PhD Position (full-time, 4 years) Epistemic inclusion in cancer research

Introduction

Effective treatment options are limited when cancer reaches its metastatic state and spreads to other organs. Immunotherapy represents a promising breakthrough for cancer treatment by activating the body’s own immune system while also raising a number of ethical, epistemological and societal questions. Mac4Me adopts an ambitious approach by integrating methods of participatory research and knowledge sharing (epistemic inclusion), actively involving patients and their relatives, care takers and medical practitioners, from the very beginning of the project.

The candidate's primary responsibility will be to conduct research resulting in a PhD thesis in the context of Mac4Me as an EU-funded Marie Skłodowska Curie Doctoral Network, which involves secondments and collaborations with other partners besides participation activities and programs of the Erasmus School of Philosophy (ESPhil).

Job description

Objectives of the project 
Harvest results of previous projects. Build a knowledge coalition to develop a holistic, inclusive approach to metastatic disease that incorporates the priorities, knowledge, and experience of researchers, patients, caretakers, to make research more responsive to values and priorities of end users and develop realistic scenarios (responsible expectation management). Contribute to methodology development in participatory research for responsible innovation. 

Expected Results: 
Our aspiration to involve knowledge, priorities and values of end-users in metastasis research aims to strengthen the positive societal impact of knowledge development and contributes to a broader movement of efforts to develop a interactive, holistic and inclusive approach to research (building on approaches such as ELSA, RRI and PPI). Our work aims to bridge the gap between lab and lifeworld via a holistic inclusive approach consisting of mutual learning exercises, facilitating and empowering interaction between research consortium and future users (patients, patient organizations, physicians, nurses, clinicians, family members, journalists), fostering trust in science by making research more responsive to societal priorities. We also aim to contribute to methodology development for participatory research.

The PhD candidate will become part of a large and diverse community of PhD candidates, and is expected to contribute as a junior lecturer to the Erasmus School of Philosophy’s (ESPhil) educational programme.

The PhD-position is offered by the Erasmus School of Philosophy (ESPhil) and the researcher actively contributes to and participates in Mac4Me as an international, interdisciplinary research endeavour aspiring to build a knowledge coalition via mutual learning across research fields. The PhD candidate will be jointly supervised by Prof. Dr. Hub Zwart and Dr. Katharina Bauer at Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR)

Job requirements

We are looking for a motivated PhD candidate with the following background and skills:

• MA in philosophy with coursework or thesis project in research ethics, science and technology studies, (social) epistemology, philosophy of science, philosophy of social science, feminist philosophy, applied ethics, and/or other relevant subfields
• Keen interest in the ethical and epistemological challenges emerging in life sciences research
• Motivation to engage in transdisciplinary research, combining philosophy and the life sciences, and combining conceptual and empirical research
• Excellent speaking and writing skills in English and willingness to learn Dutch
• Capacity for conceptual work, presenting, planning, and organizing
• An interest to work in teams, build local and international networks, and co-organize research workshops and public events.
• An interest to work with diverse societal groups, such as patients and their families, patient groups, nurses, clinicians, journalists

In accordance with the mobility rules for Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Doctoral Networks, the applicant should not have been a resident (for studies or work) in the Netherlands for more than 12 months in the 36 months before the recruitment date. 

Employment conditions and benefits

We offer you an internationally oriented and varied job in an enthusiastic team, with excellent working conditions in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU).

The start date of this position is as soon as possible and you will be based in Erasmus School of Philosophy (ESPhil). This position is for 1 fte. The salary ranges from a minimum of € 2.872 to a maximum of € 3.670 gross per month Scale PhD on a fulltime basis (38 hours), in accordance with the CAO-NU. The contract is entered into for the duration of in total 4 years.

Everything else we offer you, you can find below!

-        Everything you need for a good work-life balance: the option to work from home in consultation with your manager, 41 days of paid leave with a 40 hour contract, 8% holiday pay and an 8.3% end-of-year bonus, and a significant discount on a subscription for our on-campus sports centre!

-        Sustainable, inclusive and diverse work environment with an open culture, where you can be yourself and we pay attention to each other and to the world around us. Make the most of our bicycle budget, or join networks such as Young@EUR, FAME or QuEUR.

-        Time and space for your development in the broadest sense: development days and a personal career budget and free access to our university library.

-        Good pension with ABP that EUR contributes 2/3rds towards, discounts on various collective insurances with Zilveren Kruis Achmea, Loyalis, and Allianz, and compensation for travel, working from home and home internet use.

-        Are you currently combining your job with parenthood, or do you want to do so in the future? EUR offers partially paid parental leave and fully paid additional birth leave for partners, and our campus features a daycare (daycare not paid for by EUR).

-        Moving to the Netherlands for your job with EUR? Then you may be eligible for the 30%-ruling if you meet the requirements of the Belastingdienst (Dutch tax agency), and with our Dual Career Programme we will also help your partner find the right job for them.

Employer

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) is an internationally oriented university with a strong social orientation in its education and research, as expressed in our mission ‘Creating positive societal impact’. EUR is home to 4.100 academics and professionals and almost 33.000 students from more than 140 countries. Everything we do, we do under the credo The Erasmian Way – Making Minds Matter. We’re global citizens, connecting, entrepreneurial, open-minded, and socially involved. These Erasmian Values function as our internal compass and create EUR’s distinctive and recognizable profile. From these values, with a broad perspective and with an eye for diversity, different backgrounds and opinions, our employees work closely together to solve societal challenges from the dynamic and cosmopolitan city of Rotterdam. Thanks to the high quality and positive societal impact of our research and education, EUR can compete with the top European universities. www.eur.nl.

Faculty / Institute / Central service

Erasmus School of Philosophy (ESPhil) 
Erasmus School of Philosophy is a leading research and teaching institution of Erasmus University Rotterdam. The faculty is one of the two independent faculties of philosophy in the Netherlands. ESPhil has a broad international orientation, with many international students (total number of students is currently about 800), PhDs (about 15), and staff members (about 30), and has excellent connections with universities abroad.

Erasmus Medical Centre
ErasmusMC is part of Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) and is one of the largest and most authoritative scientific university medical centres in Europe. ErasmusMC recently adopted its research strategy 2023-2029 (Focus on Societal Challenges as driver on Research) which describes the aim to increase the impact of research by contributing to solutions together with stakeholders, now and in the future.

Group

About the Mac4Me doctoral network:

The Mac4Me doctoral network is a collaboration of 13 institutions, 3 industrial partners and several associated partners across Europe. Erasmus Medical Centre Rotterdam, The Netherlands, is the coordinator of the consortium. A total of 18 Doctoral Candidates (DCs) will work in the network on individual research projects. The overall aim of the network is to advance cancer treatments by deepening our understanding of tissue changes at metastatic sites, leading to better response prediction and more effective treatment options for cancer patients. The project will empower scientists, physicians, health care professionals, pharmaceutical industry, policy makers, patients and the general public to contribute to the concept of personalized cancer immunotherapy options in such a way that priorities and experiences of patients are acknowledged. This requires epistemic inclusion, i.e. involving views and values of patients and practitioners as important sources of knowledge and inspiration. Ultimately, this participatory approach will support medical doctors and health care professionals to develop new guidelines for “metastasis immunotherapy” throughout Europe.

For more information see: https://www.van-weerden-lab.com/about 

Additional information

Diversity 
We particularly encourage members of underrepresented groups to apply: We genuinely value diversity and believe that a diversity of talents contributes to our vision and strategy to excel as a university on research and education. ESPhil is an equal opportunities employer and encourages applications from candidates of all genders, ethnicities, and nationalities. Given the current composition of the ESPhil academic staff and priorities relating to staff diversity, the School especially encourages candidates from an ethnic minority, candidates with an international background, and female candidates to apply. Persons of all gender identities or expressions, sexual orientations, religions, ethnicities, ages, neurodiversities, functional impairments, citizenships, or any other aspect are welcome to apply and join the EUR community.

Making minds matter 
Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) is a highly ranked, international university, based in the dynamic and diverse city of Rotterdam, with its port acting as a gateway to the world.

For more information about this vacancy, please contact Hub Zwart via zwart@esphil.eur.nl or Katharina Bauer via bauer@esphil.eur.nl

You can find more information about the EUR on our website www.eur.nl 

Applying

Your application should consist of (a) a motivation letter, including a brief explanation of how you envision to participate in this research; (b) a CV; (c) a writing sample (3000-5000 words). 

Applicants will be notified in December 2024 whether they are selected for the interviews. Interviews are expected to be held in January 2025.

We look forward to receiving your application.