PhD Researcher (EXPIRED)

Vacancy PhD researcher: Crowdsourcing to foster responsible research an innovation and participatory research 1.0 fte. Deadline of application:  March 1, 2021.

Background
We witness major transitions in research methodologies, notably in biomedical fields, where research aims to become more participatory, inclusive and interactive, more sensitive to societal expectations and concerns, in order to address complex societal challenges. Besides intense collaborations across disciplines, this involves interaction with society at various levels, not only during the implementation stage, but as an inherent dimension of research methodologies. An important component of this development is crowdsourcing, where citizens and other societal participants contribute actively to the research, by sharing their views and experiences. They may propose research questions or contribute to addressing such questions via collaborative work. Society becomes a living laboratory, while citizens become active participants rather than research subjects or passive targets of inquiry.

JOINUS4HEALTH is a Horizon2020 project funded by the European commission which aims to contribute to Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) by using crowdsourcing as a way to broaden the scope of cohort studies research. We are looking for a candidate who is interested in combining hands-on contributions to the tasks and objectives of the project with conceptual and theoretical reflections on participatory research and deliberative democracy. Via academic papers, the work will result in a PhD thesis, for which supervision and training will be provided.

The project aims to promoting citizen science and public engagement as an inherent part of research methodologies. Researchers are encouraged to actively engage citizens and other societal actors in mutual learning dialogues during the design of their analyses and interpretation of results. This may address methodological challenges such as biases in participation and foster engagement and uptake. The consortium includes three institutions with a strong track record on cohort studies (including Erasmus Medical Centre) while the contribution of ESPhil will focus on conceptual, methodological and normative challenges.

Requirements

• The candidate has a Master’s degree in philosophy, preferably in combination with experience in biomedical and/or social sciences fields;
• Is interested in interdisciplinary collaboration and methodological innovation, and in bringing science closer to society;
• Has excellent verbal and writing skills in English;
• Has a team player attitude for collaborative research;
• Is willing to contribute to educational activities of our school (10%);
• Combines conceptual strengths with skills for presenting, planning, organizing and monitoring project activities.

We offer
We offer an appointment as PhD student for a period of 1.5 year, which will be extended with a second term of 2.5 years if the candidate performs well. Remuneration will be according to the PhD scales set by the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO NU), and will range from € 2.395 per month in the first year to € 3.061 per month in the fourth year (gross amounts, in case of fulltime employment). Applicants should have the right to work in the Netherlands for the duration of the contract. Fulltime is considered to be 38 hours per week. Starting date: as soon as possible.

Employer
The Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR), named after the Dutch humanist Erasmus, is a research university with a strong international orientation and a pronounced societal focus, both in education and in research activities. About 30.000 students of more than 100 nationalities are encouraged to develop their talents and ambitions. Our 3,000 scientists and employees work together with our students to address challenges faced by global society, drawing their inspiration from the cosmopolitan city of Rotterdam. We increasingly perform our research in multidisciplinary teams, closely interwoven with international networks. In terms of research impact and the quality of programmes, EUR is positioned in the top 3% of best universities worldwide and ranked among the top 100 in global rankings (Times Higher Education # 72; NTUR # 79; ARWU # 80; SWUR # 92). We conduct our research in accordance with Erasmian values: combining engagement with society and world citizenship with a collaborative attitude, integrity and an open mind. Diversity is important to us and female candidates are explicitly encouraged to apply.

Erasmus School of Philosophy (ESPhil) aims to develop thought-provoking philosophical perspectives on contemporary global challenges, combining academic excellence with engaged scholarship, building on a range of philosophical approaches and seeking collaboration with other disciplines as well as with societal actors. Its research aspires to be internationally leading and to push the boundaries of philosophical thinking, actively seeking close collaborations with researchers from other fields. The faculty has an international orientation and strong connections with universities abroad. Our research programs are internationally leading in our field. ESPhil enables students to become critical thinkers and engaged scholars by developing their academic skills and encouraging them to practice philosophy in multiple societal settings Our research addresses for collaborative themes: The making of Modernity; Subjectivity and its discontents; Philosophy of economics; The structure of science and reality. 

How to apply
If you are interested in this vacancy, please send your application to: Marloes Westerveld, office manager ESPhil ([email protected]).

 Mention PhD Joinus4health as subject. Your application should include:

• Letter of Motivation
• CV
• Writing sample (e.g. publication or thesis chapter)

More information: Prof. Dr. Hub Zwart; [email protected]