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Assistant Professor: AI and Philosophy of Mind and Language

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Assistant Professor: AI and Philosophy of Mind and Language

Deadline Published Vacancy ID 1214485

Academic fields

Behaviour and society; Engineering; Language and culture

Job types

Lecturer; Assistant professor; Associate professor; Professor

Education level

Doctorate

Weekly hours

32 hours per week

Salary indication

€4332—€5929 per month

Location

Houtlaan 4, 6525 XZ, Nijmegen

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Job description

The Dutch government has decided to invest for the long term in academic research by means of three so-called 'sector plans’ on the themes of (i) Human AI, (ii) Cultural and religious heritage and (iii) Migrant inclusion and wellbeing. These investments enable the Faculty of Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies at Radboud University to attract researchers, create a future-proof range of educational opportunities, and to strengthen the strategic cooperation between institutions, specifically in the Social and Behavioural Sciences and Humanities (SSH, website in Dutch).

The Faculty of Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies has an opening for an Assistant Professor to work on the theme of AI and Philosophy of Mind and Language.

As Assistant Professor you will work on the Philosophy of AI and strengthen our teaching and research in the fields of Philosophy of Language, Philosophy of Mind and Philosophy of Science. More specifically, you will be expected to develop a philosophical course on AI and teach courses on logic and argumentation, philosophy of language, philosophy of mind and psychiatry, or philosophy of science (all from B1 to the Research Master's level, as well as in the Philosophy, Politics and Society track). Ideally, you have an interest in teaching courses with a focus on the transfer of skills rather than specific knowledge. We will expect you to be able to develop new courses and materials, when required. You will also be involved in the supervision of Bachelor's and Master's students. 

You will conduct research at the crossroads of Artificial Intelligence and the Philosophy of Mind and Language. Potential research topics include  human vs artificial intelligence, augmented human intelligence, rule- vs pattern-based learning, chatbots and other uses of statistical language models, AI and philosophy of psychiatry, and game theory. You will be expected to submit the results for publication in academic outlets, and disseminate the research findings at conferences and workshops. You will also be expected to write grant applications. Your research will be part of the Center for Cognition, Culture and Language, one of the research centers of the Faculty of Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies. As such, you will participate in its biweekly lunch seminars and other activities. Furthermore you will participate in management tasks, including committee memberships, programme evaluations and recruitment activities.

Requirements

  • You have a PhD in philosophy or a related field (e.g. artificial intelligence, linguistics, psychology).
  • You have an excellent track record in philosophy of artificial intelligence, mind or language, as evidenced by your publications and preferably also by grants or fellowships.
  • You have an international research profile.
  • You have experience with various forms of teaching (such as lecturing, work group supervision, and thesis supervision at the Bachelor’s and Master’s levels).
  • You either hold a University Teaching Qualification (BKO) or are willing to obtain such a qualification within two years.
  • You are committed to open science and scientific integrity. 
  • You are proficient in Dutch (C2 level) and English (C1 level) or  will endeavour to achieve these levels of proficiency within two to four years. Being able to teach in these two languages from the start of your contract is a plus.

Conditions of employment

Fixed-term contract: 18 months with the possibility of a permanent employment.

  • It concerns an employment for 0.8 FTE.
  • The gross monthly salary amounts to a minimum of €4,332 and a maximum of €5,929 based on a 38-hour working week, depending on previous education and number of years of relevant work experience (salary scale 11).
  • You will receive 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus.
  • It concerns a temporary employment for 18 months with the possibility of a permanent employment.
  • You will be able to use our Dual Career and Family Care Services. Our Dual Career and Family Care Officer can assist you with family-related support, help your partner or spouse prepare for the local labour market, provide customized support in their search for employment and help your family settle in Nijmegen.
  • Working for us means getting extra days off. In case of full-time employment, you can choose between 30 or 41 days of annual leave instead of the legally allotted 20.
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.

Employer

The Philosophy of Mind and Language group focuses on fundamental and applied questions at the intersection of cognition and language. The group's profile is strongly interdisciplinary: it applies state-of-the-art philosophical theorising to recent scientific findings in psychology, linguistics, artificial intelligence, psychiatry and cognitive neuroscience. The group offers courses to students in Philosophy, Linguistics, Sociology, Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience. 

The Faculty of Philosophy, Theology and Religion Sciences, which the Department of Philosophy of Mind and Language is a part of, is a compact, ambitious division with approximately 180 staff and over 1,000 students from the Netherlands and abroad. Our curriculum includes several top-notch degree programmes in both in-depth disciplinary fields of study and interdisciplinary and interfaculty studies. The faculty has innovative education and research programmes with a strong focus on current societal issues.

Our faculty is committed to equal opportunities for all. We stand for an inclusive community and believe that diversity contributes to the quality of teaching and research. We therefore particularly welcome staff from different backgrounds, whose perspectives and alternative ways of thinking may contribute to the diversity of our faculty.


Radboud University
We are keen to meet critical thinkers who want to look closer at what really matters. People who, from their expertise, wish to contribute to a healthy, free world with equal opportunities for all. This ambition unites more than 24,000 students and 5,600 employees at Radboud University and requires even more talent, collaboration and lifelong learning. You have a part to play!

Radboud University

We want to get the best out of science, others and ourselves. Why? Because this is what the world around us desperately needs. Leading research and education make an indispensable contribution to a healthy, free world with equal opportunities for all.

You have a part to play!