JOUW FUNCTIE

This PhD position will be embedded in the NWO-funded project TEND (Technological Niche Disruptions), which investigates the impact of new, disruptive technologies on both individuals and societies from an ecological perspective, adopting a niche construction framework.
The PhD project will focus on developing the foundational framework of the project, as well as one (or both) of two case studies. One case study concerns the disruption of epistemic spaces, with a focus on a historical comparison between the emergence of the printing press in the modern era and the recent advent of the Internet. The other case study concerns chatbots (like ChatGPT) and other similar AI architectures, focusing on how they challenge and disrupt the concepts of ‘communication’ and ‘authorship’. Both projects will be carried out in close collaboration with the project’s principal investigators, Prof. dr. Catarina Dutilh Novaes and dr. Guido Löhr. A short description of TEND is available on https://sites.google.com/view/tend-project/home, and a full description is available upon request.
The expected starting date is 1 February 2026 or shortly thereafter.

JOUW PROFIEL

• We are looking for candidates who meet the following qualifications:
• a Master’s or Research Master’s degree in philosophy or related field (science and technology studies, political theory, media studies etc.), fully completed before the application deadline (October 10th)
• relevant areas of expertise include: social epistemology, philosophy of language, philosophy of technology, philosophy of artificial intelligence, political philosophy. We are looking for candidates with interests in a combination of these areas (not necessarily all of them)
• strong academic record and demonstrable affinity with societal and technological contemporary debates
• excellent oral and written communication skills in English
• strong organizational skills and the ability to work both independently and as part of a team

• conduct research on the project’s topic, resulting in a PhD dissertation, journal publications, and conference presentations
• participate in the regular research activities of the project, such as weekly seminars, workshops and conferences; teaching
• participate in the research (and possibly teaching) activities of the Philosophy Department
• complete the required PhD coursework for the Humanities Graduate School