[spsp-members] PhD position in Philosophy and Ethics of Techno-Science at Utrecht University

[Federica Russo]

Deadline: 6th November
Description and how to apply:
https://www.uu.nl/en/organisation/working-at-utrecht-university/jobs/phd-position-in-philosophy-and-ethics-of-techno-science-08-10-fte


Interested in understanding ethical and epistemological questions of AI and excited to empirically explore the application of AI in techno-scientific fields?

In the sciences, we increasingly use digital methods for the generation, collection, and analysis of data. The sciences (natural, biomedical, social, and the humanities too), are facing new challenges related to use of these instruments and to the large data sets thereby generated. As we witness a renewed interest and considerable investment in developing AI systems, there are pressing questions about explainability, fairness, bias, and/or privacy. In any empirical study, researchers are confronted with epistemological questions related to data quality, explanation, and/or accuracy. These questions also have an important normative dimension related to data ethics, compliance to research standards, or ethico-political questions related to decision and policy. However, the epistemological and ethical questions are often discussed and addressed in distinct philosophical circles and unfortunately they are not addressed together in the training of junior scientists.

Against this backdrop, your PhD project will explore how to address epistemological and ethical questions together. Your task will be to evaluate the prospects, limitations, and potential applicability of virtue epistemology and virtue ethics, and potentially providing the foundations of a combined virtue-based epistemology-cum-ethics. In consultation with the doctoral committee, you will select two cases from any techno-scientific field to work on during the whole project, for instance considering AI applications in medicine, biology, organisational behaviour, or digital humanities. You will be encouraged to use ethnographic methods to engage with the practice of science of your interest. The outputs of your project will also feed a reflection how to build an ethics teaching module for scientists and/or engineers.


Qualifications
In this position you will enthusiastically establish interdisciplinary collaborations with scientists and engage with them. We also like to see multiple if not all of the following qualifications:
•               Relevant background knowledge in the fields of the case studies that the applicant will propose.
•               A demonstrable interest in research in Philosophy of Techno-Science, for instance a Master in History and Philosophy of Science or Philosophy of Technology or a first experience as a researcher or research assistant on a topic related to these areas.
Experience with, or eagerness to learn, ethnographic methods to be used in philosophical research.

_____________
Federica Russo | http://russofederica.wordpress.com |  @federicarusso | https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1993-9697

Professor of Philosophy and Ethics of Techno-Science & Westerdijk Chair, Freudenthal Institute, Utrecht University
Honorary Professor, University College London, Department of Science and Technology Studies

Digital Society, Editor-in-Chief
SOLARIS project, Coordinator (read the press release here)
European Philosophy of Science Association - Member of the Steering Committee
Institute for Advanced Study - UvA | External Faculty Member
My latest monograph: Russo F. (2022) Techno-Scientific Practices. An Informational Approach. Rowman&Littlefield International.
Some papers about ethics and epistemology of AI, about public health and trade-off, and about virtue ethics and sustainability science
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://list.philosophy-science-practice.org/pipermail/spsp-members/attachments/20231012/8676be0a/attachment.htm>