The BISS Experience

Searching in the dark to be expected. Struggles likely. Impactful work ensured. At BISS, you put scientific knowledge into action. You provide digital solutions to law and, depending on your expertise and interests, to other fields such as health, biotechnology, neuroscience, psychology, economics, and humanities. You will be working in a vibrant environment where scientists and researchers from different disciplines focused on data science work on translating academic knowledge to practice through cases with companies and governmental and non-profit organisations. You will work closely with all-star professors from various disciplines, including law. You will set up challenging research projects together with other researchers.

About BISS

The Brightlands Institute for Smart Society (BISS) is Maastricht University’s platform for translational data-driven research and education, joining expertise and staff from all six UM faculties. It offers a flexible, agile, and state-of-the-art Living Lab environment that nurtures collective intelligence and integrative thinking. The multidisciplinary activities will be set up as projects, partner agreements, and programs, featuring innovation, collaboration, awareness, and solutions.

BISS is governed by a management team consisting of a managing director and several principal investigators (PI) who lead a group of researchers. The PIs are jointly responsible for development and implementation of the collaborative scientific strategy, direction, and content. BISS has a administrative, financial, legal, and organisational support team.

The Position

Data Science and Data-Driven Technologies are changing the way that we live and importantly the way that we work! As the world of work is transformed by digitalization and data-science we need to carefully think about how these changes spill over into other parts of our lives, and we need to carefully manage these transformations to ensure that the benefits and indeed the costs are distributed in ways that are sustainable, responsible, and fair.

MATCHING SKILLS

• PhD in relevant area of philosophy or social science (Social and Political Philosophy, Philosophy of Technology, Ethics, STS, Responsible Research and Innovation). Exceptional candidates without a PhD, but holding one or more MA/Msc degrees in relevant areas  may be considered;
• Passion for Data Science;
• Demonstrated experience in organisational tasks;
• Team player and enthused about working on an interdisciplinary team (Data-Science, Medicine, Economy and Finance, Psychology, Law);
• Demonstrated ability to work independently as well as in a team;
• Affinity and interest in data sciences;
• Ideally have experience with writing grant applications and project proposals;
• Excellent oral and written English communication; Knowledge of Dutch is a plus;
• The candidate will also be expected to engage in external fundraising (grant writing).

Please include your CV, a letter of motivation and two reference names with your application. 

THE TEAM

You will join a team of other post-docs, PIs, and academics working together and developing projects relating to the following areas of interest: Smart Health, Smart Decision Making, Smart Legal Analytics, Smart Societies and Institutions, Smart Brain Science, Smart Service Systems, and Smart Data. We are looking for researchers to support the PIs in setting up and executing challenging projects. You will have the opportunity to participate and contribute to multiple projects across the institute. Initially we offer a temporary 2-year contract. After a positive assessment the position will be extended by another 2 years.

MAASTRICHT UNIVERSITY

Maastricht University is renowned for its unique, innovative, problem-based learning system, which is characterized by a small-scale and student-oriented approach. Research at UM is characterized by a multidisciplinary and thematic approach, and is concentrated in research institutes and schools. Maastricht University has around 16,300 students and 4,300 employees. Reflecting the university's strong international profile, a fair amount of both students and staff are from abroad. The university hosts 6 faculties: Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Faculty of Law, School of Business and Economics, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience.

Fixed-term contract: two years.

The terms of employment of Maastricht University are set out in the Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities (CAO), supplemented with local UM provisions. For more information on terms of employment, please visit our website www.maastrichtuniversity.nl > Support > UM employees.