of a European framework for the ethical assessment of scientific research and technological innovation.

The challenge

The PhD position is part of a prestigious and exciting four-year project, SATORI, which is a EU-FP7-funded “Science and Society” project with a total budget of 4.7 million euros. The aim of the project is to develop common methods, standards and approaches for the ethical assessment of research and innovation within Europe, to the benefit of assessors, stakeholders and society as a whole, and in association with major non-European partners, especially the US and China. The results of the project are to be utilized by a variety of assessors, including funding agencies, research ethics committees, policy makers, industry, NGOs, and others.

The project will concern itself with issues such as the potential impact of research and innovation on the environment, health, privacy, and civil rights, issues of globalization and internationalization of research, responsible product design, scientific integrity, informed consent, ethical issues in human subjects research and the social responsibility of industry, scientists, engineers, and other relevant actors, with the aim of proposing unified frameworks and approaches. It will also consider the legal and policy framework for these issues, and make policy recommendations. The sixteen partners from thirteen countries in the project aim to develop standards and approaches for implementation within Europe, in close association with relevant stakeholders inside and outside Europe. The consortium includes universities, government entities, standardization agencies, industry, civil society/NGO actors, corporate partners, and UNESCO as a transnational partner. The project will start in January 2014.

Professor Philip Brey of the Department of Philosophy at the University of Twente is the coordinator (leader) of the project and one of its main researchers. As a PhD student in the project, you will be working closely with Prof. Brey in developing the framework for the project and you will also have an assisting role in coordination of the project. Prof. Brey is full professor in philosophy, with a focus on ethics and technology.

The challenge

You will be working on a dissertation in which you focus on many of the central issues in the project, including the possibility of developing such a unified framework, the shape of such a framework, and its implementation and utilization for and by various types of assessors. You will be studying relevant differences in approaches by various types of assessors, as well as differences between European countries, and issues concerning the internationalization of research and innovation. Most of your work will be directed at the study and development of ethical frameworks, approaches and protocols for the assessment of scientific research and (technological) innovation. Your dissertation is in large part the result of your research within various work packages for the project.

You will also be co-authoring reports for various scientific reports for the project, including reports on a comparative analysis of ethics assessment between different types of assessors, countries, and scientific disciplines, legal aspects of ethics assessment and the impact of globalization, outline of a common ethics framework, measuring the impact of ethics assessment, and policy recommendations. You attend project meetings with the consortium, and relevant workshops and conferences across Europe.

You are expected to submit your work for publication in peer-review journals.

As part of your tasks, you will be assisting prof. Brey with the coordination and management of the project.

Our offer

We offer you a four-year full-time Ph.D. position, starting December 1st, 2013 or January 1st, 2014, and at the end you should have completed your PhD thesis. The gross salary is € 2.083,- per month in the first year going up to € 2.664,- in the fourth year. Additionally, the University of twente provides excellent facilities for professional and personal development, a holiday allowance (amounts to 8%), an end-of-year bonus (amounts to 8,3%) and a number of additional benefits. The position also comes with a travel budget.

Your profile

A master’s degree or equivalent degree in ethics or a related area in philosophy, preferably, but not necessarily, with a focus on research ethics (including ethics of medicine, natural science, social science, humanities, or engineering) and/or ethics of innovation and/or technology.

Good analytical skills. Good ability to do conceptual work and to construct new (ethical) theories and frameworks. Preferably experience in collecting and analyzing empirical data, or a willingness to learn and apply such skills. Good communication skills in English, in writing as well as orally. Good team spirit. Creativity, open-mindedness, and an ability to develop new ideas. Willingness to travel.

Information and application

For further information please contact the project leader, Prof. dr. P.A.E. Brey (e-mail: Αυτή η διεύθυνση Email προστατεύεται από τους αυτοματισμούς αποστολέων ανεπιθύμητων μηνυμάτων. Χρειάζεται να ενεργοποιήσετε τη JavaScript για να μπορέσετε να τη δείτε.; phone: +31-53-4894426). He can also provide you with a fuller description of the SATORI project.

Your application should contain the following documents: a letter of application; a Curriculum Vitae which includes the name and e-mail address/telephone number of one or more referents, preferably including the supervisor of your master’s thesis; a copy of your master’s thesis (or, if more relevant, a publication); an academic transcript that contains a list of subjects taken and grades received (this may be an unofficial version or scanned copy; we can request the original later).

Your application should be uploaded no later than October 20th, 2013. Since this website only accepts three documents per application, please combine the transcript together with your CV or your thesis into one document. Job interviews will be held in the last week of October.

The Organisation

Within the University of Twente, the Faculty of Behavioral Sciences, which houses the department of philosophy, offers the following Bachelor programmes: Educational Science (OWK), Communication Studies (CW) and Psychology (PSY), and the following Master programmes: Educational Science and Technology (EST), Philosophy of Science, Technology and Society (PSTS), Communication Studies (CS), Psychology (PSY) and two Masters for Teachers.

Most of the faculty’s research is carried out within the Institute for Governance Studies (IGS) and focuses on the themes Health and Safety, Labor and Organization, Knowledge and Education and Communication and Media. Furthermore research is carried out within the Institute for Biomedical Technology and Technical Medicine (MIRA), The institute for nanotechnology (MESA+) and the Institute for Information and Communication Technology (CTIT).