The PhD candidate will be part of the research programme Transnational Configurations, Conflicts and Governance at the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences – Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research

Project description
This PhD project involves the design and implementation of a comparative narrative evaluation of a series of Social Labs that seek to align research and innovation with societal values, needs and expectations. The project is embedded in a EU (Horizon 2020) funded program to stimulate the use and acceptance of Responsible Research and Innovation. The comparative assessment and evaluation will be based on reflective conversations with a wide range of actors involved in the Social Labs across Europe, and is, in addition to a PhD thesis, to result in a Guidebook to convey the resulting narratives in order to inform and inspire emergent RRI practices.

Tasks:
The successful candidate will be expected to have a high level of competence and motivation to undertake the following tasks:

• complete and defend a PhD thesis within the official appointment duration (four years);
• undertake fieldwork and gather data relevant and available to the overall project;
• contribute (both as sole author and as co-author) to the writing up of research papers to be submitted to academic journals;
• regularly present intermediate research results at the UvA and at international workshops and conferences;
• contribute to the organisation of research activities and events of the project, such as conferences, workshops and joint publications;
• teach in the field of political sciences (in consultation);
• participate in the AISSR PhD programme, including attendance of courses.

Requirements
Ideal candidates:

• have obtained a (research) master’s degree in a field relevant to the theme of the research, e.g. political science or innovation studies/STS;
• are persons with initiative, excellent communication skills, and the ability to work independently as well as in a team;
• have well-developed analytical skills as well as creativity and perseverance;
• possess good academic writing, presentation and organisational skills;
• can demonstrate a strong interest in the topic of this PhD project;
• are familiar with (some of the) academic literatures relevant to the project;
• have experience with qualitative and mixed-methods research, especially with interviewing, narrative analysis and Q-methodology;
• are able to communicate effectively in English both orally and in writing; passive knowledge of some other European languages is appreciated;
• knowledge of (written and spoken) Dutch is an asset;
• have affinity with working on the boundary of innovative academic work and innovative societal practice.

Appointment

The appointment will be on a temporary basis for a period of 4 years for 38 hours per week. In the first instance, a contract will be given for 12 months; if positively evaluated, the contract will be extended for another 36 months.
The successful candidate will begin their project on or around 1 September 2017.

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For further information see here

Closing date: 14 May 2017