Joint DSC/IAS Fellowship Call on Empirical Ethics and Data Science Methods

25 November 2024

The UvA Data Science Centre (DSC) and Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) are joining forces for the fourth time by opening up a joint fellowship opportunity. We welcome applications for our DSC/IAS Joint Fellowship Call on Empirical Ethics and Data Science Methods.

For this call, the IAS and DSC are looking for proposals that are aligned with the theme Empirical Ethics.

We explicitly welcome joint applications from small teams of researchers that blend expertise in ethics, philosophy, anthropology, or science and technology studies, with data science approaches.

A PhD degree is a minimum requirement for at least one of the applicants. Applicants are required to have demonstrable (interdisciplinary) expertise in both Data Science/Machine Learning and another field.

Fellowships usually have a duration between 2 - 6 months. For non-EU nationals, the maximum duration of fellowships is 3 months. However, fellowship duration and start date can be tailored to individual needs. Application is open until 20 January 2025. 

More information and application instructions

Background

The fourth call for research projects invites proposals that aim to address ethical questions through empirically grounded approaches and that explore and contribute to data science methods.

Empirical Ethics continues the so-called empirical turn in epistemology, ethics, and the humanities by connecting insights gained through qualitative and quantitative methods with value considerations. The analytical focus thereby shifts from principles to understanding what different actors and stakeholders consider as desirable and undesirable practices, whether at the individual, societal, or institutional level. Empirical Ethics blends normative, philosophical reflections on pressing contemporary issues with qualitative, ethnographic, and data-driven research (see also Cambridge Forum on AI: Culture and Society).

This emerging field highlights the perspectives of affected stakeholders as essential component of the ethical equilibrium, thereby providing novel insights that may challenge dominant norms, tools, infrastructures, procedures, and institutions.

This approach represents a critical step in addressing some of the limitations within ethics, particularly its tendency to rely excessively on abstract principles and Western-centric viewpoints that often overlook the lived experiences of those directly or indirectly affected by diverse issues of concern. By integrating close-up ethnographic research with data science methods and ethical reflection, Empirical Ethics cultivates more nuanced and pluralistic understandings of complex normative questions that arise vis-à-vis evolving developments and dynamics.

About UvAs Data Science Centre

To accelerate the uptake of Data Science methods and tools across the university, in 2021 the UvA created its own Data Science Centre (DSC). Meanwhile, the Centre has supported all UvA faculties to embed Data Science expertise into their existing teams to develop, share and apply data science methods and technologies.

About UvAs Institute for Advanced Study

IAS’ mission is to advance cutting-edge interdisciplinary research that addresses complex scientific and societal challenges. It does so by incubating interdisciplinary research collaborations, connecting them to other societal actors and supporting the work of (teams of) fellows to freely explore and collaborate, driven by curiosity.

Joint DSC/IAS Fellowship Call on Empirical Ethics and Data Science Methods

About UvAs Data Science Centre

About UvAs Institute for Advanced Study

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