PhD Position: Ethics and Social Philosophy (specialisation: Health)

Are you a passionate PhD candidate in practical philosophy, eager to explore health, illness, death, and the existential impact of Long Covid? Apply now for this unique PhD position!

Are you a highly motivated and passionate PhD candidate in practical philosophy, interested in the phenomenology of health and illness, the philosophy of death and/or patient participation and social justice? Are you interested in examining the deep existential impacts of Long Covid on patients? Then we would encourage you to apply for this PhD position, wherein you will have the opportunity to explore the existential effects of Long Covid through the prism of multi-levelled ‘deadliness’, particularly ‘living death’, social death and suicide ideation. This will be a comparative empirical/practical philosophical project of 4 years’ duration focusing on Germany (North Rhine-Westphalia) and the Netherlands.

As a PhD candidate, your main responsibility will be to produce a PhD monograph about Long Covid patients’ experiences of ‘death’ and ‘deadliness’ This monograph should consist of a critical phenomenological analysis based on a literature review and data collection. This data collection will mainly consist of qualitative interviews and diary exercises with Long Covid patients in the Netherlands and Germany (NRW), which will be coded and analysed. Furthermore, together with your supervisor, you will co-author 2 public opinion pieces and 2 academic articles. And, towards the end of the project, you and your supervisor will also summarise the findings of your monograph in a high-quality policy brief (in German, English and Dutch) and the supervisor will take the lead in writing a non-academic book on this topic for a broader audience.

Would you like to learn more about what it’s like to pursue a PhD at Radboud University? Visit the page about working as a PhD candidate.

• We will give you a temporary employment contract (1.0 FTE) of 1.5 years, after which your performance will be evaluated. If the evaluation is positive, your contract will be extended by 2.5 years (4-year contract).
• You will receive a starting salary of €3,059 gross per month based on a 38-hour working week, which will increase to €3,881 in the fourth year (salary scale P).
• You will receive an 8% holiday allowance and an 8,3% end-of-year bonus.
• We offer Dual Career Coaching. The Dual Career Coaching assists your partner via support, tools, and resources to improve their chances of independently finding employment in the Netherlands.
• You will receive extra days off. With full-time employment, you can choose between 30 or 41 days of annual leave instead of the statutory 20.

Additional employment conditions
Work and science require good employment practices. This is reflected in Radboud University's primary and secondary employment conditions. You can make arrangements for the best possible work-life balance with flexible working hours, various leave arrangements and working from home. You are also able to compose part of your employment conditions yourself, for example, exchange income for extra leave days and receive a reimbursement for your sports subscription. And of course, we offer a good pension plan. You are given plenty of room and responsibility to develop your talents and realise your ambitions. Therefore, we provide various training and development schemes.

Faculty of Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies
Staff and students in the Faculty of Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies reflect on the great challenges of our time, exploring concepts, belief systems and worldviews. In this way they provide philosophical and religious context to the societal debate and contribute to the analysis and solution of major societal challenges. The faculty has over 180 staff, organized in eight academic departments and four support departments. Our academics collaborate in six research centres and teach more than 1,000 students.

Our staff and students are committed. The lines of communication are short and each individual student and staff member is given ample attention. You can find more about our mission and vision on the 'About PTRS' page.

Radboud University
At Radboud University, we aim to make an impact through our work. We achieve this by conducting groundbreaking research, providing high-quality education, offering excellent support, and fostering collaborations within and outside the university. In doing so, we contribute indispensably to a healthy, free world with equal opportunities for all. To accomplish this, we need even more colleagues who, based on their expertise, are willing to search for answers. We advocate for an inclusive community and welcome employees with diverse backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives. Will you also contribute to making the world a little better? You have a part to play.

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You will be based at the Department of Ethics and Political Philosophy at Radboud University in Nijmegen. This is a vibrant and collegial department, whose members particularly focus on the relation between practical (continental) philosophy and contemporary societal developments. You will be supervised by Prof. Vivienne Matthies-Boon.

You will also be part of the Research Centre for Philosophy and Society, where you will not only be encouraged to present your work and discuss that of colleagues but also to engage in critical reflective discussions on our discipline and professional practice as such.

You will receive regular supervision and work in close cooperation with the main supervisor. The advisory team for this project further consists of Prof. Georg Schomerus (Leipzig Universität, Germany) and Prof. Eric Venbrux (Radboud University, the Netherlands).