Doctoral position in practical philosophy with a focus on bioethics, antibiotic resistance and the environment (EXPIRED)

The Department of Philosophy, Linguistics and Theory of Science at the Faculty of Arts has about 100 staff members and a student body corresponding to about 350 full-time equivalents. It is home to a large number of national and international research projects and offers courses and degree programs for philosophers, logicians, linguists, language technologists, theorists of science, historians of philosophy, philologists and philosophy teachers. The Department also arranges doctoral education and development work in its various academic domains.

Practical philosophy at the Department of philosophy, linguistics and theory of science comprises comprehensive research activities across basic and applied philosophy, and a large active group of doctoral candidates of similar scope. The Gothenburg practical philosophy research environment is particularly strong in applied ethics and political philosophy, focusing on topics in bioethics, business- and financial ethics, global ethics and the ethics of technology. Two full professors, two senior lecturers and several doctoral candidates and young researchers are active in this area. The research is often multidisciplinary, linking to several cross-faculty centres, of which the present position links to the Centre for Antibiotic Resistance Research (CARe): http://care.gu.se More information about the practical philosophy research environment in Gothenburg can be found here: https://flov.gu.se/english/research/research-areas/practical-philosophy

The present position is funded by the project EDAR, a collaboration between the universities of Gothenburg, Princeton and Umeå, supported by the Swedish Research Council to develop a multidisciplinary research environment on the environmental dimensions of antibiotic resistance. For this reason, while the planned doctoral thesis will be in practical philosophy, it must fit the area, as well as the multidisciplinary nature, of EDAR. EDAR is directed by Joakim Larsson, scientific director of CARe, and the bioethical research is led by Erik Malmqvist and Christian Munthe, who will supervise the successful candidate.

More information can be found here:

EDAR: https://care.gu.se/research-themes/environment/the-environment-as-a-driver-of-antibiotic-resistance---edar

Erik Malmqvist: https://flov.gu.se/english/about/philosophy-and-philology-unit/philosophy-and-philology-unit?userId=xmalee

Christian Munthe: https://www.gu.se/english/about_the_university/staff/?userId=xmuntc

Subject area

Practical philosophy

Specific subject description

Bioethical research, moral- as well as political philosophical, on issues of relevance to the environmental dimensions of the antibiotic resistance challenge, in particular, analysis and design of proposed solutions and management.

Job assignments

We will fund one well-qualified and highly motivated candidate to conduct research on bioethical issues in collaboration with supervisors and other researchers within EDAR. The output may include single- as well as co-authored publications, and some of these may be multidisciplinary, involving collaboration with environmental, health and social science researchers. The successful candidate is expected to address questions regarding what ethical positions to advance related to the environmental dimensions of the antibiotic resistance challenge and how these may affect incentive structures of importance for this area. This may include conceptual analysis, understanding of interest-, norm- and value conflicts, and design of proposed solutions to such conflicts, as well as practical measures to be taken in the light of this.

The successful candidate’s main responsibilities will be to write a doctoral dissertation in the area mentioned above, and to complete obligatory course work. He or she may also undertake a limited amount of teaching, administration or research not directly connected to her or his dissertation topic. Such duties extend the position accordingly.

The successful candidate is expected to conduct the main part of the assignment in Gothenburg, and to participate in the department’s activities, such as workshops and seminars. She or he is also expected to participate in EDAR activities, and to contribute to research and related activities within CARe. Apart from the salary, the department of philosophy, linguistics and theory of science, as well as both EDAR and CARe, offer extra funds for conference travel, research visits abroad, and so on.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the position, the applicant must meet both general and specific entry requirements.

General entry requirements

A person meets the general entry requirements under Chapter 7, Section 39 of the Higher Education Ordinance if he or she:

1. has been awarded a second-cycle qualification, or

1. has satisfied the requirements for courses comprising at least 240 higher education credits of which at least 60 higher education credits were awarded in the second-cycle, or

1. has acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad.

Specific entry requirements

Admission to the third-cycle program in Practical Philosophy requires:

1. 30 higher education credits in Practical Philosophy as a second-cycle subject, at least 15 of which must be from a degree project or equivalent knowledge,
2. the type(s) of Swedish and English skills needed to be able to benefit from compulsory parts of the course and to be able to actively participate in seminars and similar activities. For further information about the general and specific requirements please refer to study syllabus at the following link:

https://flov.gu.se/english/education/doctoral-studies-third-cycle/general-syllabus

Assessment

According to the Higher Education Ordinance Ch.7, applicants will be assessed based on their estimated ability to benefit from the study programs and on the Department’s supervisory resources. We will base this assessment primarily on the following:

1. Theses, degree projects and any publications. These are assessed based on the following five quality criteria, of which the final two have the heaviest weighting: Suitable subject definition, relevant questioning, suitable command of the subject and structuring of the thesis, suitable use of language, formalities, academic quality and independence.

1. A project draft no more than 2,500 words in which the applicant stipulates a research domain that he/she would like to develop, justifies its relevance and discusses which theories, methods and materials would be relevant. The project draft is assessed on the basis of the following criteria: whether the research displays familiarity with previous and current research, whether the research questions are viable and grounded in current research, whether the draft is judged to be realistic, as regards its implementation at third-cycle level and whether the draft shows that it is likely the applicant will make a valuable contribution to research in the field. The project draft also provides supporting information for assessing the Department’s supervisor competence within the research domain stipulated.

1. Other documents such as letters of recommendation.

Admission and selection are also conditional on the Department’s supervisory resources within the doctoral student’s research focus. Admission may also include an interview in addition to a review of qualifications submitted. Admission decisions are made by the Head of Department following preparation at the Department.

Employment

Type of employment: Fixed-term employment

Extent: 100 %

Location: Department of Philosophy, Linguistics and Theory of Science, Gothenburg

First day of employment: 2019-09-01

For further information please contact:

Lena Eriksson, head of postgraduate studies +46 31 786 4184 [email protected]

Christian Munthe, PI for ethics within CARe [email protected]

Unions

Union representatives at the University of Gothenburg: http://www.gu.se/english/about_the_university/job-opportunities/union-representatives

How to apply

In order to apply for a position at the University of Gothenburg, you have to register an account in our online recruitment system. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the application is complete in accordance with the instructions in the job advertisement, and that it is submitted before the deadline. The selection of candidates is made on the basis of the qualifications registered in the application.

Complementary documents, such as publications/books should be sent in two copies to the following address and marked with reference number. University of Gothenburg, Att: HR Administrator, FLoV, Box 200, SE-405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden.

For the application to be considered complete it must include:

1. An introductory letter of 1.000 words maximum (approx. 2 pages), preferably shorter. The letter should consist of four paragraphs in the following order: a) a short presentation of yourself, b) a short presentation of your merits, c) a short presentation of the intended research project and d) a short account for why the Department of Philosophy, Linguistics and Theory of Science and CARe are of interest to you.
2. A CV, including a list of publications (if applicable).
3. Theses, degree projects and any publications. These are assessed based on the following five quality criteria, of which the final two have the heaviest weighting: Suitable subject definition, relevant questioning, suitable command of the subject and structuring of the thesis, suitable use of language, formalities, academic quality and independence.

1. A project draft no more than 2,500 words in which the applicant stipulates a research domain that he/she would like to develop, justifies its relevance and discusses which theories, methods and materials would be relevant. The project draft is assessed on the basis of the following criteria: whether the research displays familiarity with previous and current research, whether the research questions are viable and grounded in current research, whether the draft is judged to be realistic, as regards its implementation at third-cycle level and whether the draft shows that it is likely the applicant will make a valuable contribution to research in the field. The project draft also provides supporting information for assessing the Department’s supervisor competence within the research domain stipulated.

1. Other documents such as letters of recommendation.

Closing date 2019-04-30

 The University of Gothenburg promotes equal opportunities, equality and diversity.

 Applications will be destroyed or returned (upon request) two years after the decision of employment has become final. 

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