MAs/PhDs/Post-docs
Call for application for a Postdoctoral position at the University of Bordeaux, France
Project’s title: The impact of philosophical thinking in today’s neurosciences
Duration: One year (additional funding for one year is currently being sought)
Start date: Ideally September or October 2025, but a later date (January 2026 at the latest) is possible.
Application deadline: February 11th, 2025 (today!)
Expected background:
Candidates to this position will have a strong background in bibliometrics, and/or neuroscience, and/or philosophy of science, with a good knowledge of neuroscience.
Topic:
The interweaving of neuroscience and philosophy has often been described as a paradigmatic case of successful interdisciplinary integration, based on a dual conviction: on the one hand, certain philosophical questions, such as the nature of consciousness, are now being studied by neuroscientists; on the other, several philosophers, such as Patricia Churchland, Jerry Fodor, Daniel Dennett and Carl Craver, are said to have had a strong scientific influence on certain developments in neuroscience since the mid-20th century, particularly in cognitive neuroscience. The question of the possible impact of philosophy on neuroscience is particularly pressing today, as many neuroscientists are raising central epistemological questions, such as how to establish causality in neuroscience, or how to integrate several levels of analysis, from the molecular to the cognitive. However, it is striking that the idea of a very strong integration between philosophy and neuroscience has, until now, never been studied in a precise empirical way. This project aims to fill this gap by combining unique expertise in philosophy of science (especially philosophy “in” science) and neuroscience at the Bordeaux site. It comprises two successive phases. The first, descriptive, will involve an empirical examination of the impact of philosophy on neuroscience, using four analytical tools: bibliometric analysis of citations, questionnaires, interviews, and a detailed historical review of a few examples of successful integration. The second, more constructive and prescriptive, part will build on the empirical analysis proposed in the first part by formulating new, concrete avenues of research on how philosophy can be useful to neuroscience in the future, in the Bordeaux area and beyond.
Details and application:
https://www.philinbiomed.org/job/postdoc-philosophy-neuroscience/
Please circulate this announcement to anyone who may be interested.
Call for application for a Postdoctoral position at ImmunoConcEpT, CNRS & the University of Bordeaux, France
Project’s title: How does the immune system see the microbiome?
Please circulate this call for application to anyone who may be interested.
Duration: 22 months
Start date: April 2025
Application deadline:February 14th, 2025
The project ‘Advancing Symbiosis Theory’ funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (PI: Thomas Pradeu) aims at exploring microbiome-centered issues by combining theoretical biology with conceptual exploration and critical thinking typical of philosophy of science. The host institution is the Conceptual Biology and Medicine team in Bordeaux, France, which is embedded in ImmunoConcept, a leading immunology lab, and practices ‘philosophy in science’ – the use of philosophical tools to contribute to scientific advancement (Laplane et al., 2019; Pradeu et al., 2024).
This postdoctoral position belongs to the first part of the project, devoted to the question ‘How does the immune system see the microbiome?’
Expected candidates for this position will be either conceptually and theoretically inclined biologists with a strong background in evolutionary biology, theoretical ecology, and/or immunology, or scientifically informed philosophers with a very good knowledge of evolution, ecology, and immunology.
For more details, please visit: https://www.philinbiomed.org/job/post-doctoral-position-microbiome-and-the-immune-system/
If you are interested, please contact Thomas Pradeu.
3-Year Postdoctoral Position at the MCMP (LMU Munich)
The Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy (MCMP) at LMU Munich invites applications for a 3-year postdoctoral position(full time) starting on October 1, 2025 (or earlier). The successful candidate is expected to have a background in the philosophy of physics and work on the philosophy of effective theories (broadly construed).
Application deadline: February 23, 2025.
For more details, please visit:
https://job-portal.lmu.de/jobposting/98590eec4c3cf75fef4e8e67e8c2624170386dc60
Call for a KLI postdoc fellowship on “Urban Evolution”
The Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research (KLI) in Klosterneuburg, Austria, is an international center for advanced studies in the life sciences, with a focus on conceptual, philosophical, historical, and mathematical approaches in evolutionary biology and biomedicine. Embedded in a vibrant research community in the Vienna area, the KLI typically hosts about 20-25 fellows, visiting scholars, faculty, and students.
The KLI offers a postdoc fellowship in a research project on "urban form evolution,” led by Prof. Sergio Porta at University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, and Prof. Philipp Mitteroecker at Univ. of Vienna. The project is a collective effort supported by an international network of scientists also including Prof. Monika Kuffer at Univ. of Twente; Prof. Licia Capra and Prof. Stephen Marshall at University College London; Dr. Martin Fleischmann at Charles Univ. in Prague, and Prof. Wowo Ding at Nanjing University. This highly interdisciplinary project aims to understand the formation and transformation of urban morphology structures by applying concepts and models from organismal and cultural evolution. This includes the morphometric analysis of urban form and the modelling of “phylogenic relationships” between urban form taxa.
The successful candidate will show a good combination of all essential and one or more desirable skills. Essential skills are required in the domain of evolutionary and morphometric modelling, and at least basic programming skills. Desirable skills are appreciated in the domains of geo-spatial analysis, evolutionary theory, cultural evolution, and the philosophy of biology.
For application, please send a letter of motivation with a summary of research experience and interests, an academic curriculum vitae, and a list of publications to recruiting@kli.ac.at until the deadline of February 28.
Details of the fellowships
Duration: two years, with a possible extension for a third year
Starting date: 2025
Eligibility criteria: Applicants must hold a PhD degree in a field relevant to the project.
Stipend: The monthly gross stipend is EUR 3,850.- or EUR 4,200.- (for 8 or more years of postdoc experience) before tax and social insurance.
Relocation Allowance: The KLI will cover travel costs for the move to Vienna or Klosterneuburg. The KLI will provide accommodation in the vicinity of the institute for the first two weeks of the fellowship.
Benefits of working at the KLI: The successful applicant will work in a highly interdisciplinary environment and have a desk in the beautiful facilities of the KLI. The KLI supports resident fellows with travel allowance that can be used for trips related to the project as well as a library allowance to purchase books related to the project. All fellows are invited to participate in the activities of the KLI, such as the KLI Colloquia and the KLI Lab.
Post doc and researcher position - philosophy of science, Oslo
Two positions are available in the ERC-funded philosophy of science project "AssemblingLife" at the University of Oslo: one post doc (3 years) and one researcher positions (2 years).
They are looking for candidates who are interested in working with the significance of self-assembly and self-organization for understanding and explaining life and whose research falls broadly within one or more of the following areas: philosophy of science, philosophy of biology, philosophy of (bio)physics, philosophy of (bio)chemistry, philosophy of nanoscience, theoretical philosophy, and/or within one or more of the natural science fields relevant for the project.
Deadline: Feb 28.
More information about the positions and the application process can be found here:
https://www.jobbnorge.no/en/available-jobs/job/271935/postdoctoral-fellow-and-researcher-in-philosophy-of-science-assemblinglife |
