PhD Ethics and Philosophy of Technology

PhD Ethics and Philosophy of Technology Apply Now Job description

Digital technology is everywhere nowadays. We interact with recommender systems on digital platforms such as Facebook, Netflix, or Amazon. We converse with virtual personal assistants like Alexa or Siri and receive care and pleasure from specialised robots. More and more, we interact with increasingly autonomous artificial agents, in and outside of virtual environments. As a result, our epistemic environment is changing at a breathtaking speed while our capacities to navigate the environment, and decide when quick decision can be made and when we need to step back and reflect, struggle to keep up.

New technologies do not automatically lead to better environments to acquire true beliefs and maintain virtues online. The spread of fake news and conspiracy theories, the diminution of attentional capacities, and the corruption of interpersonal relations are just some of the ways in which digital platforms can lead to problems. These developments require better theories about how we can make good (epistemic) use of our changed environments and how these environments should be structured to safeguard autonomous and reasonable behaviour.

This PhD project will explore how we can flourish in a world inhabited by increasingly autonomous artificial agents such as recommender systems. Within this general setting, candidates are free to formulate their own more detailed research questions and directions. To name some of the relevant research directions:

What virtues should we cultivate as individuals and groups in our interactions with digital environments?

What affordances and scaffolds (taking inspiration from epistemology and situated cognition) are needed for successful (epistemic) interactions with digital environments?

How does manipulative influence (turning to moral and legal theories) manifest itself in digital environments and what can we do to prevent widespread manipulation?

How do we design digital environments in such a way (using and/or adapting design for values methodologies) to make them places where we flourish?

The successful candidate will work under the supervision of Prof. dr. Jeroen van den Hoven (promotor) and dr. Lavinia Marin or dr. Michael Klenk (daily supervisor). In addition, the candidate will be a part of the TU Delft Digital Ethics Centre (see tudelft.nl/digitalethics) and its community of researchers focused on operationalizing ethical values in digital technologies.

Requirements

You will have completed, prior to appointment, a Master's degree or equivalent degree in philosophy. If you do not have yet a Master's degree, you need to have at least a defense date.

An affinity to digital technology is considered during the selection process, and background knowledge in digital technology would be ideal.

The core requirement for the position is, however, a strong profile in philosophy. In addition, we look for:

Strong conceptual and analytic skills

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.

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, increasing from € 2541 per month in the first year to € 3247 in the fourth year. As a PhD candidate you will be enrolled in the TU Delft Graduate School. The TU Delft Graduate School provides an inspiring research environment with an excellent team of supervisors, academic staff and a mentor. The Doctoral Education Programme is aimed at developing your transferable, discipline-related and research skills.

The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, discounts on health insurance and sport memberships, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged.

For international applicants, TU Delft has the Coming to Delft Service. This service provides information for new international employees to help you prepare the relocation and to settle in the Netherlands. The Coming to Delft Service offers a Dual 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

For more information about this vacancy, please contact Stefan Buijsman, [email protected]

For more information about the application procedure, please contact Olivie Beek, HR advisor, [email protected]

Application procedure

Are you interested in this vacancy? Please apply before 26 May 2023 via the application button and upload:

A current CV.

A statement of interest in the position and in working with the TU Delft Digital Ethics Centre.

Optionally, a short research proposal (no more than two pages) with the research the applicant would like to do during the PhD.

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.

Faculty/Department

Faculty of Technology, Policy & Management

Job Type

PhD

Scientific field

Behaviour and Society

Hours per week

36 - 40

Salary

€ 2.541,00 - € 3.247,00

Desired level of education

University graduate

Vacancy number

TUD03817

Method of applying

Via system Job description

Digital technology is everywhere nowadays. We interact with recommender systems on digital platforms such as Facebook, Netflix, or Amazon. We converse with virtual personal assistants like Alexa or Siri and receive care and pleasure from specialised robots. More and more, we interact with increasingly autonomous artificial agents, in and outside of virtual environments. As a result, our epistemic environment is changing at a breathtaking speed while our capacities to navigate the environment, and decide when quick decision can be made and when we need to step back and reflect, struggle to keep up.

New technologies do not automatically lead to better environments to acquire true beliefs and maintain virtues online. The spread of fake news and conspiracy theories, the diminution of attentional capacities, and the corruption of interpersonal relations are just some of the ways in which digital platforms can lead to problems. These developments require better theories about how we can make good (epistemic) use of our changed environments and how these environments should be structured to safeguard autonomous and reasonable behaviour.

This PhD project will explore how we can flourish in a world inhabited by increasingly autonomous artificial agents such as recommender systems. Within this general setting, candidates are free to formulate their own more detailed research questions and directions. To name some of the relevant research directions:

What virtues should we cultivate as individuals and groups in our interactions with digital environments?

What affordances and scaffolds (taking inspiration from epistemology and situated cognition) are needed for successful (epistemic) interactions with digital environments?

How does manipulative influence (turning to moral and legal theories) manifest itself in digital environments and what can we do to prevent widespread manipulation?

How do we design digital environments in such a way (using and/or adapting design for values methodologies) to make them places where we flourish?

The successful candidate will work under the supervision of Prof. dr. Jeroen van den Hoven (promotor) and dr. Lavinia Marin or dr. Michael Klenk (daily supervisor). In addition, the candidate will be a part of the TU Delft Digital Ethics Centre (see tudelft.nl/digitalethics) and its community of researchers focused on operationalizing ethical values in digital technologies.

Requirements

You will have completed, prior to appointment, a Master's degree or equivalent degree in philosophy. If you do not have yet a Master's degree, you need to have at least a defense date.

An affinity to digital technology is considered during the selection process, and background knowledge in digital technology would be ideal.

The core requirement for the position is, however, a strong profile in philosophy. In addition, we look for:

Strong conceptual and analytic skills

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.

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, increasing from € 2541 per month in the first year to € 3247 in the fourth year. As a PhD candidate you will be enrolled in the TU Delft Graduate School. The TU Delft Graduate School provides an inspiring research environment with an excellent team of supervisors, academic staff and a mentor. The Doctoral Education Programme is aimed at developing your transferable, discipline-related and research skills.

The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, discounts on health insurance and sport memberships, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged.

For international applicants, TU Delft has the Coming to Delft Service. This service provides information for new international employees to help you prepare the relocation and to settle in the Netherlands. The Coming to Delft Service offers a Dual 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

For more information about this vacancy, please contact Stefan Buijsman, [email protected]

For more information about the application procedure, please contact Olivie Beek, HR advisor, [email protected]

Application procedure

Are you interested in this vacancy? Please apply before 26 May 2023 via the application button and upload:

A current CV.

A statement of interest in the position and in working with the TU Delft Digital Ethics Centre.

Optionally, a short research proposal (no more than two pages) with the research the applicant would like to do during the PhD.

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.