Postdoc in Ethics of Technology: Innovating Methods for the Ethics of Socially Disruptive Technologies

Postdoc in Ethics of Technology: Innovating Methods for the Ethics of Socially Disruptive Technologies

Introduction

In the face of contemporary technological change, how might the methods of ethics of technology be modified or improved? As part of the inter-university research consortium, “Ethics of Socially Disruptive Technologies” (ESDiT), Philosophy & Ethics at TU/e is hiring a three-year post-doc to investigate what methodological innovations or modifications the ethics of technology requires in response to socially disruptive technologies.

Job Description

The ethics of technology has developed a wide range of methods and frameworks, yet there is no systematic understanding of what makes a method adequate for addressing socially disruptive technologies (SDTs), specifically. SDTs present distinctive challenges: they disrupt the concepts we use, they generate deep uncertainty and concern about their impacts, and they transform the social and conceptual contexts within which ethical evaluation takes place. It is an open question whether existing methods can accommodate these challenges or, instead, require fundamental modification. Gaining clarity about this requires developing a theoretical account of what success looks like for ethical methods operating under conditions of disruption.

To address the question of what methodological innovations or modifications the ethics of technology requires in response to socially disruptive technologies, this project pursues three interconnected lines of inquiry:

First, as a basis for the evaluative and innovative stages of the project, the postdoc will develop a conceptual framework for understanding the diverse existing methods used in the ethics of technology. This involves analyzing how different methods relate to one another – e.g., what purposes they are intended to serve, what assumptions they make about the relationship between theory and practice, and how they handle the distinctive consequences of socially disruptive technologies (including conceptual disruption, uncertainty, and moral diversity). The methods examined may include both theoretical and participatory or practice-oriented frameworks. To be clear, the aim in this part of the project is not to supply a comprehensive catalogue of existing methods but to develop a theoretical account of the methodological landscape as it currently stands.

Second, the postdoc will develop criteria for assessing when ethical methods succeed or fail in addressing socially disruptive technologies. This may include consideration of the following questions: What must a method be able to do to handle conceptual disruption? How should it accommodate deep uncertainty about technological trajectories? What role should stakeholder participation play? In this part of the project, the postdoc will take into account past ESDiT research on conceptual disruption, intercultural ethics, and methodological innovation. The result will be an account of desiderata for ethics methods that are applied to socially disruptive technologies.

Third, the postdoc will develop one or more new or revised method(s) that meet the desiderata identified. This may involve modifying existing approaches, integrating elements from different frameworks, or articulating entirely new methods. The aim is to contribute to the development of ethical methods that are adequate to the challenges posed by socially disruptive technologies.

The postdoc will be part of the ESDiT research line on New Methods for Ethics of Socially Disruptive Technologies, working alongside other researchers, who are also developing new methods for ethical assessment of socially disruptive technologies. Whereas a complementary project within ESDiT (at the University of Twente) will be developing new methods for analyzing specific forms of disruption (social systems, institutional change), this project will provide a meta-level framework for understanding what features ethical methods for SDTs should have. Thus, the project will inform and integrate more focused methodological contributions from others in ESDiT. Within the research line and ESDiT more broadly, the postdoc will play an active role – for instance, by organizing events and contributing to collaborative writing projects that advance the programme's methodological objectives.

The project will be supervised by Lily Frank, Elizabeth O’Neill, and James Hutton, from Delft University of Technology.

Desired starting date: Sept 1, 2026.

Job Requirements

• Motivated researcher, with a PhD in philosophy.
• Ability to conduct high quality academic research, reflected in demonstratable outputs.
• An aptitude for both independent work and working collaboratively in a team.
• Excellent (written and verbal) proficiency in English, good communication and leadership skills.
  
  

Conditions of Employment

A meaningful job in a dynamic and ambitious university, in an interdisciplinary setting and within an international network. You will work on a beautiful, green campus within walking distance of the central train station. In addition, we offer you:

• Full-time employment for 3 years.
• Salary in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, scale 10 (min. € 4,241 max. € 5,538). Please note that we cannot appoint you as a postdoc without your PhD degree. If you have not yet obtained your degree, you will be appointed to the position of researcher at grade 10, step 2.
• A year-end bonus of 8.3% and annual vacation pay of 8%.
• High-quality training programs on general skills, didactics and topics related to research and valorization.
• An excellent technical infrastructure, on-campus children's day care and sports facilities.
• Unlimited access to the modern on‑campus TU/e Student Sports Center at an exceptionally affordable rate.
• Partially paid parental leave and an allowance for commuting, working from home and internet costs. 
• A TU/e Postdoc Association that helps you to build a stronger and broader academic and personal network, and offers tailored support, training and workshops.
• A Staff Immigration Team is available for international candidates, as are a tax compensation scheme (the 30% facility) and a compensation for moving expenses.

On our website you can discover even more information about our conditions of employment. Build on your career at TU/e!

About us

We are a leading international university where scientific curiosity meets a hands-on mindset. We work in an open and collaborative way with high-tech industries to tackle complex societal challenges. Our responsible and respectful approach ensures impact — today and in the future. TU/e is home to over 13,000 students and more than 7,000 staff, forming a diverse and vibrant academic community.

Our university is located in Brainport Eindhoven — a world‑leading tech region with more than 7,000 high‑tech companies and strong R&D activity. Known for breakthroughs in AI, photonics, semiconductors and advanced manufacturing, Brainport is a place where technology serves people and society. Learn more about the Brainport region here.

The Industrial Engineering & Innovation Sciences (IE&IS) department combines disciplinary knowledge from the humanities, social sciences and technical sciences to solve the complex problems of industries and society. We collaboratively focus on and create responsible and effective innovations for the research themes: Humans and Technology, Supply Chain Management, Sustainability and Circularity, and Value of Data-Driven Intelligence.

TU/e is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome candidates with a wide variety of backgrounds and perspectives. As we aim to increase diversity in the Philosophy & Ethics group and in the field of philosophy, we especially encourage candidates from underrepresented groups to apply.

This postdoc position will be part of the Ethics of Socially Disruptive Technologies programme, a ten year long international research programme of seven academic institutions in the Netherlands that started in January 2020. This programme has a combined budget of € 27 million, and is funded by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research in the Gravitation funding scheme for excellent research, and by matching funds from the participating institutions. The duration is from January 2020 to December 2029.  The programme has the aim of achieving breakthrough research in at the intersection of ethics, philosophy, technology / engineering and social sciences, and to position its consortium at the top of its field internationally. A key objective is to investigate how new technologies challenge moral values and ontological concepts (like “nature”, “human being” and “community”), and how these challenges necessitate a revision of these concepts. The consortium, counting over 130 researchers, consists of internationally well-known ethicists, philosophers, engineers and social scientists. The programme functions through nine research lines and three synthesising workshops; for a complete overview, see www.esdit.nl.

Please note that there are other vacancies in the Ethics of Socially Disruptive Technologies programme at different participating universities. In case several are of interest to you, we want to encourage you to apply to them simultaneously.

Information

Do you recognize yourself in this profile and would you like to know more? Please contact the hiring manager Elizabeth O’Neill, Assistant Professor, Philosophy & Ethics, [email protected].

Visit our website for more information about the application process. You can also contact Jolanda van der Sande, HR advisor, [email protected] or +31 40 247 4979.

Are you inspired and would like to know more about working at TU/e? Please visit our career page.

Application

We invite you to submit a complete application using the apply-button. The application should include a:

• Cover letter in which you describe your motivation and qualifications for the position.
• Curriculum vitae, including a list of your publications and the contact information of three references. Kindly note that we may reach out to references at any stage of the recruitment process. We recommend notifying your references upon submitting your application.
• Writing sample.

Ensure that you submit all the requested application documents. Please note that incomplete applications may not be considered and could be rejected.

We give priority to complete applications.

We look forward to receiving your application and will screen it as soon as possible. The vacancy will remain open until the position is filled.

Please note

• You can apply online. We will not process applications sent by email and/or post. 
• A pre-employment screening (e.g. knowledge security check) can be part of the selection procedure. For more information on the knowledge security check, please consult the National Knowledge Security Guidelines.
• Please do not contact us for unsolicited services.