PhD position in Philosophy

The Department of Philosophy, which is one of three departments of the Faculty of Humanities, is a vibrant and international community of philosophers committed to high-quality teaching and research in diverse areas of philosophy. The Theoretical Philosophy group, where the current position is based, was evaluated as the best group in theoretical philosophy among all participating groups during the last QANU research visitation.

The position is part of Dr. Jeroen de Ridder’s NWO-funded Vidi project ‘Knowledgeable Democracy: A Social-Epistemological Inquiry’, which is devoted to evaluating the knowledge-producing potential of liberal democracies. The PhD project is devoted to an analysis of the significance of deep and intractable disagreements in liberal democratic societies. It will be carried out in close collaboration with the project’s principal investigator, Jeroen de Ridder, a postdoc, and a student assistant. The position includes ample funding for research and travel. A full project description is available for download here.

Tasks

• Conduct research on the project topic, resulting in a PhD dissertation;
• Participate in the teaching and research activities of the Theoretical Philosophy group;
• Complete the required PhD coursework for the Humanities Graduate School.

Requirements

The candidate should have a Master’s or Research Master’s degree in Philosophy with a strong academic record and demonstrable affinity with contemporary analytic epistemology. Familiarity with political philosophy and/or political science would be a plus. Excellent spoken and written English, as well as strong academic writing skills are essential.

Further particulars

• The appointment will be initially for 12 months. After satisfactory evaluation of the initial appointment, it can be extended for a total duration of four years.
• The candidate will enroll in the Humanties Graduate School at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and become a member of the Dutch Research School of Philosophy (OZSW).
• Preferred starting date: January 1, 2017.

See for more information and application the website of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.