The section of Philosophy (PHIL) of the Department of Technology, Policy and Society (TPS) at the University of Twente (UT) is seeking an assistant professor in Philosophy (any area) with a focus on technology and society.

The Challenge

You will be teaching Philosophy (of Technology) for engineers, designers, and scientists in UT’s bachelor programmes. We expect candidates to closely collaborate with various educational programmes and to contribute to developing innovative student-driven education with builds on problem and challenged based approaches. You may also teach courses within your specialization area in the master programme in Philosophy of Science, Technology and Society (PSTS) and become involved in the supervision of master’s theses in the PSTS programme. Excellent teaching qualifications are key for this position. Experience in teaching for business and public administration programmes is a plus.

You are envisaged to develop a coherent research line oriented towards one or more technologies and their role in society. We expect candidates to publish in international refereed journals, present at conferences, apply for external funding and engage in international and interdisciplinary collaboration and in outreach activities. Your research will be embedded in the research programme in philosophy and ethics of technology of the department of philosophy and in university-wide multidisciplinary centres in such as those in digital technologies, medical technology, nanotechnology, and in humanities and social sciences research programmes such as those in the assessment of emerging technologies, health, resilience, learning and smart industry. If there is a fit, you can also participate in the interuniversity 4TU.Center for Ethics and Technology (www.ethicsandtechnology.eu).

The initial division of tasks is 40% research and 60% teaching in the first year. After one year, the basic research allocation will decrease to 30% but could be increased through grant acquisition.

Also, if you are interested in a teaching career, you are warmly encouraged to apply. For this direction, there is the possibility to offer a position with perspective on tenure. The alternative ratio research (into education)-teaching can then be discussed with you.

• A PhD in philosophy (any area of specialization)
• A focus on technology and its role in society in past research or a demonstrable interest in focusing on technology for your future research. The focus could be on any technology/technologies. We are particular interested in technologies with relevance for business and public administration.
• Experience in teaching at the university level, preferably including students in science & engineering, social science, or other non-philosophical fields
• Demonstrable didactic skills in teaching, good evaluations, and a passion for teaching
• An ability and willingness to teach in areas of philosophy outside your philosophical specialization
• Willingness and ability to engage in multidisciplinary collaborations with researchers and educators from non-philosophical fields
• An excellent list of publications in peer-refereed journals
• Relevant international experience
• An excellent command of the English language. All master programs and most bachelor programs are taught in English, and English is the official language of the university.

We expect that you will to move to the Netherlands, to the region where the university is located or to a region from which a daily commute is feasible.

We offer an appointment as assistant professor (full-time) for four years fixed-term. The university offers a dynamic ecosystem with enthusiastic colleagues in which internationalization is an important part of the strategic agenda.

• Starting salary between € 3.746 to € 5.826 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% (adding up to an annual gross salary of € 50,758 - € 78,935)
• 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.
• International applicants are likely to qualify for a low 30% tax regime for the first five years of their appointment.

Starting date is flexible; we are looking for the best candidates. We prefer a candidate who can start between August 1st, 2021 and November 1st, 2021.

The department (https://www.utwente.nl/en/bms/wijsb/) is internationally leading in the philosophy and ethics of technology. It currently includes 20 tenured, tenure-track and part-time staff members, 4 postdocs and 25 PhD students. The department also participates in the interuniversity 4TU.Center for Ethics and Technology (www.ethicsandtechnology.eu). Both the department and the Center have a strong international orientation and include members from many different nationalities. PHIL is embedded in a larger department of TPS, which consists of four other sections.

The University of Twente (UT) is a research university with a strong international orientation and a focus on science & engineering and social and behavioral sciences. It includes more than 3,300 faculty and staff and 10,000 students. Its motto “high tech, human touch” expresses the aim of combining research in engineering with social and behavioral sciences. The UT is a campus university, located in the city of Enschede (pop. 160,000).