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The Centre for Science and Technology Studies (CWTS) of the Faculty of Social Sciences of Leiden University wishes to announce a job opening for the following position:

Postdoctoral Position in Social Studies of Science with a focus on Responsible Research (1.0fte)
Vacancy number: 13913

The Centre for Science and Technology Studies (CWTS, Leiden University) and the dept. of Health, Ethics & Society of Maastricht University are jointly seeking to appoint an experienced postdoctoral researcher for a 10-month period to join the Wellcome-funded project “Embedding Responsible Research in Institutional Ecosystems by Developing a Responsible Research Community of Practice.” The successful candidate will be based at CWTS, led by Professor Sarah de Rijcke, and will work closely together with Dr. Bart Penders at Maastricht University, The Netherlands, and Professor Marcus Munafò at the University of Bristol (UK), where a second postdoctoral researcher working on the project is based.

About the project
Responsible conduct of research is essential to the trustworthiness of research, including public trust in research. It promotes rigorous research, fosters a positive research environment, and raises confidence in the research we produce. Surprisingly, we know little about whether what constitutes responsible research should be the same accross disciplines, nor about the effectiveness of approaches intended to promote responsible research, nor how to assess this. Currently, many approaches to training in responsible research conduct, and to promoting responsible research more generally, are developed within disciplinary silos. For example, the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) has been criticised for being applicable only to a narrow range of scientific disciplines. Similarly, reproducibility is a concept that applies to quantitative disciplines, but less to qualitative disciplines and the social sciences, and even less so to the humanities.

Understanding different responsible research frameworks will provide a deeper understanding of what constitutes responsible research practice across disciplines, and the extent to which these frameworks can be applied across disciplines – the life sciences and biomedical sciences, the social sciences, and humanities. The successful candidate will seek to develop an understanding of how responsible research is conceived and realised, both across disciplines, and across institutions in Europe, grounded in the framework provided by the Singapore Statement on Research Integrity. We will then use this knowledge to establish a responsible research Community of Practice – a group of people who "share a concern or a passion for something they do, and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly" – initially across the UK Reproducibility Network (UKRN; www.ukrn.org) of 20 UK HEIs, and an additional 8 continental European HEIs.

The successful candidate will work with Professor Sarah de Rijcke and Dr. Bart Penders, and will have the following responsibilities:

• To manage the project, including delivery of the main objectives: developing a responsible research Community of Practice; and implementing and evaluating responsible research stewardship activity;
• To develop and maintain collaborative relationships with project partners, including Marcus Munafó (University of Bristol), the UKRN institutional members, and additional HEIs in the Netherlands and abroad as necessary;
• To follow study protocols and research ethics guidelines, perform empirical analyses, contribute to the interpretation of results, prepare manuscripts for publication, and present results at conferences and other meetings;
• To manage relationships and communicate with other stakeholders including academic partners, sectoral organisations, and the general public;
• To ensure that all work adheres to Open Science principles, and to protocols regarding research governance, data protection and confidentiality.

About CWTS
The Centre for Science and Technology Studies (CWTS) studies scientific research and its connections to technology, innovation, and society. As a leading research, consulting, and training center, CWTS is dedicated to increasing our understanding of scientific quality, societal impact, and other related concepts. CWTS studies the conditions and consequences of research evaluation for the generation of new knowledge, and the role of research in innovation processes. Special attention is paid to the value of bibliometric and scientometric tools to support the evaluation and management of scientific research. On the basis of its research, CWTS wishes to contribute to the debates about the role of science in society. Studies at CWTS range across the broad field of science, technology and innovation studies.

A subgroup of researchers analyses the politics and practices of research evaluation in connection with contemporary forms of governance of research and scholarship. We use the concept of "governance" because it allows us to take into account the changing relationships between knowledge production processes and formal and informal steering efforts at multiple levels in the science system:

1. (inter)national level - e.g. EU funding schemes, responsible metrics initiatives;
2. organisational level - e.g. institutional evaluation practices;
3. shop-floor level - e.g. the practical handling and possible epistemic implications of indicators in different fields.

About the dept. Health, Ethics and Society (Maastricht, NL)
The department of Health, Ethics and Society (HES) is a dynamic and diverse department that brings together a variety of disciplines and expertises. We firmly believe in the additional value of combining multiple points of view. Furthermore, we critically reflect on practices and structures around health and health research in our societies.

These reflections take place against the backdrop of social developments and other institutional structures that intersect with the ones we engage with. Furthermore, in our globalised world, these practices and structures extend beyond various boundaries– even if they are local. Some of the structures we study are firmly embedded in our lives, whereas others are new and innovative and promise (or threaten) to change it.

Our critical engagements aim to feed back into the practices, structures and technologies we study, to strengthen and optimise them and make them more socially robust, proportional and just.

Selection criteria
We are looking for a researcher with:

• A PhD degree in Science and Technology Studies or related field;
• Experience in quantitative research, including conducting surveys;
• Skills in qualitative and quantitative data analysis;
• Evidence of being able to produce research outputs (e.g., peer reviewed publications);
• Ability and willingness to independently manage day-to-day activities;
• Fluency in spoken English and excellent writing skills in English;
• Strong analytical capacity;
• Communication proficiency;
• Willingness and proven ability to work as part of an international team.

Employment terms and conditions
Employment will be offered through Leiden University, while Maastricht University offers an honorary affiliation in conjunction. We offer a temporary position for 38 hours per week from August 2023 til May 2024. The salary ranges from € 3974 to € 5439 gross per month (pay scale 11, in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities).

Leiden University offers an attractive benefits package with additional bonuses (holiday 8%; end-of-year 8.3%), training, and career development. Our individual choices model gives you several options to assemble your own set of benefits.

Leiden University employees need to be based in The Netherlands. A Dutch home address and Dutch bank account are required to close the employment contract. However, because of this project’s affiliation with the UK, the alterntive of being based in the UK and being employed by the University of Bristol can be discussed.

Diversity and inclusion
Diversity and inclusion are core values of Leiden University. Leiden University is committed to becoming an inclusive community which enables all students and staff to feel valued and respected and to develop their full potential. Diversity in experiences and perspectives enriches our teaching and strengthens our research. High quality teaching and research is inclusive.

Starting date
August 2023

Information and application
Additional information about Leiden University and CWTS can be found on https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en and https://www.cwts.nl/. Specific information about the position and the project can be obtained from Sarah de Rijcke (s.de.rijcke@cwts.leidenuniv.nl) or Bart Penders (b.penders@maastrichtuniversity.nl). Questions about the procedure can be addressed to Ilse Schuitema, board secretary of CWTS (i.schuitema@cwts.leidenuniv.nl).

Please only use the blue button to submit your application and upload a concise letter of motivation and a CV. References do not need to be included yet. You can apply until 1 August 2023. Based on the motivation and CV, we will make a selection of suitable candidates and invite them for an interview on 10 or 11 August 2023. Preferably, the candidate is available to start the same month.

Enquiries from agencies are not appreciated.

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