The Department of Philosophy is currently seeking to strengthen her profile in the broad area of the philosophy of technology. Artificial Intelligence, smart cities, robotics, or manipulative online practices: the current technological, social, and political transformations on the basis of new information and communication technologies affect almost every part of society and of our daily lives. Whether they concern the future of work, equal access to information and services, the relationship between citizens and democratic government, or between consumers and their technological surroundings: a broad range of ethical and philosophical issues concerning technologies and the ways in which they challenge our self-understanding is at the center of today’s debates.

Job description

The ideal candidate for this position will have (1) a strong record of publications in international peer-reviewed journals exemplifying a research focus on the philosophy of technology, or related fields such as the philosophy of Artificial Intelligence as well as (2) a broad philosophical background, that enables her/him to teach a wide variety of courses at both the BA and MA level, including academic skills.

We welcome applications from candidates with a broad knowledge in different philosophical traditions and a research expertise in the philosophy of (recent) technologies and related fields, focusing on contemporary philosophical and/or ethical issues concerning technologies.

Dependent on the research expertise, the new assistant professor will be part of one of the following research institute:

• Amsterdam School for Cultural Analysis (ASCA) or
• Institute for Logic, Language and Computation (ILLC)

The candidate is expected to take an active role in departmental activities, ranging from organizing and attending research seminars, to board memberships and grant applications. Excellent social skills, a deeply collegial attitude, and ability and willingness to take up substantial administrative tasks are particularly welcome.

The teaching package of the successful candidate will include a broad range of courses at all levels, including but not limited to BA electives and MA courses, and supervising BA and MA theses, as well as first year BA tutorials (werkgroepen), depending on the expertise of the candidate, and second year text-based courses with the focus on intensive training of academic skills such as careful and precise close reading, presentation techniques and academic writing. The candidate will thus have demonstrable experience with the type of teaching just indicated, including teaching to diverse student groups from different disciplines.

• PhD in Philosophy already defended at the time of application;
• research publications in international peer-reviewed journals;
• areas of competence: broad philosophical background, one or more areas fitting the departmental expertises, continental and/or analytic traditions;
• areas of specialization: philosophy or ethics of technology, and/or philosophy of artificial intelligence;
• broad teaching experience at BA and MA level;
• expected to teach BA and MA courses from first year tutorials to advanced, research-based, specialised modules, as well as text-based training of academic skills;
• ability to secure external funding;
• a thorough command of Dutch and English. If the candidate's native language is not Dutch, they are expected to be able to use Dutch as a working language within two years but preferably sooner;
• flexibility, readiness to participate in interdisciplinary cooperation and multidisciplinary development (verifiably focused on collaboration with other disciplines);
• amenable to personal and professional development that focuses on broad deployability.

Fixed-term contract: two years.

The initial appointment will be on a temporary basis for a period of two years with prospect on a permanent appointment. Subject to satisfactory performance, this temporary contract will be turned into a permanent contract.

The gross monthly salary will range from €3,637 (start scale 11) to €5,656 (end scale 12), based on a full-time appointment (38 hours a week). The UFO profile for this position is, dependent on relevant experience, Universitair docent 2 (scale 11) or Universitair docent 1 (scale 12). The Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities is applicable.

University of Amsterdam

With over 5,000 employees, 30,000 students and a budget of more than 600 million euros, the University of Amsterdam (UvA) is an intellectual hub within the Netherlands. Teaching and research at the UvA are conducted within seven faculties: Humanities, Social and Behavioural Sciences, Economics and Business, Law, Science, Medicine and Dentistry. Housed on four city campuses in or near the heart of Amsterdam, where disciplines come together and interact, the faculties have close links with thousands of researchers and hundreds of institutions at home and abroad.  

The UvA’s students and employees are independent thinkers, competent rebels who dare to question dogmas and aren’t satisfied with easy answers and standard solutions. To work at the UvA is to work in an independent, creative, innovative and international climate characterised by an open atmosphere and a genuine engagement with the city of Amsterdam and society.

Faculty of Humanities – Department of Philosophy

The Department of Philosophy at the Faculty of Humanities is uniquely positioned to research these issues. Initiatives to study the newly emerging connections between people, technologies and society are flourishing at the University of Amsterdam. At the UvA, AI already is a research priority (Human(e) AI. The University of Amsterdam has recently established four new chairs in the area of Artificial Intelligence, since the UvA aims to give an extra boost to its AI research and teaching. A number of scholars are doing research on related problems of the digital society and its technologies. Many of the scholars - in all disciplines or faculties - are at the same time reflecting on the ethical aspects of their research. The Department of Philosophy is actively involved in these initiatives.

The Faculty of Humanities provides education and conducts research with a strongly international profile in a large number of disciplines in the field of language and culture. Staff are offered the opportunity to collaborate with leading researchers at research schools that - partly as a result of their multidisciplinary approach - are world-renowned. Moreover, you will be teaching in a dynamic context in which new educational methods are being developed. Together with other new assistant professors you will participate in a comprehensive introductory programme, which includes obtaining the Dutch national certificate for professional university teaching (BKO) if not already in your possession. Employees focus on interdisciplinary collaboration, are verifiably broadly deployable and are prepared to be deployed in several teaching programmes.