We invite you to apply for a PhD position as part of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Network ‘PROTECT - Protecting Personal Data Amidst Big Data Innovation’, funded by the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 programme. Two other positions of this type are offered by the University of Twente: https://www.utwente.nl/en/organization/careers
The ethical management of private data in the online environment.
The ethical problems arising from private data on digital platforms are becoming increasingly recognised, from the Snowden revelations to the Cambridge Analytica scandal. This project will investigate approaches to ethically managing such data. The project will deliver a systematic ethical assessment of the diversity of privacy and related issues that are associated with the collection and storage of various personal information by websites. Ethical assessment will focus on similarities and differences in privacy and related expectations regarding different types of personal information (from browser behaviour to video selfies), modes of collection and storage, and the purposes for which they are or could be used. This will be based in part on consultations of stakeholders and their values and preferences regarding privacy and related issues, as well as responsible innovation, such as open source and gender issues. This will provide an analysis of the proper division of labour between privacy policies and technological protections offered by the various approaches considered. Within this position you will have significant freedom in making the topic your own and selecting your own research questions, theories, and methods. We encourage innovation.
Your principal supervisor for this position will be prof. dr. Kevin Macnish, assistant professor in philosophy and ethics of technology at the university of Twente.  Prof. dr. Philip Brey will also supervise you.  This position includes two two-months secondments (i.e., periods during which you will work from another institution): the first at Trinity College Dublin with prof. dr. Linda Hogan, professor in ethics; the second (three months) is at Castlebridge in Wexford, Ireland, with mr. Daragh O’Brien. There will also be opportunities for secondments and shorter stays at leading tech companies and policy organisations. Depending on your level of experience, we may require you to take some courses taught in the MSc in Philosophy of Science, Technology and Society.

The PROTECT consortium and project
PROTECT is an international, interdisciplinary and cross academic-industry training network hosted across Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain and Belgium. It is recruiting 14 Early Stage Researchers (ESR) to undertake research towards PhDs in the disciplines of law, ethics or computer science, with the common goal of Protecting Personal Data Amidst Big Data Innovation. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action (MSCA) grant agreement No. 813497. More information here: ec.europa.eu/research/participants/data/ref/h2020/wp/2018-2020/main/h2020-wp1820-msca_en.pdf.


Eligibility Criteria
All researchers recruited must be Early-Stage Researchers (ESR). Early-Stage researchers are those who, at the time of recruitment by the host are in the first four years (full-time equivalent research experience) of their research careers and have not been awarded a doctoral degree. This is measured from the date when they obtain the degree that formally entitles them to embark on a doctorate (either in the country in which the degree was obtained or in the country in which the researcher is recruited, even if a doctorate was never started or envisaged).

Conditions of Mobility of Researchers
Researchers are required to undertake physical, transnational mobility (i.e. move from one country to another) when taking up their appointment. Researchers must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of their host organizations for more than 12 months in the 3 years prior to their recruitment. Short stays, such as holidays, are not taken into account. Note that the mobility rule applies to the (first) beneficiary where the researcher is recruited, and not to beneficiaries to which the researcher is sent or seconded.
Because of the mobility conditions, potential applicants who have carried out their main activity in the Netherlands since June 2016 are not eligible for the University of Twente positions but can apply to related positions offered by the PROTECT Network at Dublin City University.

Researchers at Risk
The following aspects are in place to ensure access to researchers at risk and those with refugee status:

• Application submission by post where online application requirements may discriminate against the researcher’s circumstances (please contact the project manager)
• Application of the eligibility criteria appropriately to ensure researchers who have suspended their activities whilst seeking refugee status are not disadvantaged.
  

Job application

Your application should include the following information and documents:

• Full name
• Nationality
• Contact detail
• Summary of activities in the three years prior to May 2019
• Summary of education
• List of max 3 examples of work demonstrating prior achievement in research, enquiry or debate, e.g., published paper or other work; software, standards or policy contribution; dissertation or Master’s thesis
• A writing sample (for example, a copy of your Master’s thesis)
• A summary and table of contents of your Master’s thesis (if applicable)
• A cover letter which explains your interest in the position and your qualifications for it
• A curriculum vitae which includes the name and e-mail address/telephone number for at least two references.

The application deadline is 29 May, 2019, 23:59 CET. We will hold interviews on June 3rd and 4h; Skype interviews are an option. Since only three documents can be uploaded per application, please combine documents if needed. You should feel free to apply to more than one position; in that case, please upload separate cover letters for each position

Further information

• Location: These positions are based at the Department of Philosophy, University of Twente, Enschede, the Netherlands.
• Contact information:  Dr. Kevin Macnish: k.macnish@utwente.nl (+31 (0)53 489 7620).

We offer a very challenging fulltime position for four years in an inspiring multidisciplinary and international environment. The university offers a dynamic ecosystem with enthusiastic colleagues in which internationalization is an important part of the strategic agenda.

• A starting salary of € 2.325 in the first year and a salary of € 2.972 in the fourth year gross per month;
• A holiday allowance of 8% of the gross annual salary and a year-end bonus of 8.3%;
• A solid pension scheme;
• Minimum of 29 holidays in case of full-time employment;
• Professional and personal development programs.

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.