Logic List Mailing Archive

PhD student position in logical and computational models of moral reasoning, Tilburg (The Netherlands), Deadline: 15 Nov 2012

*PhD student in Logical and Computational Models of Moral Reasoning*

The Tilburg Center for Logic and Philosophy of Science (TiLPS) and the
Tilburg Department of Philosophy invite applications for a PhD
position in logical and computational models of moral reasoning.
Individuals are encouraged to apply who have an interest in logical
and computational theories of ordinary reasoning, in linguistic
semantics, and in formal ethics.

*The job*
In recent years there has been a remarkable convergence between 1) the
modal logic of graded modalities, as exemplified by David Lewis' early
work on counterfactuals, 2) the linguistic semantics of modal verbs,
including /should/ and /ought/, as exemplified by Angelika Kratzer's
work, and 3) recent work on contextualist ethics (Janice Dowell,
Stephen Finlay, Gunnar Bjrnsson and others). The PhD student will
work in this general area and will focus on the definition of a set of
tableau rules for moral reasoning. There will be close collaboration
with researchers working in the NWO funded program "Towards Logics
that Model Natural Reasoning" led by Reinhard Muskens (see
http://tinyurl.com/tilnatlog), but also with the Tilburg Ethics
Research Group led by Alan Thomas (see
http://ethics-socialphilosophy.com/). The selected candidate is
expected to have written a PhD thesis by the end of the contract.

*Your profile*
- You have a Master's degree in linguistics, logic, artificial
   intelligence, formal ethics, or a related field.
- You have excellent writing skills and a good command of English.
- You have proven research abilities and formal skills.
- You look forward to working in an interdisciplinary research team.
- You have experience in logic and in formal semantics or in
   computational semantics in the logical tradition.
- You are strongly motivated to complete a PhD thesis within four
   years.

*Employment terms and conditions*
Tilburg University is rated among the top Dutch employers, offering
excellent terms of employment. The collective labour agreement of
Tilburg University applies. The selected candidates will start with a
contract for one year, concluded by an evaluation. Upon a positive
outcome of the first-year evaluation, the candidate will be offered an
employment contract for the remaining three years. The PhD candidate
will be ranked in the Dutch university job ranking system (UFO) as a
PhD-student (promovendus) with a starting salary of E 2.042.-- gross
per month in the first year, up to E 2.612.-- in the fourth year
(amounts fulltime). Candidates from outside the Netherlands may
qualify for a tax-free allowance equal to 30% of their taxable salary.
The university will apply for such an allowance on their behalf. The
Faculty will provide assistance in finding suitable accommodation. The
university offers very good fringe benefits (it is one of the best
non-profit employers in the Netherlands), such as an options model for
terms and conditions of employment and excellent reimbursement of
moving expenses.

*TiLPS*
The Tilburg Center for Logic and Philosophy of Science is devoted to
the study of logic and philosophy of science in all its forms.
Researchers working at TiLPS have a particular interest in using
formal methods, such as logic, game theory, decision theory, and the
like, to fields that are of relevance to /people/, such as human
reasoning, human decision making, human language and human
deliberation. This also results in a strong interest in the
philosophical problems of economics and the social and behavioural
sciences. The Center supports a full calendar of events, including
regular research seminars, workshops, conferences and a lecture
series, and is involved in the teaching of graduate students. The
Center maintains relations and sponsors programs with other units at
Tilburg University, including the Department of Philosophy, the
Faculty of Economics and Business Administration and the Faculty of
Social and Behavioural Sciences.

*Information and Application*
For more information, please contact Dr Reinhard Muskens,
r.a.muskens@uvt.nl or Prof. Alan Thomas, alanpthomas@me.com (but do
/not/ send them your application).

Applications (in English) should include a cover letter, a curriculum
vitae, a two-page research proposal, and the names of two references.
You are also invited to include a sample of your writing if one is
available in English, French, German or Dutch. The application
deadline is November 15, 2012.

In order to apply, please go to
http://erec.uvt.nl/vacancy?inc=UVT-EXT-2012-0434 and click one of the
links at the page bottom.

*Recruitment Code*
Tilburg University applies the recruitment code of the Dutch
Association for Personnel Management & Organisation Development (NVP).

The text of this vacancy advertisement is copyright-protected property
of Tilburg University. Use, distribution and further disclosure of the
advertisement without express permission from Tilburg University is
not allowed, and this applies explicitly to use by recruitment and
selection agencies which do not act directly on the instructions of
Tilburg University. Responses resulting from recruitment by
non-contractors of Tilburg Universities will not be handled.