Sociaal Innovatieproject 'Augmented Humans and the Future of Work'.

Research Lab SoMeTHin’K and the Work & Organisation Unit will jointly employ a PhD candidate in the Centre for Sociological Research. The Centre for Sociological Research (CeSO) is a network of researchers studying social change from a sociological perspective. CeSO researchers conduct research in a wide variety of sociological sub-disciplines, including social policy and social work, sociology of work and organization, political sociology, demography and family sociology, science and technology studies, sociology of culture and religion, theoretical sociology, social innovation and creative research methodology.

Project

Your job will be a merger of studying emerging topics in society (core task) and working with students on and in service-learning projects and workshops featuring creative methods. Content wise, your research project will be situated in a societal timeframe where robotics and AI are blurring the lines between humans and machines, this PhD project focusses on augmented humans entering the labor market and the social impact of becoming part machine. You will investigate how augmented humans challenge human standards and traditional notions of ability. You will explore the challenges of integrating augmented humans in the work force in relation to potential new forms of workplace inequalities and dynamics. In addition, you will seek to understand the implications of human augmentation on employees autonomy and productivity levels. Your study will take a forward-thinking approach in developing inspiring social fiction narratives about new generations of people with super-abilities who did succeed in building an affirmative relationship with (bio)technological means to enhance their physical, cognitive and social capacities. You will build an expertise base in co-creative, futures studies research methodology, informed by discourse analysis and multiple method empirical data collection. Its innovative insights should prepares us for a future in which augmented humans may become the norm and spark social innovation efforts on the work floor and the labor policy level.

Profile

• You master Dutch language and are fluent in English. 
• You have a master’s degree in a relevant social science domain. We welcome candidates who graduate(d) this year. 
• You can present excellent study results, having completed your academic studies magna or summa cum laude. 
• You embrace the principle of methodological pluralism and prefer transdisciplinary research work. 
• You are willing to spent time abroad in a relevant research institute.
• You are quality-oriented, creative, collaborative and efficient in your work planning.
• You have an analytical mind, excellent communication skills and keen to engage in public outreach and creative research dissemination practice. 
• You consider yourself capable and able to guide bachelor and master students through service learning trajectories and the practice of creative research methodology. 
• You prefer to work in society and with a broad range of societal stakeholders.
• You’re thrilled by the idea to land in an transdisciplinary, sometimes ambivalent research environment. 
• A talent for journalism, storytelling, some good detective skills and experience with managing co-creative research processes are a plus. 

Offer

• A full time position for a PhD fellow for 1 year, which is extended to a minimum of 4 years employment upon positive evaluation. 
• A monthly grant of approximately 2.500 euros net (depending on family situation and work experience).
• An extensive training in recently developed creative methodologies and research approaches.
• Multiple opportunities for professional development.
• A stimulating, transdisciplinary and creative research and collaborative writing hub.
• An inspiring and challenging international and academic environment at a leading European research institute. 

Interested?

For more information please contact prof. dr. Karin Hannes, tel.: +32 16 32 62 20, mail: karin.hannes@kuleuven.be or prof. dr. Valeria Pulignano, tel.: +32 16 32 31 62, mail: valeria.pulignano@kuleuven.be.

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