PI - Call for Postdoctoral fellow candidates at the Applied Ethics (EARS) Research Group

The Vice-rectorate for Research and International Relations along with the  Applied Ethics (EARS) research team at the University of Deusto are seeking postdoctoral candidates to join the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities.

Research team’s website: https://www.deusto.es/en/home/we-are-deusto/university-centres/institutes/centre-for-applied-ethics/about-the-centre

Campus: Bilbao 

Research team’s information:
Recognized by the Basque Government (GV) since 2010, the Applied Ethics Research Group for Social Reality (EARS) investigates the social and political processes that influence—both positively and negatively—the ways in which individuals and social groups achieve recognition of their dignity, the fulfillment of their claims for social justice, the enhancement of their capacity for social and political participation, and the protection of their right to live in peace.
The group’s hallmark is the adoption of an ethical perspective that serves as the analytical cornerstone of its research. This orientation is manifested through a multidisciplinary framework that integrates contributions from political science, sociology, international relations, philosophy, education, psychology, and engineering. This approach enables a critical examination of the tensions, dynamics, and socio-political transformations of the contemporary world. The core ethical principles guiding its work are human dignity, human rights, social justice, democratic governance, and care. From this vantage point, the group conducts research that bridges theory, empirical analysis, and knowledge transfer, seeking to combine academic excellence with social relevance. Its work is structured across four primary research lines:
1)     Social and Political Conflict: Focusing on the use of violence and the promotion of peace, justice, and human rights.
2)     The Political and Social Dimension: Centered on challenges to democratic governance, the rise of authoritarianism, civic participation, and international conflicts.
3)     Organizational Ethics: Aimed at fostering just, sustainable, and participatory processes within institutions.
4)     The Ethical Dimension of Technology: Examining social impacts and advocating for developments that safeguard human rights, democracy, and global sustainability. Transversally, the team incorporates a gender perspective into its research areas, addressing issues such as violence and patriarchy, women’s leadership in victim and pacifist organizations, party politics regarding gender, and discrimination against gender minorities.

Transversally, the team incorporates a gender perspective into its research areas, addressing issues such as violence and patriarchy, women’s leadership in victim and pacifist organizations, party politics regarding gender, and discrimination against gender minorities.

Purpose of the position:

The purpose of this postdoctoral position is to support the research currently being conducted by the Applied Ethics Research Group (EARS) in the field of Ethics and Technology and Ethics of Organizations, with a particular focus on the ethical impacts of artificial intelligence on the development of democratic communities. 

Research Topic:

• The ethical impacts of Artificial Intelligence.

The ethical impacts of Artificial Intelligence:

The objectives of this research are:

• a) To analyze the diverse risks that the digitalization of social, economic, political, and administrative processes poses to liberal democracies.
• b) To develop an ethically informed governance model for the design and implementation of artificial intelligence at the service of democratic social, political, and civic relations.

Objectives of the position:

• Active participation in ongoing research initiatives.
• Contribution to the development of a new competitive grant proposal focused on democracy, social media, and technology.
• Design and leadership of independent research projects that involve collaboration with other team members.
• Joint publication of scientific articles in high-impact academic journals. Co-authorship with other members of the research group is a requirement for this position.

Principal Investigator:

Sonia Alonso Sánez de Oger

We offer:

• Duration: The contract will be for 3 years.
• Amount and terms of paymen An allocation of 37,000€ to 41,000€ gross euros per year will be granted, distributed into 15 monthly installments, depending on the candidate’s experience.
• The contract with the University of Deusto will fall under the associate researcher/investigador/a asociado/a category.
• Expected start date: September 1, 2026.

Application deadline:

• Deadline for submitting applications: 15 April 2026.
• Contact information: apoyo@deusto.es