PhD Candidate: Ethics of AI and Medicine
PhD Candidate: Ethics of AI and Medicine
You cannot apply for this job anymore (deadline was 30 Oct 2023).
Browse the current job offers or choose an item in the top navigation above.
Job description
The Radboud Healthy Data Programme is looking for a PhD candidate in philosophy and ethics of digitalisation and AI as part of the programme's ELSA (ethical, legal and societal aspects) team.
The Radboud Healthy Data Programme is a joint, digital transformation programme of Radboud University and the Radboud university medical center aimed at connecting and further developing our expertise in health-related data management and AI in order to enhance the development of a responsible and sustainable digital infrastructure for the entire Radboud University campus.
The rise of data-intensive biomedical and health research may result in preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic benefits. But the novelty of techniques, methods and involved actors associated with data-intensive research presents new challenges to medical ethical oversight. For example, how should we organise consent for secondary use of data when data is being used beyond the aim for which such consent was originally given and when future risks are unknown? How can patients' privacy and confidentiality be protected when re-identification occurs despite anonymisation and pseudonymisation, and when the informational richness of large research data repositories makes them a primary target for actors outside the research domain, such as insurers and marketing companies? How can unfair differentiation or discrimination resulting from the use of algorithms in medical decision-making be addressed, especially when these tend to remain opaque? Moreover, data-intensive medical and health research ushers in new actors into the medical research context whose presence raises new risks, namely tech corporations such as Google, Apple and Amazon.
This project poses the question of whether ethical review committees (ERCs) – the key oversight mechanisms designated to ensure that biomedical and health research is ethical – are fit for purpose in this age of data-intensive research, and if not, what should be done to update them.
You will conduct research in medical and bioethics on the one hand, and in data justice and AI ethics on the other, with the aim of developing theoretical bridges between these two areas. You will also conduct ethnographic research (interviews and participant observations) among members of ethical review committees, clinicians and researchers at the Radboud university medical center on the challenges associated with data-intensive research and working with AI. Based on this you will develop recommendations for how Ethical Review Committees might be adapted in order to provide effective ethical oversight for data-intensive research that can be implemented in the Healthy Data Programme.
Your teaching load may be up to 10% of your working time.
The Radboud Healthy Data Programme is a joint, digital transformation programme of Radboud University and the Radboud university medical center aimed at connecting and further developing our expertise in health-related data management and AI in order to enhance the development of a responsible and sustainable digital infrastructure for the entire Radboud University campus.
The rise of data-intensive biomedical and health research may result in preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic benefits. But the novelty of techniques, methods and involved actors associated with data-intensive research presents new challenges to medical ethical oversight. For example, how should we organise consent for secondary use of data when data is being used beyond the aim for which such consent was originally given and when future risks are unknown? How can patients' privacy and confidentiality be protected when re-identification occurs despite anonymisation and pseudonymisation, and when the informational richness of large research data repositories makes them a primary target for actors outside the research domain, such as insurers and marketing companies? How can unfair differentiation or discrimination resulting from the use of algorithms in medical decision-making be addressed, especially when these tend to remain opaque? Moreover, data-intensive medical and health research ushers in new actors into the medical research context whose presence raises new risks, namely tech corporations such as Google, Apple and Amazon.
This project poses the question of whether ethical review committees (ERCs) – the key oversight mechanisms designated to ensure that biomedical and health research is ethical – are fit for purpose in this age of data-intensive research, and if not, what should be done to update them.
You will conduct research in medical and bioethics on the one hand, and in data justice and AI ethics on the other, with the aim of developing theoretical bridges between these two areas. You will also conduct ethnographic research (interviews and participant observations) among members of ethical review committees, clinicians and researchers at the Radboud university medical center on the challenges associated with data-intensive research and working with AI. Based on this you will develop recommendations for how Ethical Review Committees might be adapted in order to provide effective ethical oversight for data-intensive research that can be implemented in the Healthy Data Programme.
Your teaching load may be up to 10% of your working time.
Specifications
- €2770—€3539 per month
- Nijmegen View on Google Maps
:fill(white)/logos/run-en-wide.jpg)
Radboud University
Requirements
- You have a Master's degree in the ethics and philosophy of technology, science and technology studies, critical data studies or a related field.
- You have a proven interest in the ethics of technological innovations.
- It is an advantage if you have an interest in or experience with health-related, qualitative research methods, including interviews and participatory observation. Furthermore it is an advantage if you have a good proficiency in Dutch.
- You are highly motivated to collaborate with scholars working on ethics, legal and societal dimensions of new technologies, and with other disciplines as part of the Healthy Data Programme.
- You have good collaborative and communication skills.
Conditions of employment
Fixed-term contract: You will be employed for an initial period of 18 months, after which your performance will be evaluated. If the evaluation is positive, the contract will be extended by 3.5 years (5 year contract).
- It concerns an employment for 0.8 (5 year contract) - 1.0 FTE (4 year contract).
- The gross starting salary amounts to €2,770 per month based on a 38-hour working week, and will increase to €3,539 from the fourth year onwards (salary scale P).
- You will receive 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus.
- You will be employed for an initial period of 18 months, after which your performance will be evaluated. If the evaluation is positive, the contract will be extended by 2.5 years (4 year contract) or 3.5 years (5 year contract).
- 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.
Employer
This position is part of the Radboud Healthy Data Programme's work package on ethics, legal and societal aspects of data-driven health research. The Radboud Healthy Data Programme is a joint, digital transformation programme of Radboud University and the Radboud university medical center aimed at connecting and further developing our expertise in health-related data management and AI in order to enhance the development of a responsible and sustainable digital infrastructure for the entire Radboud University campus. Focus areas in this programme are FAIR data stewardship, AI methods, education, ethical/legal/societal considerations, data-related community activities and scientific breakthroughs. We build upon our strong history and ongoing activities with partners in our networks. Through Healthy Data, we will strengthen our data-driven infrastructure and our collaborative AI research at the Radboud University campus to improve health and healthcare in society.
You will be part of the Healthy Data Programme's ELSA team along with two other PhDs and a postdoctoral researcher. You will work closely with other members of the team and collaborate with the larger Healthy Data community.
You will be based at the Department of Ethics and Political Philosophy of the Faculty of Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies and at iHub, Radboud University's interfaculty Interdisciplinary Hub for Digitalisation and Society. iHub brings together researchers from various disciplines, including philosophy, computer science, law and social sciences, and focuses on the promotion of public values in digital society.
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!
You will be part of the Healthy Data Programme's ELSA team along with two other PhDs and a postdoctoral researcher. You will work closely with other members of the team and collaborate with the larger Healthy Data community.
You will be based at the Department of Ethics and Political Philosophy of the Faculty of Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies and at iHub, Radboud University's interfaculty Interdisciplinary Hub for Digitalisation and Society. iHub brings together researchers from various disciplines, including philosophy, computer science, law and social sciences, and focuses on the promotion of public values in digital society.
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!
