The postdoc’s primary responsibility will be to contribute to the research project (description below) and to publish in peer reviewed journals and books. The researcher should also contribute to the project in other ways, such as by giving conference presentations, (co-)editing a special issue, and (co-)organizing reading groups and workshops. Furthermore, the researcher will be a member of the Tilburg Center for Moral Philosophy, Epistemology and Philosophy of Science (TiLPS) and contribute to its colloquia and seminars.

The project 
Exiled Empiricists: American Philosophy and the Great Intellectual Migration

The Exiled Empiricists project is funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO) and led by Sander Verhaegh within the Tilburg Center for Moral Philosophy, Epistemology and Philosophy of Science (TiLPS), Tilburg University.

Summary: In the 1930s, hundreds of European academics fled to the United States, escaping the quickly deteriorating political situation on the continent. Among them were a few dozen philosophers from a variety of schools: logical empiricists, critical theorists, and phenomenologists. Especially the first group would have a tremendous impact on American philosophy. Whereas the local intellectual climate had been dictated by American traditions like pragmatism, U.S. philosophers soon began to advance views that were heavily indebted to the empiricists. In fact, much of academic philosophy today is still shaped by the discussions and practices first instigated in this disruptive period. 

Although historians have reconstructed the fate of the exiled empiricists, little attention has been paid to the American context in which their movement came to full bloom. This is surprising, since any account of the empiricists’ success requires an explanation of why the Americans were so receptive to their views. To what extent did developments in American philosophy pave the way for logical empiricism? And why was the American community more receptive to empiricism than to critical theory or phenomenology? This project shifts the perspective from the refugees to the local philosophical climate by 1) quantitatively analyzing thousands of American journal publications and 2) qualitatively examining the archives of dozens of key American philosophers and institutions. 

A more detailed description of the project can be found on the project website.

Requirements position 1. 
AOS: History of Philosophy of Science or History of Logic or Intellectual History

We are looking for a postdoctoral researcher who satisfies the following requirements:

• A completed PhD in philosophy, HPS, STS, intellectual history or a related field.
• A strong, promising track-record of international peer-reviewed publications
• Affinity with the topic of the project
• Excellent speaking and writing skills in English, as demonstrated by published work.
• Experience with archival studies is an advantage but not a requirement.
• An entrepreneurial and team player attitude is highly valued.
• Ability and willingness to contribute to the development and acquisition of externally funded projects.

Requirements position 2. 
AOS: Digital Humanities/Scientometrics/Bibliometrics

We are looking for a postdoctoral researcher who satisfies the following requirements:

• A completed PhD in philosophy, computer science, history, computational linguistics or a related field.
• Demonstrable knowledge of bibliometric methods such as topic modeling, citation analysis, and concordance analysis.
• Solid programming skills in Python and optionally other programming languages.
• A strong, promising track-record of international peer-reviewed publications
• Affinity with the topic of the project
• Demonstrable research experience in philosophy, HPS, STS, intellectual history, or a related field in humanities is an advantage but not a requirement.
• Excellent speaking and writing skills in English, as demonstrated by published work.
• An entrepreneurial and team player attitude is highly valued.
• Ability and willingness to contribute to the development and acquisition of externally funded projects.

Fixed-term contract: 2 or 3 years.

We offer a temporary postdoctoral position of two or three years (0.8-1.0 fte) in a stimulating and dynamic interdisciplinary research environment. You will work in close collaboration with the project’s principal investigator and have regular team meetings with the other members of the group, PhD students, and external visiting fellows. In accordance with the conditions as indicated in the CAO NU, the salary is dependent on the candidate’s experience and is set at CAO NU scale 10 with a minimum of € 2.836,- gross per month, on a fulltime basis. 

Tilburg University is rated among the top of Dutch employers and has excellent terms of employment, such as a holiday allowance of 8% and an end-of-year bonus of 8.3% (annually), an options model and reimbursement of moving expenses. Candidates from outside the Netherlands may qualify for a tax-free allowance equal to 30% of their taxable salary. The university will apply for such an allowance on their behalf. The Tilburg School of Humanities and Digital Sciences will provide assistance in finding suitable accommodation. The collective labor agreement of the Dutch Universities applies. Successful candidates must remain at least 80% of their working days in the Netherlands (as a requirement of tax and social security laws).

Tilburg University

Tilburg University is an inspiring university offering a stimulating and challenging environment for students, staff, and alumni. The university highly values authenticity, academic freedom, professionalism, and continuous development. In its top-quality education and research programs in the disciplines of the social sciences and the humanities, the university is committed to addressing equality issues in society at national and international levels. It does so by training people for positions of responsibility in society and by contributing to socially sustainable solutions. 

Tilburg University draws on a rich tradition which nourishes reflection and which also encourages the academic community's awareness of its philosophy in relation to academic discipline.

Tilburg University is committed to the value of diversity and, in that spirit, welcomes applications from underrepresented groups within philosophy and academia, including members of minority groups and people with disabilities. Information about the various measures Tilburg University has undertaken to increase gender equality, diversity and inclusion can be found on the Working at Tilburg University /Gender & Diversity page.

Department of Philosophy

The Department of Philosophy (DFI) at Tilburg University is both an important center of academic teaching and internationally recognized for its research. It offers a lively, amicable and stimulating teaching and research environment. The department provides a supportive, collegial environment free from the (unhealthy) climate of competition that has become the standard in academia.

Philosophical research at Tilburg is often done in an interdisciplinary framework. Research is organized in two groups: TiLPS (Tilburg Center for Moral Philosophy, Epistemology and Philosophy of Science) and PHC&E (Philosophy of Humanity, Culture, and Ethics).