PhD position in practical philosophy
Gothenburg University meets the challenges of society with versatile knowledge. 58,000 students and 6,800 employees make the university a large and inspiring workplace. Strong research and attractive education attract researchers and students from all over the world. With new knowledge and new perspectives, Gothenburg University contributes to a better future.
At the Department of Philosophy, Linguistics and Theory of Science (FLoV) within the Faculty of Humanities, we have around 120 employees and a teaching volume that includes approximately 350 full-time students. With us, many large international and interdisciplinary research projects are underway in areas such as theoretical and practical philosophy, logic, linguistics, computational linguistics, language technology, and philosophy of science. Our research has many applications and collaborations with other scientific fields. We educate philosophers, logicians, linguists, language technologists, philosophers of science, historians of philosophy, and teachers of philosophy. The department also conducts doctoral education and development work within its areas. If you are interested in working in an international, dynamic, and collaborative environment, FLoV offers an inspiring place for research and education. Read more about us https://www.gu.se/flov
At FLoV, doctoral education is available in six subjects. Our research environment is international with several recognized research projects, and our employees represent more than twenty countries. Read more about our doctoral education https://www.gu.se/flov/var-forskarutbildning
University-wide information about what it means to be a doctoral student at Gothenburg University can be found on the university's doctoral pages.
https://www.gu.se/utbildning-till-att-bli-forskare
Project description
We are now seeking a doctoral student for the department's https://www.gu.se/en/research/financial-ethics-research-group. The research group consists of philosophers and economists who investigate ethical and political issues surrounding money and finance (in a broad sense). The group's previous projects have touched upon topics such as sustainable entrepreneurship, ethical investments, banking services for the poor, digital currencies, measures of climate impact, and the value of biodiversity. More specifically, the doctoral student will be linked to the research program https://www.sustainablefinancelab.se, which is a collaboration between several Swedish higher education institutions and is funded by Vinnova, Sweden's innovation agency. The program explores various aspects of how markets and money can be made into positive forces for sustainable development.
The doctoral student is expected to conduct research in economic ethics and/or environmental ethics. Economic ethics is the application of moral or political philosophy to critical questions regarding business or markets. Environmental ethics is the application of moral or political philosophy to critical questions regarding the human relationship to the surrounding world and environment. The research area should be understood broadly and includes topics such as business ethics, political philosophy of markets, ethical issues of commodification, climate ethics, the ethics of biodiversity, collective action problems, and the philosophy of (environmental) economics. All applications relating to similar topics are welcome.
The applicant must themselves describe a more specific research question within this research area that the applicant intends to investigate. Some examples of potential research questions are:
What moral obligations do commercial companies or banks have to counteract climate change? Do consumers have an obligation to only buy sustainable goods, or invest in sustainable companies? How should society's institutions (such as central banks or the monetary system) be designed to promote biodiversity? Does the state have the right to force market actors to act for a better climate? How does sustainability relate to human rights? Are there problems with today's "ESG criteria" (environmental, social, governance) as an interpretation of sustainability?
Tasks
Doctoral education comprises four years of full-time studies. The doctoral student shall primarily devote themselves to writing a dissertation within the specified area and to taking mandatory courses. The doctoral student may, to a limited extent, perform duties involving teaching, administrative work, or research that is not related to the dissertation topic (however, not more than 20%). Such duties extend the doctoral position by a corresponding amount.
The doctoral student is expected to perform their work in Gothenburg and regularly and consistently participate in the department's activities, especially the seminars in practical philosophy. Also participate actively in the research group's activities, including meetings, seminars, and conferences. The working language in the research group is English. Through the research group, funds are also available for conference travel and shorter stays at other universities.
Eligibility, assessment criteria, admission, and employment
For information about eligibility, assessment criteria, appointment procedures, and how to apply, see the full advertisement at https://www.gu.se/jobba-hos-oss/lediga-anstallningar
The university works actively for a work environment with equal conditions and values the qualities that diversity brings to the organization. The university applies individual salary setting. According to the regulations of the National Archives, the university is obliged to keep application documents for two years after the appointment decision. If you, as an applicant for a position, specifically request your documents back, they will be returned after the two years have passed; otherwise, they will be destroyed. To staffing and recruitment companies and to you who are a salesperson: Gothenburg University employs a tendered advertising agency in connection with the recruitment of staff. We politely but firmly decline direct contact from staffing and recruitment companies as well as sellers of job advertisements.