PhD Conceptual Engineering as Political Struggle in the Context of Socially Disruptive Technologies

In this project you will investigate the politics of conceptual engineering from a pluralist perspective, taking socially disruptive technologies (SDTs) as a case in point.
 

Job description 

Socially disruptive technologies are sites of intense controversy in which value conflicts prevent a straightforward, algorithmic optimization process that would satisfy all stakeholders’ values (van de Poel, 2021; Popa et al., 2023). Furthermore, the concepts typically employed for making sense of the technology in question as well as its impacts become themselves open for revision. The conceptual structures that form the stakeholders’ fundamental (“hinge”) commitments are themselves at issue in the  disagreement space (Pritchard, 2025; Ranalli, 2020). For such contexts, the process of conceptual engineering has been proposed for jointly reconstructing the concepts involved in both descriptive processes of understanding the technology and its impact and in normative processes of evaluating moral impact and responsibility (Burgess & Plunkett, 2013; Chalmers, 2020; Thomasson, 2021). However, although the involvement of concepts in the disagreement space naturally suggests conceptual engineering as a means to approach controversies around SDTs, the solution is hardly straightforward. To start with, a concept acquires authority to capture reality and prescribe over it only due to “status functions” (Searle, 1996) imposed by those who establish the concepts. It has already been pointed out that this brings up a problem of conceptual authority. The procedural aspects of conceptual engineering therefore raise political issues of justice and representation. This is illustrated, e.g., in the Dworkin-Williams debate on whether the value of liberty indeed clashes with that of equality and, if so, who gets to say in such matters and on what basis (Dworkin, 2011; Queloz, 2024). Conceptual engineering, particularly of concepts that can normatively shape our reality, must therefore be seen as a political struggle that brings up the question of authority and just representation (Cueni, 2024). The recently discussed phenomenon of conceptual appropriation illustrates how stakeholders can assert claims over ambiguous phenomena to align with their specific interests (Hopster et al., 2024).
 

In this project the candidate will examine the political dimensions of conceptual engineering through the lenses of pluralism. The PhD student will investigate how the notion of pluralism in its various expressions (liberal pluralism, agonistic pluralism etc.) can be of use in approaching the disruption created by SDTs such that the political dimension of conceptual engineering is better acknowledged and understood. This will involve translating insights from areas of moral and political philosophy not necessarily concerned with technology into the philosophy of technology and developing a better understanding of how decision-making under value incommensurability applies to instances of conceptual engineering.

This PhD position will be part of the Ethics of Socially Disruptive Technologies programme, a ten year long international research programme of seven academic institutions in the Netherlands that has started in January 2020. The programme has the aim of achieving breakthrough research in at the intersection of ethics, philosophy, technology and social sciences, and to position its consortium at the top of its field internationally. A key objective is to investigate how new technologies challenge moral values and ontological concepts (like “nature”, “human being” and “community”), and how these challenges necessitate a revision of these concepts. The project is embedded in the Concpetual Disruption research line of the ESDiT programme. Further information about the programme can be obtained from the ESDiT website: https://www.esdit.nl/.

Working at the TPM faculty, the candidate will have ample opportunity to establish deep interactions with case studies from the emerging technologies studied at TU Delft and other technological universities in The Netherlands. These will function as an empirical underpinning of the entire project. 

Job requirements 

• You have, or are about to receive, a Master's Degree in Philosophy, Science and Technology Studies (STS) or a related discipline.
• You have demonstrated affinity with, and expertise in philosophy (in case you do not have a degree in philosophy).
• You have affinity with technology.
• You have good analytical and concpetual skills.
• You are proficient in English.
• You are able to do independent research and have excellent writing and publication skills.

You are expected to perform high quality and internationally visible research with publications in peer-reviewed journals. You will be supervised by Prof. dr. ir. Ibo van de Poel (Technical University Delft) and dr. Eugen Popa (Technical University Delft), with support from dr. Jeroen Hopster (Utrecht University).

Your work location is Delft. We expect that you will move to the Netherlands, to the region where the university is located or to a region from which a daily commute is feasible.

TU Delft

Delft University of Technology is built on strong foundations. As creators of the world-famous Dutch waterworks and pioneers in biotech, TU Delft is a top international university combining science, engineering and design. It delivers world class results in education, research and innovation to address challenges in the areas of energy, climate, mobility, health and digital society. For generations, our engineers have proven to be entrepreneurial problem-solvers, both in business and in a social context.

At TU Delft we embrace diversity as one of our core values and we actively engage to be a university where you feel at home and can flourish. We value different perspectives and qualities. We believe this makes our work more innovative, the TU Delft community more vibrant and the world more just. Together, we imagine, invent and create solutions using technology to have a positive impact on a global scale. That is why we invite you to apply. Your application will receive fair consideration.

Challenge. Change. Impact!

Faculty Technology, Policy and Management

The Faculty of TPM provides an important contribution to solving complex technical-social issues, such as energy transition, mobility, digitalisation, water management and (cyber) security. TPM does this with its excellent education and research at the intersection of technology, society and policy. We combine insights from both engineering and social sciences as well as the humanities. TPM develops robust models and designs, is internationally oriented and has an extensive network of knowledge institutions, companies, social organisations and governments.

Click here to go to the website of the Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management.

Conditions of employment 

We offer a four-year fulltime PhD candidate position, preferably starting September 1, 2025.

• We provide excellent mentorship and a stimulating research environment.
• We encourage a high degree of responsibility and independence, while collaborating with close colleagues, researchers and other university staff, as well as with other partners within the Ethics of Socially Disruptive Technologies consortium.
• We offer generous (conference) travel budgets.
• The candidate is encouraged to spend one semester abroad with budget available to cover expenses.
• Please note that there are other vacancies in the Ethics of Socially Disruptive Technologies programme at different participating universities. In case several are of interest to you, we want to encourage you to apply to them simultaneously. 

Doctoral candidates will be offered a 4-year period of employment in principle, but in the form of 2 employment contracts. An initial 1,5 year contract with an official go/no go progress assessment within 15 months. Followed by an additional contract for the remaining 2,5 years assuming everything goes well and performance requirements are met.

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, increasing from € 2872 per month in the first year to € 3670 in the fourth year. As a PhD candidate you will be enrolled in the TU Delft Graduate School. The TU Delft Graduate School provides an inspiring research environment with an excellent team of supervisors, academic staff and a mentor. The Doctoral Education Programme is aimed at developing your transferable, discipline-related and research skills. 

The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, discounts on health insurance, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged.  

Will you need to relocate to the Netherlands for this job? TU Delft is committed to make your move as smooth as possible! The HR unit, Coming to Delft Service, offers information on their website to help you prepare your relocation. In addition, Coming to Delft Service organises events to help you settle in the Netherlands, and expand your (social) network in Delft. A Dual Career Programme is available, to support your accompanying partner with their job search in the Netherlands.  

Additional information

If you would like more information about this vacancy or the selection procedure, please contact dr. Eugen Popa, o.e.popa@tudelft.nl.
For information about the application procedure, please contact Olivie Beek, HR advisor, email: recruitment-tbm@tudelft.nl.

Application procedure
Are you interested in this vacancy? Please apply no later than 29 June 2025 via the application button and upload the following documents:

• CV.
• Motivational letter.

• A research proposal (approx. 1 page).

• A writing sample.

You can address your application to Ibo van de Poel and Eugen Popa.

Doing a PhD at TU Delft requires English proficiency at a certain level to ensure that the candidate is able to communicate and interact well, participate in English-taught Doctoral Education courses, and write scientific articles and a final thesis. For more details please check the Graduate Schools Admission Requirements. 

Please note:

• You can apply online. We will not process applications sent by email and/or post. 
• A pre-employment screening can be part of the selection procedure.
• For the final candidates, a knowledge security check will be part of the application procedure. For more information on this check, please consult Chapter 8 of the National Knowledge Security Guidelines. We carry out this check on the basis of legitimate interest.
• Please do not contact us for unsolicited services