Postdoctoral Researcher, 12 months
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 one year (12 months), starting 1 November 2019. Slight deviations from that date can be mutually agreed.
Profile and Evaluation Criteria
Candidates must hold a PhD degree, or provide evidence of obtaining it before the end of 2019. 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/). Candidates are encouraged to propose their own research plan, but it should relate to the project topics as stated in the above descriptions.
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 the Center for Logic, Language and Cognition (LLC) is closest to the profile of the position. LLC organizes diverse seminar and conference series (e.g., most recently the Formal Epistemology Workshop 2019), 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 one year (12 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 should collaborate with other project members on a regular basis. Presence in the office is expected on not less than three days per week; conferences, summer break, holidays, etc. are obviously excluded. 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 is visible at https://pica.cineca.it/unito/tipologia/assegni under the name “Bando assegni di ricerca – Tornata IV 2019”¸ with the code “ASSEGNI-IV-2019”. Click here to directly download the official call (in Italian).
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 short research plan (600–800 words);
–two letters of recommendation (not more).
Since the CINECA system only allows for a single attachment, you may merge everything into the CV file.
Letters need not be confidential, but confidential letters can be sent directly per email to jan.sprenger@unito.it with “ERC Postdoc: Letter of Recommendation for XYZ” in the subject line.
Applications must be made via the PICA system under the link https://pica.cineca.it/unito/. You need to create an account first, then to login, to choose the correct call, etc. Other applications cannot be considered.
The deadline for applications will be 8 October 2019 at 13:00 Central European Summer Time. Skype interviews will probably be held on 11 October and information about the outcome will be sent as soon as possible afterwards.
Please check this website for updates before you submit your application.
Note for candidates: if you have not yet (Thursday 10 October, noon Italian time) received an informal invitation to the interview, you were in all likelihood not shortlisted. The offices are still preparing the formal notification letters. Due to the very tight time constraints, it is impossible for us to send each candidate an individual message.
ERC Project "Making Scientific Inferences More Objective" 