We witness major transitions in research methodologies, notably in biomedical fields, where research aims to become more participatory, inclusive and interactive, more sensitive to societal expectations and concerns, in order to address complex societal challenges. Besides intense collaborations across disciplines, this involves interaction with society at various levels, not only during the implementation stage, but as an inherent dimension of research methodologies. An important component of this development is crowdsourcing, where citizens and other societal participants contribute actively to the research, by sharing their views and experiences. They may propose research questions or contribute to addressing such questions via collaborative work. Society becomes a living laboratory, while citizens become active participants rather than research subjects or passive targets of inquiry.

JOINUS4HEALTH is a Horizon2020 project funded by the European commission which aims to contribute to Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) by using crowdsourcing as a way to broaden the scope of cohort studies research. We are looking for a candidate who is interested in combining hands-on contributions to the tasks and objectives of the project with conceptual and theoretical reflections on participatory research and deliberative democracy. Via academic papers, the work will result in a PhD thesis, for which supervision and training will be provided.

The project aims to promoting citizen science and public engagement as an inherent part of research methodologies. Researchers are encouraged to actively engage citizens and other societal actors in mutual learning dialogues during the design of their analyses and interpretation of results. This may address methodological challenges such as biases in participation and foster engagement and uptake. The consortium includes three institutions with a strong track record on cohort studies (including Erasmus Medical Centre) while the contribution of ESPhil will focus on conceptual, methodological and normative challenges.

• The candidate has a Master’s degree in philosophy, preferably in combination with experience in biomedical and/or social sciences fields;
• Is interested in interdisciplinary collaboration and methodological innovation, and in bringing science closer to society;
• Has excellent verbal and writing skills in English;
• Has a team player attitude for collaborative research;
• Is willing to contribute to educational activities of our school (10%);
• Combines conceptual strengths with skills for presenting, planning, organizing and monitoring project activities.

Dienstverband voor bepaalde tijd: 4 years.

We offer an appointment as PhD student for a period of 1.5 year, which will be extended with a second term of 2.5 years if the candidate performs well. Remuneration will be according to the PhD scales set by the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO NU), and will range from € 2.395 per month in the first year to € 3.061 per month in the fourth year (gross amounts, in case of fulltime employment). Applicants should have the right to work in the Netherlands for the duration of the contract. Fulltime is considered to be 38 hours per week.

Starting date: as soon as possible.

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR)

Erasmus University Rotterdam Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) is an internationally oriented university with a strong social orientation in its education and research. Our scientists and students work in close collaboration with internal and external parties to solve global, social challenges, inspired by the always dynamic and cosmopolitan Rotterdam. Our mission is therefore "Creating positive societal impact". Our academic education is intensive, active and application-oriented. Our research increasingly takes place in multidisciplinary teams, which are strongly intertwined with international networks. With our research impact and thanks to the high quality of education, EUR can compete with the top European universities. The Erasmian values ​​function as our internal compass and make Erasmus University recognizable to the outside world: engaged with society, world citizen, connecting, entrepreneurial and open-minded.

Erasmus School of Philosophy (ESPhil)

Erasmus School of Philosophy (ESPhil) aims to develop thought-provoking philosophical perspectives on contemporary global challenges, combining academic excellence with engaged scholarship, building on a range of philosophical approaches and seeking collaboration with other disciplines as well as with societal actors. Its research aspires to be internationally leading and to push the boundaries of philosophical thinking, actively seeking close collaborations with researchers from other fields. The faculty has an international orientation and strong connections with universities abroad. Our research programs are internationally leading in our field. ESPhil enables students to become critical thinkers and engaged scholars by developing their academic skills and encouraging them to practice philosophy in multiple societal settings Our research addresses for collaborative themes: The making of Modernity; Subjectivity and its discontents; Philosophy of economics; The structure of science and reality.