Two PhDs project: New Organizational Forms and Block chain Governance

We are seeking two candidates for a PhD project cluster on New Organizational Forms and Block chain Governance. Both projects are embedded in a collaboration between analytical sociologists, social and political philosophers, political economists and science and technology scholars to investigate to what degree and under which conditions Block chain Governance succeeds or fails in sustaining cooperation within and between (new) organizational arrangements.

The topic of the first project is Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs): Sustainable Cooperation through Reputation Based Governance and Smart Consensus? In addition to mapping, through time, the decisions, actions and outcomes following the foundation, growth, consolidation and eventual decline of selected so-called Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs), this project aims to explain how different intra-organizational governance mechanisms, in particular reputation based governance and consensus voting can account for variations in the success of selected DAOs’.

The topic of the second project is Decentralized Science (DeSci): Promises and Limitations of Blockchain Based Initiatives for Sustainable Value Creation in Academia. It maps the emerging inter-organizational field of blockchain based Decentralized Science (DeSci) initiatives, in particular DAOs, and investigates the conditions fostering or hampering their capacity to improve and sustain cooperation and value creation in Academia.

The project is part of the NWO-funded research program SCOOP: Roadmaps to Resilient Societies (see: http://www.scoop-program.org ). SCOOP is a research and training center dedicated to the transdisciplinary study of sustainable cooperation as a key feature of resilient societies. SCOOP brings together researchers of the University of Groningen, Utrecht University, VU Amsterdam, Erasmus University Rotterdam, and Radboud University Nijmegen. The PhD candidates will participate in the training programs of both SCOOP (https://www.scoop-program.org/training-program-towards-transdisciplinarity ) and the ICS (https://ics-graduateschool.nl ).

For a detailed description of the project cluster see:
https://www.scoop-program.org/program-projects/840-7-10-decentralized-autonomous-organizations-daos-sustainable-cooperation-through-reputation-based-governance-and-smart-consensus
https://www.scoop-program.org/program-projects/839-7-11-decentralized-science-desci-promises-and-limitations-of-blockchain-based-initiatives-for-sustainable-value-creation-in-academia

The tasks of the PhD candidates are:

• conduct theoretical and empirical research that results in a dissertation and is in line with the objectives and requirements of the project
• organize and execute the data collection for the different studies
• publish the results of the research in international scientific journals
• present the research findings to fellow scientists and developers in the larger project, and collaborate with them
• contribute to teaching in the Sociology program.

For these positions you are expected to:

• have (almost) finished a (research) master's degree in the domain of Sociology, or a related discipline
• have a strong academic record
• have strong conceptual and analytical skills
• have a solid training in the collection and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data and (the willingness to familiarize themselves with) the methods of digital ethnography
• have good academic English writing skills
• have good social, communication and project management skills as they are required for designing and implementing a data collection
• be able to work in an interdisciplinary research team
• have a background in or affinity with philosophy is a plus
• preferably have some background knowledge about the domain of block chains, distributed ledger technology and Decentralized Autonomous Organizations.

We offer you in accordance with the Collective Labor Agreement for Dutch Universities:

• a salary of € 2,541 gross per month in the first year of the appointment, rising to € 3,247 gross per month in the fourth year for a full-time position;
• a holiday allowance of 8% gross annual income an 8.3% end-of-the-year allowance;
• attractive secondary terms of employment;
• the position is classified in accordance with the University Job Classification (UFO) system; the UFO profile is PhD candidate;
• a temporary position of 1.0 FTE for a period of four years. You will first be appointed for a period of 12 months. After a positive evaluation, the contract will be extended for the remaining period.

Intended starting date: September 1st, 2023.