Communication Professional

About the Research Programme
“Ethics of Socially Disruptive Technologies” (Esdit) is an international research programme of seven academic institutions in the Netherlands. It has a combined budget of € 27 million, and is funded by the Ministry for Education, Culture and Science and the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) in the Gravitation funding scheme for excellent research, and by matching funds from the participating institutions. The programme began in January 2020 and will continue till December 2029. The programme has the aim of achieving breakthrough research at the intersection of ethics, philosophy and technology / engineering and to position its consortium at the top of its field internationally. The consortium, counting over 130 researchers, consists of internationally well-known ethicists, philosophers, engineers and social scientists. The programme functions through nine research lines; for a complete overview, see www.esdit.nl .

The Challenge
You are responsible for the external communication of the ESDiT programme, and also have a role in internal communication. You carry out these tasks in consultation with the programme manager, dr. Radhika Mittal, the programme leader, prof. dr. Philip Brey and the project manager, Seeta Autar. You implement policies outlined by the Daily Board (which, besides yourself, includes Mittal, Brey, Autar) and the Management Board (the central strategic board, consisting of nine professors). Tasks include the following:

• Taking responsibility for the communication strategy of the research programme, together with the programme manager and researchers in the programme.
• Writing, editing and coordinating news items, feature articles and other texts for various audiences and media concerning the relationship between technology, society, philosophy and ethics.
• Creating an original representation of the consortium on social media, using the latest techniques and software. Building the consortium’s professional presence and brand on social media platforms, particularly through developing and managing a network of high value external stakeholders.
• Exploring and utilizing new tools (also for visual communication) and ideas to communicate messages to various audiences and in collaboration with stakeholders.
• Supporting researchers in the programme with their communication and impact activities and coordinating the external communication activities.

The ESDiT consortium is looking for someone who communicates clearly, can write promotional texts and has experience in maintaining websites and social media. Are you a professional who can creatively translate scientific findings to various audiences? Are you someone who is enthusiastic and has the ability to engage various stakeholders within and outside the research consortium and bring diverse viewpoints together? Do you meet the requirements below?

• You can demonstrate relevant education and past experience as a communication professional, preferably 3-5 years of professional expertise.
• You have a special affinity with science and technology and its implications for society, and have an interest in or orientation towards science communication and/or translating academic insights into interesting material for lay audiences.
• You possess an excellent ability to write texts for various types of audiences and media, and are also proficient in audio-visual design and content development.
• You can communicate effectively in English (level C1-C2). An ability to communicate in Dutch, or willingness to learn, is a plus.

Starting date is preferably July 1st, 2025. We would prefer to have at least one working day in person on campus at the University of Twente.

Philosophy section. This position will be embedded within the philosophy section of the University of Twente. For further information, visit https://www.utwente.nl/en/bms/wijsb.