We are looking for two enthusiastic and ambitious PhD candidates that are interested in conducting research that will contribute to better working conditions in European industry. The candidates will join our project on developing and testing human-centric approaches to work and industry in Europe within the context of a a new Horizon Europe project called SESIMEC. The SEISMEC consortium combines over 30 partners from 17 different EU member with strong expertise in artificial intelligence, automation, social sciences, human resource management, industrial environments, among others. Erasmus University Rotterdam is the coordinator of this project, bringing a social science perspective to enable human-centric approaches.

SEISMEC will demonstrate the concept of human-centricity in a diverse set of industry sectors, scales and sociotechnical contexts. To do this, we will conduct 17 pilots covering the 14 industrial ecosystems identified in the European Industrial Strategy.

The two PhD candidates will fit the following profiles:

• Profile 1 (Structural Dimensions of Human-Centrism): The first PhD candidate will focus on the work carried out in SEISMEC aiming to position advanced technology implementation within ethical, legal, social, environmental, and cultural contexts, including aspects of skills and employment. The candidate will contribute to a review of literature on systemic dimensions of human-centric technology implementation, review and adapt an implemented framework based and evaluate their appropriateness by incorporating information and feedback from the SEISMEC pilots.
• Profile 2 (Methods for worker participation in design, technology and organization of work): The second PhD candidate will develop and implement methods that allow industrial workers to participate and assess human centric innovations, including technology and management innovations. These methods will introduce a participatory dimension to the future of work, incorporating insights from social and organizational sciences, as well as the expertise of consortium partners. This work will be carried out mostly within Work Packages 2 and 3 of SEISMEC, but will also inform the findings of the project in regards to privacy, data protection and ethical best practices.

Job description
The successful candidate will be based at the Department of Media and Communication of the ESHCC and will carry out the following tasks:

Research (0.8 fte)
Conducting PhD research.

Publishing and presenting research results in the form of articles in international peer reviewed journals and papers at international conferences.

Writing a dissertation within the time frame of the SEISMEC project (Jan 2024 to Dec 2027).

Taking part in meetings, seminars, workshops etc. that are organized by the Erasmus Research Institute for Media, Culture, History and Society (ERMeCHS) and the department of Media and Communication.

Teaching (0.2 fte)
Performing junior teaching tasks in the degree programmes in the field of Media and Communication provided by ESHCC, primarily through tutorial group teaching in the International Bachelor of Communication and Media (IBCoM) and the premaster in Media and Creative Industries in the first years of the appointment.

A Master’s degree in Media Studies, Communication, Business, Management, or the Social Sciences is required, as well as an interest to develop a good knowledge of quantitative and qualitative research methods and data analysis skills. The candidate must possess skills to do research in cooperation with others and a keen interest in multidisciplinary research approaches is preferred. Proficiency in spoken and written English is a must.

As a PhD Candidate at the Erasmus Research Institute for Media, Culture, History & Society (ERMeCHS), you will have ample opportunity to collaborate with renowned academics with an international and interdisciplinary approach.

Additional tasks include:

• Collecting data using qualitative (focus groups) and quantitative (survey, experiment) methods and data analysis;
• Engaging in bi-annual consortium meetings and in bilateral meetings with selected partners.
• Communicating research findings to a broader audience.

• A Master’s degree in the social sciences, including communication, sociology, science and technology studies, public administration, business, management or other related social sciences; candidates with a research master degree are preferred;
• Openness to engage with research partners from multiple field and cultural contexts
• An interest to further develop your quantitative and qualitative research methods and data analysis skills
• A keen interest in multidisciplinary research approaches
• Knowledge of or an interest in technology, digitalisation, AI, work practices, and European industry is required
• Excellent interpersonal skills to work with multiple stakeholders and industrry partners
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Organisational experience and skills
• Didactic potential. Teaching experience is considered an advantage
• Proficiency in spoken and written English. Non-English speakers have to meet the C1-standards of the Common European Framework (CEF).

We offer you an internationally oriented and varied job in an enthusiastic team, with excellent working conditions in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU).

The starting date of this position is 1 May 2024 (or earlier) and you will be based at the Department of Media and Communication in the Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication (ESHCC). This position is 1 FTE. The salary is dependent on your experience and knowledge and ranges from a minimum of € 2.770 to a maximum of € 3.539 gross per month (scale PhD) on a fulltime basis (38 hours), in accordance with the CAO-NU. The duration of the initial contract is 18 months and will be extended until the end of the project upon good evaluation and unchanged organizational circumstances.

Everything else we offer you, you can find below!

• Everything you need for a good work-life balance: the option to work from home in consultation with your manager, 41 days of paid leave with a 40 hour contract, 8% holiday pay and an 8.3% end-of-year bonus, and a significant discount on a subscription for our on-campus sports centre!
• Sustainable, inclusive and diverse work environment with an open culture, where you can be yourself and we pay attention to each other and to the world around us. Make the most of our bicycle budget, or join networks such as Young@EUR, FAME, QuEUR, or Young Erasmus Academy.
• Time and space for your development in the broadest sense: development days and a personal career budget, foreign exchange opportunities with most costs paid by EUR, and free access to our university library.
• Good pension with ABP that EUR contributes 2/3rds towards, discounts on various collective insurances with Zilveren Kruis Achmea, Loyalis, and Allianz, and compensation for travel, working from home and home internet use.

Erasmus University Rotterdam

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) is an internationally oriented university with a strong social orientation in its education and research, as expressed in our mission ‘Creating positive societal impact’. EUR is home to 3.700 academics and professionals and almost 33.000 students from more than 140 countries. Everything we do, we do under the credo The Erasmian Way – Making Minds Matter. We’re global citizens, connecting, entrepreneurial, open-minded, and socially involved. These Erasmian Values function as our internal compass and create EUR’s distinctive and recognizable profile. From these values, with a broad perspective and with an eye for diversity, different backgrounds and opinions, our employees work closely together to solve societal challenges from the dynamic and cosmopolitan city of Rotterdam. Thanks to the high quality and positive societal impact of our research and education, EUR can compete with the top European universities. www.eur.nl.

Faculty / Institute / Central service
The Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication (ESHCC) is part of Erasmus University Rotterdam. The school has three departments: History, Arts and Culture and Media & Communication. There are approximately 2500 students and 220 employees.

ESHCC offers high quality education, based on scientific research, at the intersection of the Humanities and Social Sciences. We teach our ambitious, Dutch and international students in a stimulating learning environment. After graduation, they will have acquired the knowledge, insight and skills to make an important and inspiring contribution to an increasingly international society in which diversity plays a major role.

The ESHCC also has an ambitious research agenda. We want to strengthen our involvement in multidisciplinary research, expand the share of external funding in our total research funding and increase our social impact. ESHCC is working towards one research institute, the Erasmus Institute for Media, Culture, History and Society (ERMeCHS).

ERMeCHS (Erasmus Research Institute for Media, Culture, History & Society) is a research centre located within the Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication at Erasmus University Rotterdam. The Centre was founded in 2023, as a merger of former research centres ERMeCC and History @ Erasmus, by members of the Departments of Media and Communication, Arts and Culture Studies and History. Researchers at the Centre are dedicated to carrying out interdisciplinary research on media, communication, culture, history, and society.

The PhD candidates will contribute and participate in the newly formed ERMeCHS cluster REACT (Responsible Engagement with AI, Culture and Technology).

Department
The Media and Communication Department is a dynamic, internationally oriented department within the ESHCC. The department offers five international degree programmes: the International Bachelor’s programme in Communication and Media (IBCoM), four international Master’s programmes in Media Studies (Media & Business, Media & Creative Industries, Media, Culture & Society, Digitalisation, Surveillance & Society) and the Research master in the Sociology of Culture, Media and the Arts. The department has close ties with ERMeCHS.