Full Professor Ethics of Technology
The Philosophy and Ethics group at Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands seeks a full professor in Ethics of Technology, with specific interests in ethical issues concerning smart systems, robotics and/or artificial intelligence.
Institutional Setting
TU/e is a leading international university of technology specializing in Engineering Science & Technology. Through excellent teaching and research we contribute to progress in the technical sciences, to the development of technological innovations, and as a result to the growth of prosperity and welfare in the region and beyond. TU/e maintains close links with industry, healthcare and the building and logistics sectors.
The department Industrial Engineering and Innovation Sciences consists of two Schools. The mission of both Schools is to conduct excellent scientific research in combination with providing excellent education. The School of Industrial Engineering focuses on the design, execution, support and optimization of operational and innovation processes in high-tech business, firms and institutes. It covers disciplines as innovation science, operations management, information systems and organizational psychology. The School of Innovation Sciences investigates how humans and societies bring about technological change, and how technological innovations change society and human behavior. Related disciplines are psychology, human-computer interaction, philosophy, ethics, social economics and history, all in relation with technology.
At the departmental level both Schools combine their research in cross-disciplinary research themes, addressing grand societal challenges, such as Sustainability, the Value of Big Data, Humans & Technology and Logistics with its Interfaces.
The department has more than 110 scientific staff members with about the same amount of PhDs and Postdocs. All permanent staff contributes to teaching in the various BSc and MSc programs of the department, educating around 1300 students each year.
Philosophy & Ethics
The Philosophy & Ethics group at TU/e is a vibrant international community of 13 regular faculty members, 9 post-docs and 11 PhD students (https://research.tue.nl/en/organisations/philosophy-ethics/persons/). The group is particularly strong in ethics and philosophy of technology, but faculty members pursue research in a wide range of areas in philosophy. We have a close cooperation with other departments at TU/e and with the Eindhoven Artificial intelligence Systems Institute (EAISI; https://www.tue.nl/en/research/institutes/eindhoven-artificial-intelligence-systems-institute). We are also part of the "Ethics of Socially Disruptive Technologies" research program of seven academic institutions in the Netherlands - funded for up to 10 years with a combined budget of 27M€ (https://www.esdit.nl). Together with the universities of Delft, Twente, and Wageningen we form the "4TU Ethics" consortium (https://ethicsandtechnology.eu), where we cooperate on research and engineering education. Jointly, 4TU.Ethics does research in philosophy and ethics of technology at a world-leading level.
Research
The full professor is expected to do research in the broad field of ethics of technology, at the interface between fundamental philosophical issues and problems arising in the design, implementation, use and regulation of technology. Sample issues include: How can we see to it that emerging and converging technologies and infrastructures express our considered normative judgments and widely endorsed public values? How can we assess our technologies in the light of public values like sustainability, autonomy, knowledge, safety, justice, privacy, and fairness? How are our norms and values affected by technological developments? The research by the full professor should offer original, internationally recognized ways of addressing these or similar issues, with good opportunities for acquiring external funding and establishing multi-disciplinary collaborations.
Specifically, the full professor should have a track record of research in information ethics, or show high potential for developing research lines on ethical issues concerning smart systems, robotics and artificial intelligence. TU/e wishes to further strengthen its profile as a centre of excellence for research on the information-driven society. The full professor is expected to make an active contribution to this in the context of the many ongoing collaborations (EAISI, ESDiT, 4TU Ethics) mentioned above, as well as pursue new collaborations.
Teaching
The P&E group is responsible for a large number of courses in the TU/e Bachelor College as well as in the Graduate School. The full professor is expected to strengthen the humanities component in academic curricula at TU/e and represent the social sciences and humanities in discussions regarding TU/e’s educational profile. S/he will take the lead in developing, coordinating and teaching courses in which ethical theories and concepts are applied to technology design and implementation.
Management
The full professor will contribute to leading the P&E research program and the P&E group. S/he will serve in group-, school-, and university-level committees and help to further strengthen research on the information-driven society at the faculty of IE&IS and TU/e. The full professor will also contribute to the management of national and international research collaborations, such as ESDiT or 4TU.Ethics.
The academic culture in the P&E group is characterized by collegial decision-making, and strong collaboration at the group-, school- and university level; the managerial style of the full professor should reflect this.
As of 2020, TU/e adopted English as the working language for research, teaching and management.
Tasks
- Conducts internationally leading research in ethics and technology
- Contributes actively to strengthening TU/e’s research on the information-driven society
- Initiates, acquires funding for, and leads (multidisciplinary) research projects
- Communicates with societal stakeholders and the general public about ethics research
- Teaches courses in the Bachelor College and Graduate School at TU/e
- Initiates and participates in course development
- Plays a leading role in, and represents the humanities- and social-science component in the Bachelor College
- Serves in management of P&E, the 4TU Centre for Ethics and Technology and IE&IS as needed
Job requirements
- PhD in philosophy
- Area of specialization: ethics (meta-ethics, normative ethics, applied ethics)
- Strong track record of research in information ethics, or commitment and abilities to develop such research
- Affinity with other application areas relevant to the P&E group (energy, health, mobility)
- Strong academic reputation, demonstrated by high-quality publications, keynote lectures, editorial-board memberships, etc.
- Proven ability to cross disciplinary boundaries between the humanities, social sciences, and engineering sciences
- Proven ability to acquire and manage externally funded research projects
- Proven ability to supervise PhD students
- Strong track record in designing, coordinating and teaching courses at Bachelor and Master level
- Experience in management of academic professionals, characterized by an inspiring, collegial, and effective style, aimed at developing people and creating synergy
- Proven ability to reach out to the general public and to societal stakeholders
- Excellent interpersonal and communicative skills
Conditions of employment
We offer:
- a challenging job in a dynamic and ambitious group and department;
- a full-time appointment;
- a gross monthly salary between € 5.834,- and € 8.539,- based on a full-time appointment and depending on experience and knowledge;
- the possibility of enrolling in the official Dutch Universities’ teaching certification program (Basic Qualification Teaching);
- a yearly holiday allowance of 8% of the yearly salary;
- a yearly end year allowance of 8.3% of the yearly salary;
- a broad package of fringe benefits (including an excellent technical infrastructure, moving expenses, savings schemes, and excellent sports facilities).
Information and application
Information:
More information can be obtained from the links:
Department of Philosophy and Ethics: p-e.ieis.tue.nl/
4TU.Centre for Ethics and Technology: ethicsandtechnology.eu/
Eindhoven University of Technology: www.tue.nl/
If you need more information about the tasks and requirements for this position please contact the chair of the P&E group, Wybo Houkes, w.n.houkes[at]tue.nl
For information concerning employment conditions click here or contact Kim Spinder - van Puijenbroek, HR Advisor, k.a.g.m.v.puijenbroek[at]tue.nl
Application:
If you are interested in this position, we invite you to apply before July 4, 2022 at https://jobs.tue.nl/en/vacancy/full-professor-ethics-of-technology-10-fte-929549.html Interviews will be held around September.
Your application must contain the following documents (all in English):
- Cover letter where you motivate your interest in the vacancy;
- An extensive curriculum vitae including: a complete list of publications; a teaching portfolio including teaching evaluations (if available); PhD supervision; and an overview of acquired substantial research funding.
- Names and contact information of two persons willing to provide references;
- If your degree is not from an English-spoken program, proof of proficiency in English needs to be included in your package (such as IELTS or TOEFL).
We do not respond to applications that are sent to us in a different way.
Please keep in mind you can upload only 5 documents up to 2 MB each. If necessary please combine files.
We will screen your application as soon as possible and the vacancy will remain open until the position is filled.
