e are looking for a post-doctoral researcher who has experience in analytic philosophy and a background in formal modelling and/or agent-based simulations, to study norms of collective deliberation and group decision-making. This is a full-time, 2-year position at the world-known Erasmus Institute for Philosophy and Economics. Read on to learn more about the project and this call!

The ENCODE project: Explicating Norms for Collective Deliberation (NWO VIDI project)
Deliberation is often seen as an antidote to the current crisis of democracy. People should not just vote or aggregate their opinions: they should talk, exchange arguments and preferences, and thus achieve consensus or at least mutual understanding through dialogue. But what norms should group deliberation satisfy, for it to count as democratic? What exactly can we expect from collective deliberation?

The ENCODE project seeks to answer these questions in exact terms. In particular, we want to study existing formal models of deliberation and develop new ones, in order to get a better understanding of the complex interactions that take place when people exchange their arguments and revise their position. The emphasis will be on philosophical logic, but we will also consider agent-based models of deliberation and decision-theoretic accounts.

This project is funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO) and run by Dr. Frederik Van de Putte within the Erasmus Institute for Philosophy and Economics (EIPE), Erasmus School of Philosophy (ESPhil).

The Postdoctoral researcher
The postdoc’s primary responsibility will be to conduct research and publish in peer reviewed journals and books. The researcher should also contribute to the ENCODE Project in other ways, such as by giving scholarly presentations and co-organizing reading groups and workshops. Furthermore, they will become part of a large and diverse community of researchers, and are expected to contribute to the Erasmus School of Philosophy’s (ESPhil) educational programme.

Requirements
We are looking for a postdoctoral researcher who satisfies the following requirements:

Completed PhD in philosophy or MA in philosophy and PhD in computer science or mathematics, with demonstrable background in formal ethics, logic, decision theory, and/or agent-based modelling.
(demonstrable) interest in political theory and/or the theory of group deliberation.
A strong, promising track-record in terms of international publications and/or public outreach, as witnessed by CV.
Excellent speaking and writing skills in English, as demonstrated by published work.
An entrepreneurial and team player attitude is highly valued.
Ability and willingness to contribute to development and acquisition of externally funded projects.
Conceptual capacity, presenting, planning and organizing and monitoring (VSNU competencies for postdocs)