Assistant Professor in Philosophy of Science (EXPIRED)

The Department of Philosophy of the University of Twente in the Netherlands is looking for an

Assistant Professor in philosophy of science

with a focus on scientific practice and/or science education and/or engineering sciences

(fulltime)

The department of philosophy is internationally leading in the philosophy of technology, and pioneering in the philosophy of science in practice. It hosts members from different nationalities, and currently includes seven tenured staff members, two tenure trackers, two postdocs, eight PhD students, and several part-time faculty. The department  has a strong international orientation, and is strongly embedded in the university at large. It focuses on three domains: ethics of technology (chair: Philip Brey), human-technology interactions (chair: Peter-Paul Verbeek), and philosophy of science in practice (chair: Mieke Boon). The department seeks a faculty member for a period of three years (with a prospect on extension – see below for conditions) to support the teaching activities and to strengthen the research program of the philosophy of science in practice.

Job specification

You teach philosophy of science (0.8 fte) with a focus on ‘philosophy of science for the engineering sciences’ for bachelor and master programs. You will also teach philosophy of science and ‘philosophy of science in practice’ courses in the master program Philosophy of Science, Technology and Society (PSTS). Courses may include a selection of the following, depending on your strengths and preferences: philosophy of science for engineering fields such as chemical, electrical, civil, mechanical and biomedical engineering, technical medicine and applied physics. Furthermore, contributions can be made to the supervision of PhD students in the philosophy of science in practice; to general education in excellence programs such as University College ATLAS; and, to the educational design of problem-based learning in engineering education (TOM). You perform research (0.2 fte) in the area of the philosophy of science in practice, with focus on epistemological challenges of scientific education and research in the engineering sciences.

Your profile

You hold a PhD. You have a strong background in philosophy of science and affinity with current developments in the ‘philosophy of science in practice’. You also have a strong background in and affinity with (engineering) science and technology. In your research, you have a demonstrable interest in philosophy of science with a focus on science and engineering education, and in implementing philosophy of science into educational programs for science and engineering students. You have taught philosophy of science at a university level, preferably to students in science & engineering, social science, or other non-philosophical fields. You have demonstrable didactic skills in teaching, good teaching evaluations, and a passion for teaching. You are able and willing to teach in areas of philosophy outside your philosophical specialization. You have published in peer-refereed journals and have relevant international experience. You have a strong command of the English language. All master programs at the University of Twente are taught in English, and English is the official language at departmental meetings. Bachelor teaching is often in Dutch, but in almost all cases teaching in English is allowed.

Our offer

You are appointed as an Assistant professor (full-time) with an emphasis on teaching (starting date: August 1, 2015; for three years with a prospect on extension, depending on the demand for philosophy of science teaching and the financial situation of the department). The gross monthly salary ranges from € 3.324,- up to € 4.551,- gross per month (based on experience) in accordance with the job profile for a “Universitair Docent-2”, under the University System for Job Classification (UJC). In addition, the University of Twente offers attractive employment conditions (for example, 8% holiday allowance and 8,3% end-of-year bonus) and excellent facilities for professional and personal development.

Information and application

For more information, please contact prof.dr.ir. Mieke Boon (e-mail: [email protected]; phone: +31-53-489 2659), or prof.dr. Peter-Paul Verbeek (e-mail: [email protected]; phone: +31-53-489 4460). Your application should reach us by June 5 2015, and should include a CV, a letter of application (including a summary description of your teaching evaluations), a summary and table of contents of your dissertation (or your full dissertation), a relevant research publication, and contact information for 2 or more references. Interviews will ideally be held between June 15 and June 19 depending on availability of selected candidates. Skype interviews are a possibility. Applications should be uploaded via www.utwente.nl/vacatures/en.

About the university and region

The University of Twente. We stand for science and technology, high tech, human touch, education and research that matter. New technology which drives change, innovation and progress in society. The University of Twente is the only campus university in the Netherlands; divided over five faculties we provide more than fifty educational programs. The University of Twente has a strong focus on personal development and talented researchers are given scope for carrying out pioneering research. The Faculty of Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences  strives to hold a leading position in their fields in relation to the science and technology research programs of the University of Twente. In all these fields, the faculty provides bachelor, master and professional development programs.

The city of Enschede, in the east of the Netherlands, is a lively city of 150,000, located in beautiful countryside and near spectacular nature areas. It is only two hours away from major European cities like Amsterdam, Cologne and Düsseldorf, three hours from Brussels and also close to London, Paris and Berlin.