PHD Position

PhD position in moral philosophy, conceptual engineering, and the ethics of emerging technologies. The Department of Ethics, Social and Political Philosophy is inviting applications for a fully funded doctoral position. Candidates are encouraged to submit their own research proposals engaging with questions at the intersection of moral philosophy, conceptual engineering, and ethics of emerging technologies.

Proposals may address themes such as conceptual ethics; meaningful human control; responsibility and control gaps; value-sensitive design; the ethics of autonomous and AI-driven systems; democratic design and governance of autonomous systems in public contexts; the moral justification of predictive systems used by public authorities; or the use of generative AI in universities and its effects on institutional power relations.

• Finished, or close to finishing, a Master’s degree in philosophy, with substantial prior training in philosophy (typically a Bachelor’s and Master’s in philosophy or a two-year Master’s program devoted to philosophy).
• Strong motivation for pursuing a PhD, and demonstrable time management and organizational skills.
• Demonstrable capacity to cooperate in an academic research environment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.

• Develop and conduct an original doctoral research project in moral philosophy, conceptual engineering, or the ethics of emerging technologies.
• Formulate and refine a coherent research proposal that addresses theoretical and/or applied ethical questions related to emerging technologies.
• Investigate topics such as conceptual revision, meaningful human control, responsibility and control gaps, value-sensitive design, and the ethics of AI-driven or autonomous systems.
• Prepare written outputs based on research, such as conference papers, articles, and thesis chapters.

Temporary full-time doctoral employment for a period of four years, with extensive opportunities for personal and professional development.

• End-of-year bonus (8.3%) and holiday allowance (8%).
• Flexibility to adjust working hours in exchange for more or fewer free hours.
• Support for career and skills development through training and mentoring opportunities.

De Faculteit Wijsbegeerte is een kleinschalige faculteit binnen de universiteit. Met ongeveer 90 medewerkers en 480 studenten vormen we een hechte academische gemeenschap met een open karakter, korte lijnen en een informele cultuur. We waarderen zowel fundamenteel als toegepast onderzoek en werken veel in interdisciplinaire en transdisciplinaire verbanden. Ons onderwijs en onderzoek worden al jarenlang hoog gewaardeerd door nationale en internationale visitatiecommissies. De faculteit wordt breed erkend als een van de toonaangevende filosofische centra in Europa. We zijn georganiseerd in drie vakgroepen: Theoretische Filosofie, Geschiedenis van de Filosofie en Ethiek, Sociale en Politieke Filosofie.