Monday, September 1, 2008

PhD students / junior researchers Vacancies

The Infonomics and New Media Research Centre at Zuyd University has vacancies for 2 PhD students / junior researchers (5 yrs, full time)
and 1 Postdoc / senior researcher (5 yrs, full time)

Closing date 15th September – interviews are planned in week 39.
All positions are part of an exciting and prestigious 5-year project,
generously funded by the European Research Council as part of the 7th
Framework Ideas Programme, called : DigIDeas: Social and Ethical Aspects
of Digital Identities. Towards a Value Sensitive Identity Management.

The overall aims of this project are to increase understanding and
awareness of the social and ethical aspects of digital identity
management (IDM),
and to contribute to the quality and social and ethical acceptability of
technological developments. The project will achieve these goals by
bringing
recent insights gained from several disciplines - social studies of
science and
technology, surveillance studies, philosophy (social philosophy and
philosophy of
technology) and computer ethics - to bear on actual developments in digital
identity management, thus exploring novel ways to identify and
articulate the
issues concerned.
With a series of interdisciplinary studies focussing on different
application
areas of IDM, we intend to produce more fine-grained knowledge of the ways
IDM is implicated in contemporary transformations of identity. The
programme
will involve three complementary PhD projects, and one integrative postdoc
project, thus achieving a strong concentration of groundbreaking
knowledge on a
set of fast emerging intellectual and societal problems.
All project members will have clearly defined individual research projects,
as well as cooperate as team members and contribute to DigIDeas’ overall
project goals. Excursions into other ongoing (international) research
projects and
activities (Can SSHRCC, EC-FP7) are possible, and generous travel
budgets are
available.

The Infonomics and New Media Research Centre is a young interdisciplinary
research unit at Zuyd University, Maastricht/Heerlen, led by ass.prof.
dr. Irma
van der Ploeg, and currently employing 10 people. Its research agenda is
focussed on four themes: digital identities, ubiquitous computing, user
centered
and value sensitive design, and new communication concepts. With our
current
project portfolio we operate in national, European (FP7), and international
networks of knowledge institutions and stakeholder organisations.

We are looking for candidates for the following three projects:

PhD project 1 (vacancy nr INM-JR-0801)
`Civic and Secure Identities’
Social and ethical aspects of digital identities of citizens in the
context of
government issued IDs (e-government services, border- and migration
management) and their relation to security policies and applications.

PhD project 2 (vacancy nr INM-JR-0802)
`Ubiquitous and Suspect Identities’
Social and ethical aspects of digital identities of individuals in ambient
intelligence and ubiquitous computing environments, and their relation to
(digital) forensics and law enforcement.

Tasks:
-Conduct analytical and empirical research; produce PhD thesis.
-Contribute to academic publications, (international) workshops and
conferences, and other dissemination activities.
-Contribute to minor ‘digital identities’ and other occasional teaching
activities

Requirements:
- Degree in relevant disciplines/fields (e.g. science and technology
studies;
philosophy, ethics, or sociology of technology; media studies; law and
technology)
- Good analytical as well as empirical research skills
- Experience with and ability to do interdisciplinary research
- Appropriate communication and writing skills, at least in English,
preferably in Dutch as well
- Affinity with and adequate level of understanding of technical
developments and issues, willingness to develop meaningful dialogue with
technical professionals
- Affinity with and adequate level of understanding of (national and
European) legal and policy issues.
- The ability to work independently and as a member of a research team

We offer:
- a 5-year full-time PhD position (with a 1 year trial period)
- a gross salary between min € 2356 and max. € 3566,- depending on
experience and education) in accordance with HBO-CAO-s.10
- PhD training courses in recognised graduate school programmes

Postdoc/senior researcher (vacancy nr INM-SR-0803)
`Digital Identities: Towards a Value Sensitive IDM’
Development of theoretical concepts and analytical tools for the
study of digital identities and IDM systems, translation of results into
viable value sensitive design principles and projects in cooperation with
professional fields.

Tasks:
- Contributing to overall conceptual framework
- Description and analysis of relevant national and European policy and
legal context
- Providing input/feedback to DigIDeas’ PhD projects
- Translation of research results for development of value sensitive IDM
design projects with external professional partners
- Assisting in organisation of international workshops
- (Co-) production academic publications and other dissemination activities
- Contribute to minor ‘digital identities’ and other occasional teaching
activities.

Requirements:
- a completed or nearly completed PhD in a relevant field (e.g. science and
technology studies; philosophy, ethics, or sociology of technology; media
studies; law and technology)
- appropriate communication, writing and editing skills, at least in
English,
preferably in Dutch as well
- ability to bridge divides between humanities or social science and
technical engineering perspectives
- ability to work independently and as a member of a research team
- preferably experience with projects beyond the boundaries of academia

We offer:
- a 5-year full time position (1 year trial period)
- a gross salary between min. € 3029,- max. € 4162,- depending on
experience and education, in accordance with CAO-HBO - 11.

Applicants are asked to send:
- Letter explaining your interest in and qualifications for the position.
- Curriculum Vitae
- Writing specimen in english (academic publication, chapter Master’s
thesis, etc.)
- (After reading the project description, available on request) 2 A4 of
preliminary ideas about the project applied for

Applications have to be received by September 15th ,
and sent in electronic form to: marina.beckers @ hszuyd.nl
or in printed form to: Ms. Marina Beckers
INM – Zuyd University
Nieuw Eyckholt 290A
6419 DJ Heerlen
The Netherlands
Please make sure to clearly indicate the relevant vacancy number

Requests for information, including description of the DigIDeas project
and its sub-projects, can be obtained from Dr. Irma van der Ploeg at
i.vdploeg @ hszuyd.nl ; tel +31 +45 4000540/522