The Department of Philosophy at the University of Twente is looking for an assistant Professor in ethics or political philosophy, focusing on emerging technology and its role in society (e.g., biomedical, environmental, digital) for two years with a prospect for a permanent position.

The Challenge

For the research part of your appointment, you will develop your own research line. This will initially be developed within Ethics of Socially Disruptive Technologies, a new ten-year long international research programme of seven academic institutions in the Netherlands that will run from January 2020 to December 2029. This programme has the aim of achieving breakthrough research in at the intersection of ethics, philosophy, technology / engineering and social sciences, and to position its consortium at the top of its field internationally. It has a combined budget of € 27 million ! It includes four research lines, “Nature, life and human intervention”, “The future of a free and fair society”, “The human condition” and “Synthesis: Ethics of Technology, Practical Philosophy, and Modern Technology Driven Societies”. Please note that we will be advertising other positions in this programme and that you can apply for several at once.

Your research will further be embedded in the research programme of the University of Twente as well as in the four-university 4TU.Center for Ethics and Technology (www.ethicsandtechnology.eu). We expect candidates to apply for external funding and to engage in international and interdisciplinary collaboration.

You teach courses within your specialization area in the master programme in Philosophy of Science, Technology and Society (PSTS). You also teach introductory courses in different areas of philosophy, for bachelor and master programs in engineering and social science. You are involved in the supervision of master’s theses in the PSTS programme and will at some point supervise PhD students.

The division of tasks is 40% research – 50% teaching – 10% management and administration. Research time can be increased through grant acquisition !

• show vision and entrepreneurial drive (seeing opportunities and possibilities, showing ambition);
• hold a Ph.D. in philosophy, preferably with a specialization in ethics or political philosophy. We also welcome dual areas of specialization, e.g., ethics and another area, such as philosophical anthropology, epistemology, or philosophy of language;
• have experience in research, which is apparent from publications in highly ranked academic journals, presentations at international scientific conferences, and other academic activities;
• possess good communication skills and an excellent command of English, at least at C2 level;
• have teaching experience (both lecturing and tutoring) at an internationally accredited university preferably including students in science & engineering, social science, or other nonphilosophical fields, and preferably including professional and/or applied ethics
• possess a University Teaching Qualification (UTQ) certificate, or be willing to obtain this, and have a real passion for, and the ambition to become a creative and effective teacher;
• are active in networks for obtaining research funding, and have ambition to work closely with companies and government agencies.

INFORMATION AND APPLICATION

For more information, please contact Prof. dr. Philip Brey, e-mail: p.a.e.brey@utwente.nl or phone: +31534894426 or prof. dr. ir. Peter-Paul Verbeek, email: p.p.c.c.verbeek@utwente.nl or phone +31534894460. For a copy of the Ethics of Socially Disruptive Technologies research programme, please make a request to Seeta Autar at mailto:b.autar@utwente.nl.

Your application should include a CV (which should include the title of your dissertation and a short description of its contents), a letter of application (including a summary of your teaching evaluations), a writing sample, and contact information for 2 or more references and should be sent no later than February 13th, 2020. You can apply using the link below. Since only three documents can be uploaded per application, please combine documents if needed.  Desired starting date: August 1st (negotiable).

About the Department of Philosophy

The philosophy department (https://www.utwente.nl/en/bms/wijsb/) has over 30 members (faculty, postdocs, PhD candidates). It is a thoroughly international department, with English as the main language. It specializes in its research in the philosophical and ethical study of technology and its impact on people, society, and the environment.

You will be appointed for two years with a prospect for a permanent position upon good performance. The university offers a dynamic ecosystem with enthusiastic colleagues in which internationalization is an important part of the strategic agenda.

• Starting salary between € 3.637 to € 5.656 gross per month based on your experience;
• An additional holiday allowance of 8% of the gross annual salary and a year-end bonus of 8.3%;
• A solid pension scheme;
• Possibilities to save up holidays for sabbatical leave;
• Minimum of 29 holidays in case of full-time employment;
• Professional and personal development programs;

A high degree of responsibility and independence, while collaborating with close colleagues, researchers and other university staff is strongly encouraged.

The University of Twente. We stand for life sciences and technology. High tech and human touch. Education and research that matter. New technology which leads change, innovation and progress in society. The University of Twente is the only campus university of the Netherlands; divided over five faculties we provide more than fifty educational programmes. We have a strong focus on personal development and talented researchers are given scope for carrying out groundbreaking research.


We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability status. Because of our diversity values we do particularly support women to apply.


Faculty of Behavioural, Management and Social sciences The Faculty of Behavioural, Management and Social sciences (BMS) strives to play a pivotal role in understanding, co-engineering and evaluating innovation in society. Innovation is driven by advances in technology. Through 'social engineering' these technological advances are embedded in society befitting human needs and behaviour, within proper public and private management and business structures. For this the faculty of BMS upholds high quality disciplinary knowledge in psychology, business administration, public administration, communication science, philosophy, educational science and health sciences. All with a focus on the challenges in society. Research is strongly connected to our institutes: Mesa+ Institute, TechMed Centra and Digital Society Institute.