The University of Groningen offers a four-year PhD student scholarship opportunity to complete a dissertation on a topic related to social norms in the virtual world. The PhD candidate will be supervised by Dr Ofer Engel and will be a member of the “Governance and Innovation” Flagship team at Campus Fryslân, which is composed of several PhD students, senior researchers and inspiring scholars from partner institutes.

The PhD candidate will be enrolled in the Graduate School Campus Fryslân (GSCF) and can benefit from affiliations with other faculties in the University of Groningen and existing collaborative projects with external partners (such as cybercrime investigators linked to the Interpol). If interested, the PhD candidate could also have a role to play in the development of virtual/augmented reality technologies in the campus. Topics of interest for the doctoral research include (but are not limited to):

● How do values and norms emerge, endure and dissolve in virtual worlds (in the broadest sense of the word)? What are the mechanisms that are unique to this realm, and how do they operate?
● What kind of mechanisms are unique to virtual worlds, when it comes to values and norms, and how do they operate?
● Why are some values and norms different offline and online? How do the two interact, contradict or reinforce one another?
● How can empirical evidence address theoretical claims from the literature of applied ethics, concerning the virtual worlds?

Of particular interest are proposals that are not only empirically grounded and applied, but also address contested areas in cyberlaw and cybersecurity (such as the debate about the Gamer’s Dilemma, for example), or issues relevant to current controversies in society (such as conspiracy theories, or questions of identity, diversity, dignity and vulnerable populations). In addition, we are looking for proposals that embrace an interdisciplinary mindset, building on analytical approaches and clear thinking, with relevance to non-academic stakeholders such as policy makers, regulators, entrepreneurs, law enforcers, educators and the like.

The candidate should have the following qualifications:

● Master’s degree in a relevant academic field
● experience with quantitative research methods
● programming skills and advanced numerical reasoning, statistics is an advantage
● background in applied ethics (analytic tradition), economics is an advantage
● highly developed conceptual capacity and analytical skills
● very good record of undergraduate and graduate studies
● very good command of spoken and written English. Proficiency in another language is an asset
● very good individual and collaborative working, presenting and writing skills, planning and organizational skills
● strong motivation to complete a PhD dissertation in four years.

Fixed-term contract: 48 months.

The PhD Scholarship student will be enrolled in the PhD Scholarship Programme and receives a scholarship of € 2,207 per month (gross) from the University of Groningen. For more information on the RUG PhD scholarship programme and its benefits please check the website at https://www.rug.nl/education/phd-programmes/phd-scholarship-programme/conditions-application/

The PhD Scholarship contract is offered for four years. A successful candidate will first be offered a temporary contract of one year with the option of renewal for another three years. Prolongation of the contract is contingent on sufficient progress in the first year to indicate that a successful completion of the PhD thesis within the contract period is to be expected.

A PhD training programme is part of the agreement and the successful candidate will be enrolled in the Graduate School of the Campus Fryslân (GSCF). As part of the programme, the PhD student will take part in the Career Perspectives Series, which provides a thorough preparation on the career after the PhD, inside or outside academia. During the course of the doctorate, the student will develop research and teaching competencies as well as leadership skills. For this, the PhD students will receive a tailor-made programme from the GSCF.

Campus Fryslân

Founded in 1614, the University of Groningen enjoys an international reputation as a dynamic and innovative institution of higher education offering high-quality teaching and research. Flexible study programmes and academic career opportunities in a wide variety of disciplines encourage the 33,500 students and researchers alike to develop their own individual talents. As one of the best research universities in Europe, the University of Groningen has joined forces with other top universities and networks worldwide to become a truly global centre of knowledge.

Campus Fryslân is the eleventh and newest faculty of the University of Groningen, located in Leeuwarden. Campus Fryslân is an interdisciplinary faculty that works closely together with regional, national and international partners on worldwide (sustainability) challenges and local solutions. The sustainable development goals of the United Nations thus serve as an important guideline.

We offer ambitious and exciting bachelor’s, master’s and PhD degree programmes. The research institute covers four research domains: Governance, Sustainable Economy, Culture, Language & Technology and Health & Food. In the summer of 2019, Campus Fryslân moved to the new faculty building De Beurs: the first all-electric, monumental educational building in The Netherlands.