The University of Turin is inviting applications for a postdoctoral researcher (“assegnista di ricerca”) in the field of philosophy of science for a period of two years (24 months). The successful candidate will work in the PRIN project “From Models To Decisions”, funded by the Italian Ministry for University and Research and directed by Professor Jan Sprenger. The project is run in colloboration with philosophers of science at the IMT Lucca and two universities in Milan (San Raffaele and Polytechnic University).
The successful candidate will be affiliated to the Department of Philosophy and Educational Sciences and the Center for Logic, Language and Cognition (LLC). The default starting date is 1 May 2020, but a later starting date can be mutually agreed.
Profile and Evaluation Criteria
Candidates must hold a PhD degree, or provide clear evidence of obtaining it in the next months. They must be able to demonstrate their research excellence in philosophy of science and show to be able to contribute to the project’s goals. The project investigates the interface between modeling and decision-making: how scientific models function, how they advance our knowledge despite their intrinsic uncertainty, and how they are interpreted in a decision context. A detailed project description is available here.
Candidates will be primarily evaluated on the basis of their research credentials (=publications and other research activities), their fit with the project, their motivation, and the originality and soundness of the research plan. The research plan should make explicit how the proposed research will contribute to meeting the project’s goals. Generic applications or those without thematic fit will be discarded in the first step of the selection procedure.
Employment Terms and Conditions
The selected candidate will be appointed as a research fellow (assegnista di ricerca) for a period of two years (24 months). The fellowship (“assegno”) is exempt from regular income tax under Italian legislation; only social security contributions apply. The gross amount of the fellowship is 30,000 €; this translates to a monthly net salary of ca. 2,000 €. Office space, equipment and sufficient travel funds will be provided by the project. The selected candidate will collaborate with other project members, including those in Milan and Lucca, and contribute to the research activities of the LLC. There are no teaching obligations.
Institutional Embedding
The University of Turin is one of Italy’s biggest universities, and one of the strongest in research, as evidenced by publication and citation track record, and various national evaluations. The successful candidate will be a member of the Department of Philosophy and Educational Sciences (DFE, website in Italian only) at the University of the Turin, which has recently won an Department of Excellence award by the National Agency of Research Evaluation. DFE was one of only two philosophy departments in Italy that received the excellence award.
DFE is also home to three ERC projects and several active research centers (e.g., LabOnt, ART, Scienza Nuova). This open position will be embedded into the Center for Logic, Language and Cognition (LLC). LLC organizes diverse seminar and conference series (e.g., recently the Formal Epistemology Workshop 2019), sustains a large international network and hosts an outstanding group of researchers in logic, epistemology, philosophy of language and philosophy of science. The successful candidate will conduct his or her work within the structures of the LLC. Both the project and the LLC conduct their research activities in English. DFE also offers an anglophone MA track in philosophy.
Turin is a highly liveable city of ca. 900,000 inhabitants in the Northwest of Italy, not expensive at all, close to the Alps and with a rich cultural life (world-class museums, opera, theater, orchestras, movie festivals, etc.). Click here for more details.
Language
Knowledge of Italian at the time of application is not required. It is however expected to engage with the Italian language and to master it at A2 level or better after the first year of service. Provisions to assist the researchers with learning the language will be undertaken.
Application Procedure
The only way to apply is online, via the official site for applying for open positions in the Italian academic system (Piattaforma Integrata Concorsi Atenei, in short: PICA). The official call is visible at https://pica.cineca.it/unito/tipologia/assegni under the name “Bando assegni di ricerca – Tornata I 2020”. Members of underrepresented groups in academia are especially encouraged to apply.
Candidates should submit the following documents, preferably (=to the extent that the electronic system allows) in a single pdf file:
–a cover letter (not more than one page);
–a Curriculum Vitae;
–a writing sample;
–a short research plan (500 words are enough---shortlisted candidates will be asked to elaborate);
Letters of recommendation will not be read; references can be provided in the CV.
The deadline for applications will be 9 March 2020 at 13:00 Central European Time. Interviews will presumably be held on 19 March (also via skype, date TBC) and information about the outcome will be sent as soon as possible afterwards.
Further Information
For further information on the position, please contact the project leader, Professor Jan Sprenger, at [email protected]. Please make sure to include the string “PRIN postdoc” in the subject line.
