Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Turin
Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Turin, Italy (two years) – Department of Philosophy and Educational Sciences, University of Turin
Job category – Postdoc or similar / Fixed term
AOS – Philosophy of Science (e.g., statistics, metascience, scientific method and reform)
AOS categories – Philosophy of Science
Full time
Vacancies – 1
Location – Turin, Piedmont, Italy
Start date – 1 September 2018 (or possibly earlier)
Job description
The University of Turin (Università degli Studi di Torino) is inviting applications for a postdoctoral researcher (“assegnista di ricerca”) in the field of philosophy of science and related disciplines.
The successful candidate will work in the project “Making Scientific Inferences More Objective” (https://msio.wordpress.com/), funded by the European Research Council (ERC) and directed by Professor Jan Sprenger. He or she will be affiliated to the Department of Philosophy and Educational Sciences and the Center for Logic, Language and Cognition (LLC).
The duration of the position is two years (24 months), starting 1 September 2018. An earlier starting date can be fixed in mutual agreement.
Profile and Evaluation Criteria
Candidates must hold a PhD degree, or provide evidence of obtaining it before the end of 2018. They must be able to demonstrate their research excellence in philosophy of science. Candidates with PhD degrees outside philosophy (e.g., statistics, psychology, metascience) are welcome if they can demonstrate their aptness for the project and their expertise in philosophy of science.
Candidates are invited to check the ERC project description (https://msio.wordpress.com/project-description/). The successful candidate will primarily work on Subproject A and D. Candidates are encouraged to propose their own research plan, but it should cover one or more of the following topics: statistical inference, either from a foundational perspective or applied to particular scientific disciplines, experimental method, replication crisis, statistical and scientific reform.
Applications will be primarily evaluated on the basis of the candidates research credentials (=publications and other research activities), their fit with the project, their motivation, and the originality and soundness of the research plan. The research plan should make explicit how the proposed research will contribute to meeting the project’s goals. Generic applications or those with an obvious misfit will be discarded in the first step of the selection procedure, regardless of the candidate’s other credentials.
Members of groups that are underrepresented in academia are especially encouraged to apply.
Institutional Embedding
The University of Turin is one of Italy’s biggest universities, and one of the strongest in research, as evidenced by publication and citation track record, and various national evaluations.
The successful candidate will be a member of the Department of Philosophy and Educational Sciences (DFE, website in Italian only) at the University of the Turin, which has recently won an Department of Excellence award by the National Agency of Research Evaluation. DFE was one of only two philosophy departments in Italy that received the excellence award.
DFE is also home to several active research centers (e.g., LabOnt), among which theCenter for Logic, Language and Cognition (LLC) is closest to the profile of the position. LLC organizes diverse seminar and conference series, sustains a large international network and it hosts an outstanding group of researchers in logic, epistemology, philosophy of language and philosophy of science. The successful candidate will conduct his or her work within the structures of the LLC. Both the project and the LLC conduct their research activities in English.
Employment Terms and Conditions
The selected candidate will be appointed as a research fellow (assegnista di ricerca) for a period of two years (24 months). The fellowship (assegno) is exempt from regular income tax under Italian legislation; only social security contributions apply. The gross amount of the fellowship is 40,500 € per year, which corresponds to ca. 36,000 € net. Office space and equipment will be provided; the project also provides sufficient travel funds.
The candidate is expected to reside in Turin and to collaborate with other project members on a daily basis. Furthermore, he or she is expected to contribute to the research activities of the LLC.
Information and Application
For further information on the position, please contact the project leader, Professor Jan Sprenger, at jan.sprenger@unito.it. Please make sure to include the string “ERC postdoc” in the subject line.
The only way to apply is online, via the official site for applying for open positions in the Italian academic system (Piattaforma Integrata Concorsi Atenei, in short: PICA). The official call will be visible at https://pica.cineca.it/unito/tipologia/assegni under the name “Bando assegni di ricerca – Tornata II 2018”¸ with the code “ASSEGNI-II-2018”.
Candidates should submit the following documents, preferably (=to the extent that the electronic system allows) in a single pdf file:
–a cover letter;
–a Curriculum Vitae;
–a writing sample;
–a research plan (about two pages, max. 1200 words);
–exactly two letters of recommendation.
If candidates need to choose between three or more referees, they are advised to prioritize his or her familiarity with their work over scholarly fame. Letters need not be confidential, but if referees prefers a confidential reference, they should send an email to jan.sprenger@unito.it with “ERC Postdoc: Letter of Recommendation for [candidate’s name]” in the subject line.
Presumably, the deadline for applications will be 3 May 2018 at 13:00 Italian time (TBC, please check again once the call is officially published). Skype interviews will be held later in May and information about the outcome will be sent as soon as possible afterwards.
More information on the application and selection process will be given on the project website (https://msio.wordpress.com/contact/open-positions/) once the call is officially published and the application window is opening up.
How to apply
Application type
Online
Web address to apply
https://pica.cineca.it/unito/tipologia/assegni
Hard deadline
May 3, 2018, 1:00pm CET
Contact
Web address for more information
https://msio.wordpress.com/contact/open-positions/
Contact name
Jan Sprenger
Contact email
jan.sprenger@unito.it
Contact phone
00390116708213