Job Offers

---

We are inviting applications for a four-year full-time PhD position in philosophy at the University of Zurich. As a PhD student you will contribute to the research project «Meaning in Life in the Digital Society» funded by the Digitalisierungsinitiative der Zürcher Hochschulen (DIZH). The DIZH aims to promote cooperation between Zurich's higher education institutions in the field of digitalization and thus to strengthen Zurich as a center of research and business. You will be supervised by Muriel Leuenberger, PhD (Digital Society Initiative, University of Zurich) and Prof. Christoph Halbig (Chair of General Ethics, Department of Philosophy, University of Zurich). About the project This research project investigates the risks and opportunities presented by virtual reality technology (VR) and generative AI (GenAI) for meaning in life. In the last four decades, philosophers have increasingly emphasized that, contrary to a widely held philosophical position, humans are not only motivated either by self-interest or moral demands but additionally, by a pursuit of meaning in life. Digital technologies such as VR and GenAI may contribute to a meaningful life or make our lives less meaningful. However, the conceptual and normative issues around meaning in life in the digital society have been widely neglected so far. The project addresses this research gap and provides a conceptual and normative analysis of how VR and GenAI contribute to or disrupt meaning in life. The research project focuses on the impact of VR and GenAI on meaning we may achieve through relationships, creating art, and playing games. The PhD student is free to develop their own research project within the topic area of meaning in life through art and games, either in the field of general ethics (e.g., do games contribute to a meaningful life?) or applied to digital technologies (e.g., is creating art with generative AI meaningful?).

---

The ideal candidates will have a PhD and a well-developed background in the fields of anthropology and/or science and technology studies. The desirable specialization is one that can conduct ethnographically based research focusing on the valuation practices and ethics associated with data or digital technologies, and with the societal debates about (desired) technological futures. (...)

---

The applicant (m/f/d) should have an excellent, relevant doctorate in the field of intercultural communication, in particular from a social or cultural science perspective or in related disciplines (e.g. sociology, political science, social or cultural geography). He/she should be able to represent the field of migration research/migration studies with a focus on intercultural communication in an outstanding manner, both in terms of expertise and methodology. The fundamental willingness to develop a second focus in the area of diversity and social diversification processes in research and teaching compatible with intercultural research is expected and is a prerequisite for the tenure track procedure. He/she/they should show potential for successful international publication activities as well as for highquality teaching in our Bachelor's degree programmes "Intercultural Business Communication" and "Intercultural Music and Event Management" as well as in the Master's degree programme "Intercultural Human Resources Development and Communication Management", including its international doubledegree variants. The language of instruction is primarily German. We also expect openness towards digital teaching concepts, experience with intercultural training and learning contexts, the supervision of students and doctoral candidates as well as experience abroad. Experience in acquiring third-party funding is an advantage. Experience with intercultural teaching/learning situations, visible networking in the national and international research community and a willingness to contribute to the development of interdisciplinary, empirically orientated research focuses in the future are also desired. Eligibility for the position requires a university degree, a pedagogical aptitude and a particular aptitude for academic work, usually demonstrated by an outstanding quality of a relevant doctorate. The total period of doctoral studies and employment should not have exceeded six years. The professorship is initially limited to four years. After a positive interim evaluation, it can be extended for a further two years. Subject to a further positive evaluation, appointment to a permanent W2 professorship will take place after six years without the post being re-advertised.

---

Utrecht University offers a full-time position for a postdoctoral researcher for two years (24 months) in the focus area “Governing the Digital Society” (GDS). This interdisciplinary focus area fosters the collaboration between the departments of Media and Culture, Law, Governance, and Information Science. The GDS group promotes research on the socio-technical and political-economic processes of datafication, algorithmisation and platformisation and AI. Your job Our basic research inquiry revolves around the question: How to develop and apply principles of (good) governance in digital societies? Applied research based on this question is also welcomed. The postdoc position will be part of the Spinoza funded project, led by Professor José van Dijck external link and will start no later than 1 October 2024. Postdocs will pursue their own research plan which fits the larger research aims of the GDS group. Projects may differ in scale and scope; we invite you to submit concrete project descriptions that fit our overall goals. Some of the major questions to be addressed in our overall GDS project are: How can we help public institutions to become more transparent, accountable, and responsible by articulating public values and implementing them into (the design of) their online practices? Which roles should governments, legislators, market actors, and citizens play in governing the digital society? How can important normative, ethical, societal principles of algorithmic design be implemented in governance structures? How can data practices and data resources enable citizens and civil society to make public institutions more transparent and to participate meaningfully in democratic and decision-making processes? How can we help (local, national, supranational) governments and independent institutions (e.g. educational, cultural or media organisations) to make sense of novel data resources and develop interpretative practices? How can we develop methodologies to empirically study the governance of and by actors and technologies of the digital society?