Support Announcement:

Level:	PhD
Duty:	Research
Linguistic Field(s):	Computational Linguistics Semantics Logic
Application Deadline:	15-Nov-2012
Supporting Institution:	Tilburg University TiLPS / Department of Philosophy
LL Issue:	23.4257
Posted:	12-Oct-2012
Support Description:	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 Björnsson 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. 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.
Application Web Address:	http://erec.uvt.nl/vacancy?inc=UVT-EXT-2012-0434
Contact Information:	Reinhard Muskens r.a.muskens@uvt.nl