The Jagiellonian University in Kraków welcomes applications for postdoctoral ("adiunkt") and PhD (assistant researcher) positions in the project "Deep uncertainties in bioethics: genetic research, preventive medicine, reproductive decisions" (BIOUNCERTAINTY), funded by the European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant. The Principal Investigator of this project is Dr. Tomasz ?uradzki (Philosophy, Jagiellonian University). Job description The persons appointed will be expected to be engaged in high-level interdisciplinary research relevant to the project goals, to publish in their specialist fields, present papers at appropriate scholarly conferences and meetings, and assist with the administration of the project and its events. There is no obligation to teach (but the possibility exists if someone would like to do so). In the case of postdoctoral position knowledge of Polish is not necessary. The successful candidates will initially appointed for a period of one year, which may be extended by two years (postdoc) or three years (PhD position - assistant researcher). Starting date: PhD position - October 1, 2019; postdoctoral position - October 1, 2019 or later. The position is based at the Interdisciplinary Centre of Ethics and the Institute of Philosophy of the Jagiellonian University, in central Kraków (52 Grodzka Street). The Jagiellonian University is one of the oldest universities in Europe (established in 1364) and now one of the two best universities in Poland. Areas of Specialization ethics (incl. applied ethics; bioethics, value theory, normative ethics); moral psychology; philosophy of science etc. Salary postdoctoral position ("adiunkt") €30,000-45,000 PhD position (research assistant ) €20,000-28,000 (Gross per annum depending on experience; health and social insurance are included, we can also cover expenses for travel, conferences and research stays). Application deadline 30 June 2019 (applications received after the deadline may be considered if the position has not yet been filled or during the next job opening which is expected in the future). Project description Uncertainty is everywhere, as the saying goes, but rarely considered in ethical reflections. This project aims to reinterpret ethical discussions on current advances in biomedicine: instead of understanding bioethical positions as extensions of classical normative views in ethics (consequentialism, deontologism, contractualism etc.), my project interprets them more accurately as involving various normative approaches to decision making under uncertainty. The following hard cases in bioethics provide the motivation for research: 1) Regulating scientific research under uncertainty about the ontological/moral status (e.g. parthenogenetic stem cells derived from human parthenotes) in the context of meta-reasoning under normative uncertainty. 2) The value of preventive medicine in healthcare (e.g. vaccinations) in the context of decision-making under metaphysical indeterminacy. 3) Population or reproductive decisions (e.g. preimplantation genetic diagnosis) in the context of valuing mere existence. The main drive behind this project is the rapid progress in biomedical research combined with new kinds of uncertainties. These new and “deep” uncertainties trigger specific forms of emotions and cognitions that influence normative judgments and decisions. The main research questions that will be addressed by conceptual analysis, new psychological experiments, and case studies are the following: how do the heuristics and biases (H&B) documented by behavioral scientists influence the formation of normative judgments in bioethical contexts; how to demarcate between distorted and undistorted value judgments; to what extent is it permissible for individuals or policy makers to yield to H&B. The hypothesis is that many existing bioethical rules, regulations, practices seem to have emerged from unreliable reactions, rather than by means of deliberation on the possible justifications for alternative ways to decide about them under several layers and types of uncertainty. Enquiries about the appointments procedure and related matters may be made to Monika Prus, the grant administrator, at monika.prus@uj.edu.pl or by telephone on +48 12 663 30 08. Enquiries about academic matters may be made to Dr. Tomasz ?uradzki, the Principal Investigator, at t.zuradzki@uj.edu.pl More information: https://incet.uj.edu.pl/en_GB/praca https://philjobs.org/job/show/12894