Notices

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AusSTS 2020 Online Workshop Series

The AusSTS Workshop is an annual workshop meeting aimed at PhD/ECR researchers from across Australasia interested in STS research. Like many events this year, our AusSTS2020 workshop plans (originally scheduled for July in Darwin) have inevitably been postponed. While we're sad we won't be able to see you all in person, we're still committed to providing opportunities for STS researchers to meet new people and connect with each other, especially at a time when there are fewer occasions than ever to do so.

This online workshop series is broken into 4 weeks: 1 x keynote session, 3 x interactive workshop sessions.

Register for a single event or all of them. Whatever works for you 🙂

Each session has a different theme and is facilitated by a different group of STS researchers. These sessions broadly ask: what does "participating" in research look like since COVID-19? While COVID-19 has closed access off to some archives, how might new archives now be made available? And finally, how might we use this current moment as a starting point to rethink what "business as usual" research might look like?

Download full programme PDF

AusSTS-Workshop-2020-FA


Schedule Overview

Thurs 16 Jul, 10am - 11:30am AEST:
Keynote address: Associate Professor Adia Benton (Register here)

Thurs 23 Jul, 10am - 11:30am AEST:
Session 1: Participating in research now (Register here)

Thurs 30 Jul, 10am - 11:30am AEST:
Session 2: Digital life as an archive (Register here)

Thurs 6 Aug, 10am - 11: 30am AEST:
Session 3: Disruption, opportunity and re/arranging STS research (Register here)

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OPEN FOR APPLICATION – Moran Award for History of Science Research, 2020

The Moran Award for History of Science Research is aimed at postgraduate students and early career researchers with expertise in the history of Australian science. The award is AU$5000 (increased from $2,500 last year) that can be used towards the researcher’s travel and accommodation costs for accessing archives that record the history of science in Australia. 

Note: While the awardee will still be requested to undertake their research and travels by the end of 2021, this may be extended depending on the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions. 

Applications can be made through the Academy website via the link: https://www.science.org.au/moran-history-science-research-award.

Below is a summary of the award. Further information can be found at the website link above or through our Frequently Asked Questions. For any other questions or concerns, please contact Farhana Raman farhana.raman@science.org.au or the awards team at awards@science.org.au. A story on the 2019 awardee Dr Ruth Morgan can be found here.

Moran Award for History of Science Research, 2020

Highlights:

  • The 2020 award is open to candidates from all genders; applications from female researchers are highly encouraged by the Academy
  • Award amount: AUD5,000 towards travel and accommodation costs to access archives that record the history of Australian science
  • normally available to undertake their research and travels by the end of 2021 – this may be extended, depending on the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions

Selection Criteria:

The candidate must:

  • have expertise in the history of Australian science
  • provide evidence of qualifications, a summary of professional/research experience and publications/presentations in the field along with two referee reports
  • provide a brief outline of the proposed project and the archives to be consulted

Multiple applications:

  • Applicants can only receive funding from the same research or travelling research award once in a three-calendar year period
  • Applicants may apply for more than one award but can only receive one Academy travelling or research award per calendar year.

The Australian Academy of Science acknowledges and pays respect to the Traditional Owners of the land on which the Academy is located, the Ngunnawal people, and to their elders, past, present and emerging.

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Postdoc researcher in philosophy of technology

The department of philosophy of the University of Twente is looking for a Postdoctoral researcher (3 years) to do a philosophical analysis of socially disruptive technologies and their role in transforming society with special reference to transformations of fundamental concepts and values.

The Challenge

Socially disruptive technologies are technologies that change society in fundamental ways. They transform everyday life, social institutions, cultural practices, and the organisation of the economy, business, and work. They may even affect our fundamental beliefs and values. Current technologies with this promise include new digital technologies such artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things, new bio- and brain technologies like gene editing and synthetic biology, and new environmental technologies like climate engineering and low-carbon technologies.

The aim of this postdoc project is to examine the nature and variety of these technologies and their disruptive and transformative effects, with special consideration of transformative effects on human thought, conceptualization, valuation and morality. The project will include, with accents to be provided by the postdoc, the following lines of investigation: 

  1. A philosophical investigation, with a multidisciplinary orientation, of the notions of social disruption and social transformation, and classifications of technologies and (socio)technological products and systems as to their type and degree of disruption or transformation of various aspects of society.
  2. A philosophical-multidisciplinary investigation of types of (disruptive/transformative) impacts of technology on society, including impacts on social structures, institutions, cultural and epistemic practices, concepts, values and beliefs.
  3. A philosophical-multidisciplinary investigation and assessment of theories and approaches, in philosophy and social sciences, for identifying, assessing and measuring transformative and disruptive impacts of technology, and for studying interactions between technology and society generally.
  4. A philosophical-multidisciplinary investigation of the impact of technology on conceptualization and valuation (e.g., semantic changes in ontological and moral concepts).

The main output will consist of scientific publications (single- and multi-author; the latter with other researchers in the programme). 

This PhD postdoc position is part of the Ethics of Socially Disruptive Technologies programme, a new ten-year long international research programme of seven academic institutions in the Netherlands that has started in January 2020. This ten-year 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. It 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. This postdoc project will provide some of its conceptual and theoretical foundations. We also expect the postdoc to engage with other projects and research lines in the programme, and to organize workshops and meetings aimed at collaboration on the themes in the postdoc project.

The philosophy department (https://www.utwente.nl/en/bms/wijsb/) has around 40 members (faculty, postdocs, PhD candidates). It is a thoroughly international department, with English as the main language. It specializes in its research in the philosophical and ethical study of technology and its impact on people, society, and the environment.

Your profile

Candidates we seek:

  • Hold a Ph.D. in philosophy, science and technology studies (STS), or a related field;
  • Have experience in research, which is apparent from publications in highly ranked academic journals, presentations at international scientific conferences, and other academic activities;
  • Possess expertise relevant to the project, e.g., in philosophical studies of technology and society, impact assessment methodologies, theories of conceptual change, or other;
  • Possess good communication skills and an excellent command of English, at least at C2 level.

Desired starting date: September 1st (negotiable).

Information and application

For more information, please contact Prof. dr. Philip Brey, e-mail: p.a.e.brey@utwente.nl or phone: +31534894426.

For more information about the Ethics of Socially Disruptive programme, see our website: https://www.esdt.nl/.

You can also request a full programme blueprint and a longer description of the postdoc profile from Seeta Autar (b.autar@utwente.nl).

Your application should include a CV (including the title of your dissertation and a short description of its contents, and contact information for two or more references), a letter of application, and a writing sample and should be uploaded no later than March 22th, 2020. Applications should be uploaded through the "apply now" button below.

There are other vacancies in the ESDT programme at different participating universities. In case several are of interest to you, we encourage you to apply to them simultaneously.

Our offer

You will be appointed for three years. The university offers a dynamic ecosystem with enthusiastic colleagues in which internationalization is an important part of the strategic agenda.

  • Starting salary between € 3.255,- to € 4.274,- gross per month based on your experience;
  • An additional holiday allowance of 8% of the gross annual salary and a year-end bonus of 8.3%;
  • A generous (conference) travel budget;
  • Possibilities to save up holidays for sabbatical leave;
  • Minimum of 29 holidays in case of full-time employment;
  • Professional and personal development programs;
  • A high degree of responsibility and independence, while collaborating with close colleagues, researchers and other university staff is strongly encouraged.
  • International candidates are likely to qualify for a low 30% tax rate for the first five years of their appointment.

The organization

The University of Twente. We stand for life sciences and technology. High tech and human touch. Education and research that matter. New technology which leads change, innovation and progress in society. The University of Twente is the only campus university of the Netherlands; divided over five faculties we provide more than fifty educational programmes. We have a strong focus on personal development and talented researchers are given scope for carrying out groundbreaking research.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability status. Because of our diversity values we do particularly support women to apply.

Faculty of Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences The Faculty of Behavioural, Management and Social sciences (BMS) strives to play a pivotal role in understanding, co-engineering and evaluating innovation in society. Innovation is driven by advances in technology. Through 'social engineering' these technological advances are embedded in society befitting human needs and behaviour, within proper public and private management and business structures. For this the faculty of BMS upholds high quality disciplinary knowledge in psychology, business administration, public administration, communication science, philosophy, educational science and health sciences. All with a focus on the challenges in society. Research is strongly connected to our institutes: Mesa+ Institute, TechMed Centra and Digital Society Institute.

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One 3-year PhD studentship on “Energy Demand in the Digital Society” at SPRU, University of Sussex

We are advertising a new PhD studentship through CREDS

Project Description

The department:

The PhD will be based in the Science Policy Research Unit (SPRU) at the University of Sussex. Established in 1966, SPRU conducts research, consultancy and postgraduate teaching in the area of science, technology, and innovation policy. SPRU comprises over 70 faculty and 60 doctoral students and is ranked third in the world and the highest in the UK in a global list of think tanks in science and technology. The Sussex Energy Group (SEG) at SPRU aims to understand and foster transitions towards sustainable, low carbon energy systems. Drawing from SPRU’s tradition, the Group undertakes academically rigorous, interdisciplinary social science research on contemporary energy and climate policy challenges.

The research area:

This PhD studentship will explore the potential contribution of digital technologies to reducing energy demand and assisting the transition to secure, low carbon energy systems. The studentship forms part of the Digital Society theme of the Centre for Research on Energy Demand Solutions (CREDS), and the successful student will be invited to take part in CREDS meetings and related research and engagement activities.

Applications are welcome for projects that investigate the historic and potential future impact of digital technologies on energy demand, the mechanisms contributing to those impacts and the means by which the energy-saving potential of digital technologies can be maximised. The projects may use ideas from economics, innovation studies, sociology or other relevant disciplines and may employ both quantitative and qualitative research methods. The studentships will contribute to a larger programme of research in this area, led by Prof Tim Foxon and Prof Steve Sorrell.

Possible topics for research projects include:

  • the recent and future impacts of ICTs on energy consumption and energy productivity at the sectoral and macroeconomic level;
  • the potential for innovative, ICT-based business models to deliver end-use services with lower energy use and carbon emissions;
  • the influence of smart systems on energy-related user practices (e.g. working remotely, changing leisure patterns) and the effect of these on energy consumption;
  • the use of digital technologies to optimise the energy efficiency of industrial processes, logistics and larger systems such as entire cities.

Benefits:

The PhD studentship is offered for a maximum of three years, renewable on a yearly basis, subject to satisfactory performance on the doctoral degree. The successful candidate will receive a full fee waiver plus a stipend equivalent to the UKRI doctoral stipend, currently £15,009 per annum, paid each year in three termly instalments (typically in October, January and April). In order to prepare students for academic careers, individuals receiving a studentship will be offered the possibility to undertake some teaching and/or marking activities in the School, of up to a maximum of six hours per week during term time, or to apply for any part-time Research Assistant roles that may become available. Any teaching undertaken will be paid at grade 6 of the University’s Doctoral Tutor salary scale in addition to the stipend.

Application procedure:

If you are interested in applying for a studentship, you need to first apply for a PhD place in Science and Technology Policy Studies at the University of Sussex, including a research proposal addressing one of the research topics above or a closely related topic. Details of the application process are available here: http://www.sussex.ac.uk/study/phd/apply

For further details, please see here: https://www.sussex.ac.uk/study/fees-funding/phd-funding/view/1173-One-3-year-PhD-studentship-on-“Energy-Demand-in-the-Digital-Society”-at-SPRU,-University-of-Sussex

Funding Notes

The studentship is available for UK/EU and overseas applicants. Applicants should have an upper second class honours degree, and already have, or currently be studying for, a Master’s degree in a related subject, or equivalent qualification if a non-UK applicant. A good level pass is usually required for the Master’s degree. Proof of proficiency in English is also required, i.e., an IELTS certificate taken within the last two years showing at least 6.5 overall with at least 6.0 in each of the four sections.

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PSA2020: Call for Papers

Deadline March 6, 2020

Twenty-Seventh Biennial Meeting of the PSA

November 19 – November 22, 2020
Baltimore, Maryland

The deadline for submitting papers to be presented at the PSA2020 meeting in Baltimore, Maryland, on November 19-22, 2020 is 11:59 pm Pacific Standard Time on March 6, 2020.

A call for posters has been issued separately. The call for session chairs will be sent out in late summer 2020. The conference will begin at 8:30 am on November 19 and last through 3:00 pm on November 22. The PSA will once again be offering travel grants for early career scholars, onsite childcare services, and dependent care subsidies of up to $200.

Contributed papers may be on any topic in philosophy of science. The PSA2020 Program Committee is committed to assembling a program with high-quality papers on a variety of topics and diverse presenters that reflects the full range of current work in the philosophy of science.

Members of the PSA2020 Program Committee are listed here: https://psa2020.philsci.org/en/73-program-committees.

The maximum manuscript length is 5,000 words, including abstract, footnotes, and references. If the manuscript includes tables or figures, an appropriate number of words should be subtracted from the limit. Submissions must include a 100-word abstract and a word count. Format and citation style should match those of Philosophy of Science (see https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/journals/phos/instruct
for details). Submissions should be prepared for anonymous review, with no information identifying the author in the body of the paper or abstract. (See https://journal.philsci.org/submissions for instructions on how to prepare your paper for anonymous review.) Reviewing will be “triple-masked,” with neither reviewers nor the program chair having access to the author’s identity during the review process.

See the meeting website (https://psa2020.philsci.org) for more information and to submit a paper. To submit a paper, you will need to first create an account. (Click on “Create Account” on the top menu.) Then log into your account and click on “Submissions.” For co-authored papers, the presenting author should provide the abstract and upload the paper; non-presenting co-authors are asked either to create an account or to log into their account (if one is created for them by a co-author) to answer optional demographic questions.

Some papers will be accepted for both presentation at the PSA2020 biennial meeting and publication in a supplementary issue of Philosophy of Science; other papers will be accepted for presentation only. All authors are encouraged to post their papers as PSA2020 Conference Papers at http://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/ (a publicly accessible digital archive) prior to the meeting. Authors of accepted papers are expected to present abbreviated versions of their papers at the conference; the paper presentation should take no more than twenty minutes.

The Program Committee expects to announce its decision on papers accepted for presentation by the end of May 2020 and on papers accepted for publication in Philosophy of Science in mid-June. Final versions of all papers accepted for publication must be resubmitted by January 8, 2021; submission instructions will be provided closer to that date.

Please note that in accordance with current PSA policy:

  1. Papers submitted to PSA2020 may not be published, accepted for publication, or under review at the time of submission, and they may not be submitted elsewhere for publication while they are under consideration for publication in the PSA2020 supplementary issue of Philosophy of Science.
  2. At most one contributed paper on which you are the presenting author can be submitted.
  3. No one is permitted to present more than once at each PSA meeting. Thus, if a symposium proposal in which you are a presenting author is accepted, you cannot submit a contributed paper for which you are the presenting author. Commentators that are part of symposia are considered to be presenting authors. A scholar may appear as co-author on more than one paper or symposium talk but may present at PSA2020 only once. This policy does not apply to the poster forum; a presenting author on a contributed paper or symposium paper may also present a poster in the poster forum.

To maintain anonymity in the review process, questions about specific submissions should be sent to office@philsci.org, as this address will be monitored by someone not involved in the review process. General questions about contributed papers should be directed to the Chair of the PSA2020 Program Committee, Angela Potochnik, at psa2020@philsci.org.

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2 PhD studentships in Philosophy of Biology (Hannover/Paris)

The GenDar project (Hannover/Paris) invites applications for two positions as Research Assistant (m/f/d) (Doctoral Candidate in Philosophy of Science) starting May 1, 2020, or as soon as possible thereafter. The positions are limited in duration to three years. One position is based at the Institut für Philosophie, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Germany, the other at the Institut d'Histoire et de Philosophie des Sciences et des Techniques, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, France.

The GenDar project:

The research project ?The Explanatory Scope of Generalized Darwinism: Towards Criteria for Evolutionary Explanations Outside Biology? is funded jointly by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) and the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR). The project consists of two research teams, one in Hannover and one in Paris, and is jointly lead by Thomas Reydon (Hannover) and Philippe Huneman (Paris). The overarching objective of the project is to achieve clarity on the epistemic potential and the possible societal consequences of applying evolutionary thinking outside biology.

While there is no a priori reason to think that Darwinian evolutionary theory could not be used outside biology to generate scientific explanations of non-biological phenomena, it remains unclear which criteria need to be met for such applications to succeed. The project aims to formulate such criteria and in so doing to provide a profound understanding of the possible explanatory scope of Darwinian evolutionary theory.

To achieve this aim, the GenDar project investigates different ways of formalizing Darwinian evolutionary theory, different ways of conceptualizing the metaphysics of evolutionary processes, and the possible wider consequences for both biology and society of developing and applying generalized versions of Darwinian evolutionary theory.

Further information on the GenDar project can be found here.

The candidates:

The successful candidates? main task will be to conduct research on a dissertation project on topics investigated in the GenDar research project. Both dissertations will be jointly supervised by the PIs of the GenDar project, Thomas Reydon and Philippe Huneman, but the PhD degrees will be awarded by each doctoral candidate?s home institution (i.e., Leibniz Universit?t Hannover and Universit? Paris 1 Panth?on-Sorbonne respectively). Both candidates will work in close cooperation with the research team at the partner university and spend several brief research visits with the partner team.

To qualify for the position, applicants should hold a university degree in an area relevant to the GenDar research project (typically a Master's degree in Philosophy, HPS, (Theoretical) Biology, or a related area). Applicants should be fluent in English and should be able to clearly demonstrate an interest in the topics studied in the GenDar project (i.e., the epistemology and metaphysics of evolutionary theory, formalizations of evolutionary theory, evolutionary social science and economics, the use of theories from the natural sciences in the social sciences, etc.). A demonstrable background in Philosophy of Biology and/or (Theoretical) Evolutionary Biology will be advantageous.

The application:

While the GenDar project is a joint project of two teams based at two universities, each doctoral candidate will be employed by one of the partner institutions. Each participating institution has its own specific conditions of employment and the institutions have separate hiring processes. This means that applicants who wish to be considered for both available positions must send two applications, one to Hannover and one to Paris. For formal reasons, candidates who only apply to one of the two participating institutions can only be considered by the institution to which they applied.

The job advertisements for the respective positions can be found here:
- Hannover ad in English
- Paris ad in English
- and in French

All advertisements can also be accessed from Thomas Reydon's website

Candidates are requested to follow the specific instructions for the position for which they are applying. Please note that in their application candidates must explain why they have a clear interest in being part of either the Hannover team or the Paris team. (Candidates who apply for both positions should use the same text in their cover letter, but at least express a preference for one of the two locations. Expressing a preference for one location does not preclude a candidate from being considered for the position at the other location.)

The deadline for both applications is March 21, 2020. Interviews will be conducted online in April 2020.

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AAS Appeal

Damage at AAS Dome

Urgent appeal

Digitisation of unique scientific archives

The Australian Academy of Science has been impacted by the severe hailstorms that crossed Canberra on Monday 20 January, exposing the Academy’s nationally significant scientific archives to hail and rain.

We need your support today. Your donation today will contribute to the urgent digitisation and preservation of this valuable collection. 

Select Digitisation of Scientific Archives below when making your donation. Donations are tax-deductible.

If you have any questions, or would like to discuss other ways to support our appeal to digitise the archives, please call our Philanthropy Manager on +61 (0)2 6201 9471.

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Call NIAS-Lorentz Theme Group 2021/2022

The NIAS-Lorentz Program calls for coordinators for the NIAS-Lorentz Theme Group (NLTG) 2021/2022.

The deadline for application with a pre-proposal is 15 February 2020.

The NIAS-Lorentz Program is a collaboration established in 2006 by NIAS (Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities and Social Sciences, Amsterdam) and the Lorentz Center (workshop center for all scientific disciplines, Leiden). 

The NIAS-Lorentz Program promotes innovative interdisciplinary research that brings together perspectives from the social sciences and humanities on the one hand and the natural and technological sciences on the other. This program gives special attention to topics of societal importance that require extensive collaboration across traditional scientific boundaries in order to progress. 

An NLTG can particularly benefit mid-career researchers who wish to explore and open a new interdisciplinary scientific field. We kindly ask you to draw the attention of possibly interested persons to the NLTG call. Thank you.

Information about the NLTG call as well as the partners of the NIAS-Lorentz Program can be found at the above mentioned NIAS-Lorentz website or you can contact us.

Kind regards,

Dindy van Maanen (NIAS)+31 20 224 6706 dindy.van.maanen@nias.knaw.nlwww.nias.knaw.nl


Henriette Jensenius (Lorentz Center)+31 71 527 5580
jensenius@lorentzcenter.nlwww.lorentzcenter.nl