Challenging Research Jobs in Amsterdam

[Paul Wouters]

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JOB ANNOUNCEMENT

THE NETHERLANDS INSTITUTE OF SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION SERVICES

Internet and ICT are radically changing the way in which academic
research is carried out. This is having far-reaching consequences on
information and communication processes in the sciences and
humanities. The Netherlands Institute of Scientific Information
Services (NIWI), located in Amsterdam, has recently begun a programme
of research to chart these changes. To increase the scope of its
research domains, our research group of presently three full-time
researchers is seeking

2 research associates (M/F)

Vacancy number PZ  167 (40 hours full-time  *1)

to fulfill new positions.

NIWI is an institute of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and
Sciences. NIWI aims at providing scientific information in the fields
of biomedicine, the social sciences, history and Dutch language and
literature. In addition, NIWI provides information on research and
researchers throughout the Netherlands. NIWI's main office is situated
in Amsterdam.

Recently, NIWI has formed a new research department to respond to the
transformation of scientific publishing, communication and
information. The successful applicants will be part of our team that
will ultimately consist of ten people. NIWI's research goals are laid
down in our research programme (http://www.niwi.knaw.nl/nerdi).

Our present team members are concentrating on:
ethnographic research on the role of trust in data-sharing
the function of digital data in research
quantitative research on Web based scientific information
modelling and simulating of innovation processes
quality control in science and scholarship
access to scientific information

We hope that the two new members will be able to address one of th
following questions:

1 How do scientists experience ICT-mediated collaboration and how are
virtual scientific communities being built?

2 What influence are the new virtual research institutes and networks
of research institutes - which rely heavily on communication through
the Internet - having on the production of knowledge?

3 How does the use of ICT in science affect social stratification
processes (including gender and centre-periphery relationships) and
how does stratification in its turn shape the use of ICT in research?

We will also welcome any novel ideas by the applicants.

Our hypothesis is that the sciences, social sciences and humanities
are in the midst of an informational turn. This has important, yet
largely uncharted implications for the researcher. Studying these
implications is the main objective of our research programme. For this
reason, we wish to characterise the informational turn, study its
properties, in particular its implications for the use and creation of
scientific information by the individual research group and
scholar. Although this means that many aspects of the development and
of the social impact of information and communication technologies
will be involved in our research, our programme differs from existing
research efforts, in that it puts the researcher in central
place. Many research projects in information and library science are
related to the development of specific technologies or information
sources. There has been far less research on how the development of
ICT affects the conduct of scientific research. Yet, it is the
combination of technological and social developments at research group
or individual scholar level, which is largely responsible for shaping
the future of scientific information and communication patterns and
needs. We have therefore chosen to concentrate our research on the
changing role and needs of the researcher in scientific information
and communication. As well as research aimed at creating new knowlege
about the interaction between the researcher and ICT, we are also
developing applied research. This is aimed at providing solutions to
problems emerging from the practice of library and information
services.  Applicants should hold a PhD (or be awarded their PhD
shortly) and be available to start work in the short term. They should
moreover have acquired research experience in a relevant field.

Job responsibilities

The research associates will be responsible for their own research
project (one of the two mentioned above). They will be responsible for
the acquisition of funding for additional research projects and submit
grant applications. In collaboration with university researchers, some
supervision of PhD students may be required. The members of NIWI
Research act in an advisory capacity with respect to applied research
projects within the institute. The main output of NIWI Research
consists of journal publications, books, lectures and conference
presentations. NIWI Research will also organise workshops and
conferences on a regular basis.  Research associates will be expected
to share in these activities.

Education and experience

1. Demonstrable relevant research experience, attested by a PhD degree
   and a list of publications in peer reviewed journals.

2. An excellent knowledge of the English language, both oral and
   written.

3. Experience in either qualitative or quantitative methods of
   research, preferably both.

4. Candidates should have a particular interest in transformations of
   academic research and be able to work independently and in a
   project-orientated manner

5. Candidates with creativity and who are inclined towards/ interested
   in groundbreaking work are encouraged to apply.

Location: Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Salary: Maximum full-time gross salary of 8.390 Dutch guilders per
month in accordance with salary scale 11 in the academic sector

Starting date: With immediate effect


For further information please contact: r. Paul Wouters
e-mail:paul.wouters at niwi.knaw.nl

Please send applications accompanied by a C.V.  and marked with
vacancy number PZ 167 to:

NIWI
Personnel Department
PO Box 95110
1090 HC Amsterdam
the Netherlands

email: henry.duindam at niwi.knaw.nl

*1:     The reduction in working hours ruling applies here

NIWI is an institute of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and
Sciences