Three PhD positions at the Department of Philosophy within the research school Norms and Normativity.

Published: 2023-01-26

Uppsala University is a comprehensive research-intensive university with a strong international standing. Our ultimate goal is to conduct education and research of the highest quality and relevance to make a long-term difference in society. Our most important assets are all the individuals whose curiosity and dedication make Uppsala University one of Sweden’s most exciting workplaces. Uppsala University has over 54,000 students, more than 7,500 employees and a turnover of around SEK 8 billion.

The Department of Philosophy is internationally recognized, and conducts teaching and research in many core areas of philosophy. For more information about the department, please see https://www.filosofi.uu.se/.

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Duties
Uppsala University hereby announces three positions as doctoral students at the Department of Philosophy within the newly established research school Norms and Normativity(NoNo). The research school is a cooperation between the philosophy departments at Uppsala University, Gothenburg University and Stockholm University and is funded by a grant from the Swedish Research Council. 

The successful applicant will be employed by the department as a PhD candidate (“doktorandanställning”) for 4 years full-time, and as an employee they will be eligible for Swedish social benefits, including, e.g., paid parental leave. The starting salary is currently 29000 SEK (ca. €2600)/ month and at present increases to 34300 SEK (ca. €3100)/month after the candidate has completed 80% of their research. Doctoral students are expected to engage in their studies full-time and to participate in the activities of the department. The position may include teaching and other assignments. Certain kinds of work for the department, including teaching, qualify the student for an extension of their contract. The positions are available from 1 September 2023.

About the research school
The school is a cooperation between the departments of philosophy at the universities in Uppsala, Gothenburg and Stockholm. The aim of the school is to provide a cutting-edge education to students who seek a fully funded PhD degree in philosophy by pooling the supervision and other resources at the collaborating departments. Each of the departments will hire PhD-students who will (also) be connected to the research school. Norms are ubiquitous both in our individual lives and when we act collectively, and the norms we accept shape our behavior and thus also society as a whole. The norms that will be addressed include moral and ethical norms but also norms of practical rationality, epistemic norms that pertain to theoretical reasoning, aesthetic norms, and norms of interpretation, to mention a few. Norms are studied by several fields within philosophy which employ different methods of analysis, and one aim of the school is to ensure that the students are well versed in all those methods and to encourage explorations of innovative ways of combining them. The students will also be exposed to recent findings in other disciplines in the humanities and the social sciences that engage in norms research. This will not only benefit their dissertation work, but also prepare them for future interdisciplinary collaborations, for example regarding what roles norms can play in attempts to handle large-scale societal challenges.

The school is led by a steering group which consists of Prof. Krister Bykvist (Stockholm University), Prof. Ragnar Francén (Gothenburg University), Prof. Folke Tersman (Uppsala University), the school coordinator who will be based at Stockholm University (which will serve as the school’s administrative seat), and the Directors of Graduate Study at the involved departments.

Requirements
A Master Degree in the Humanities or in the Sciences is required for these positions. The main language for academic activities at the Department of Philosophy is English.

It is also required that the applicant has a background and interests that fit with the theme of Norms and Normativity. The research plan that the applicant is requested to attach to his/her application must include a passage which clarifies how the topics the applicant plans to pursue are related to the theme, namely the philosophical study of norms. Note that the theme is to be taken broadly, as norms occur in a multitude of contexts. Topics in several philosophical areas, including (among others) ethics, epistemology, aesthetics, philosophy of language, and decision theory, may therefore provide suitable research projects. Please contact the head of department with any questions (address below)

Your application should include (a) an application letter; (b) a brief CV, including the names and contact details of one to three referees; (c) a statement outlining your proposed research (4-5 pages); (d) one to two writing samples (for example bachelor’s or master’s thesis or other substantial philosophical work); (e) copies of diplomas or equivalent documentation of eligibility and academic qualifications.

Uppsala University is governed by the general Swedish Higher Education Ordinance (see chapters 5, 8 and 9). Guidelines (in Swedish and English) for doctoral studies at Uppsala University can be found here: https://regler.uu.se/ Guidelines (in English) for doctoral studies at the Faculty of Arts specifically are available here:

Guidelines for Third Cycle Education at the Faculty of Arts https://mp.uu.se/documents/432512/82074502/Guidelines+for+Third-cycle+education,+Faculty+of+Arts,+revised+15+May+2018.pdf/b7affbac-14cc-04c6-9572-1a417259c081

For more information (in Swedish), see also http://www.regler.uu.se and http://www.filosofi.uu.se/ utbildning/Forskarutbildning/.

Rules governing PhD students are set out in the Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5, §§ 1-7 and in Uppsala University's rules and guidelines .

About the employment
The employment is a temporary position according to the Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5 § 7. Scope of employment 100 %. Starting date 2023-09-01 or as agreed. Placement: Uppsala

For further information about the position, please contact:Head of the department, Matti Eklund, matti.eklund@filosofi.uu.se

Please submit your application by March 1 2023, UFV-PA 2023/280.

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Submit your application through Uppsala University's recruitment system.

Placement: Department of Philosophy

Type of employment: Full time , Temporary position

Pay: Fixed salary

Number of positions: 3

Working hours: 100 %

Town: Uppsala

County: Uppsala län

Country: Sweden

Union representative: ST/TCO tco@fackorg.uu.se
Seko Universitetsklubben seko@uadm.uu.se
Saco-rådet saco@uadm.uu.se

Number of reference: UFV-PA 2023/280

Last application date: 2023-03-01