“Ethics of Socially Disruptive Technologies” (Esdit) is an international research programme of seven academic institutions in the Netherlands. It has a combined budget of € 27 million, and is funded by the Ministry for Education, Culture and Science and the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) 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 and technology / engineering and to position its consortium at the top of its field internationally. The consortium, counting over sixty researcher, consists of internationally well-known ethicists, philosophers, engineers and social scientists. The programme includes four research lines, “Nature, life and human intervention”, “The future of a free and fair society”, “The human condition” and “Synthesis: Ethics of Technology, Practical Philosophy, and Modern Technology-Driven Societies”.
You are responsible for the external communication of the Esdit programme, and also have a role in internal communication. You carry out these tasks in consultation with the programme manager, Wendy Aartsen, the programme leader, prof. dr. Philip Brey, the vice leader, prof. dr. Sabine Roeser and the management assistant, Seeta Autar. You implement policies outlined by the Daily Board (which, besides yourself, includes Aartsen, Brey, and Roeser) and the Management Board (the central strategic board, consisting of nine professors). Tasks include the following:
- taking responsibility for the communication strategy for the research programme, together with the programme manager and researchers in the programme;
- writing and editing news items, feature articles and other texts for various audiences and media concerning the relationship between technology, society, philosophy and ethics;
- creating an original representation of the consortium on social media, using the latest techniques and software;
- exploring and utilizing new tools (also for visual communication) and ideas to communicate messages to various audiences and in collaboration with stakeholders;
- supporting researchers in the programme with their communication and impact activities and coordinating the external communication activities;
- as communication advisor for the ESDIT programme you will join the Front Office team meetings of the Marketing Communication department (MC). The team consists of 18 colleagues with diverse functions and roles, communication advisors, marketers and online marketers. We all have our own projects but help each other in sparring on subjects where necessary.
Information and application
A full programme plan, including details about organizational structure and policies, can be requested from Seeta Autar at b.autar@utwente.nl. See also the programme website: https://www.esdit.nl/. For questions about the vacancy, please contact Philip Brey (p.a.e.brey@utwente.nl).
Your application, including a letter of application and a curriculum vitae, can be uploaded until Tuesday, October 3th (23.59 PM CEST).
About the department
Philosophy section. This position will be embedded within the philosophy section of the University of Twente. For further information, visit https://www.utwente.nl/en/bms/wijsb.
About the organisation
The Faculty of Behavioral, Management and Social sciences (BMS) aims to play a key role in understanding, jointly developing and evaluating innovations in society. Technological developments are the engine of innovation. As a technical university that puts people first, we tailor them to human needs and behavior and use social engineering to integrate them into society. We also ensure adequate governance at public and private level, and robust, inclusive and fair organizational structures. We do this by developing, sharing and applying high-quality knowledge in Psychology, Business Administration, Public Administration, Communication Sciences, Philosophy, Educational Sciences and Health Sciences. Our research and education in these disciplines revolves around tackling and solving societal challenges. The research programs of BMS are closely linked to the research of the UT institutes Mesa+ Institute for Nanotechnology, TechMed Center and Digital Society Institute.
As an employer, the Faculty of BMS offers work that matters. We equip you to create new possibilities for yourself and for our society. With us, you will become part of a leading technical university with increasing, positive social impact. We offer an open, inclusive and entrepreneurial atmosphere, in which we encourage you to make healthy choices, for example through our flexible, adaptable benefits.
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