MASARYK UNIVERSITY
The Dean of Faculty of Social Studies
OPENS 1 POSITION
1 Postdoc in social sciences/STS/philosophy/anthropology
OR
1 Ph.D. student in sociology/social anthropology/STS
Working time: full time
Application deadline: 24 November 2024
Start date: 1 February 2025 (negotiable)
We seek highly motivated researchers for one postdoctoral OR one doctoral position in EMOROB, a research project ‘ Robots, Computing the Human, and Autism/Cultural Imaginations of Autism Diagnosis and Emotion AI (principal investigator Eva Šlesingerová, supported by EXPRO of the Czech Science Foundation, 2023-2027) .
About the project:
The project EMOROB analyses one of the most important challenges we are facing today - human/robot interaction (HRI). Specifically, the EMOROB explores genealogy of the affective programming and social robotics field which started developing in the early1990s. Here, the imagination relating to diagnosis and treatment of autism have played a crucial role as one of the first application domain of the social robotics. The project aims to explore the field of emotional computing in the context of autism treatment, in particular their cultural metaphors and codes. The main question is: How did the metaphors of social robotics and affective computing used in the context of autism treatment influence and mirror our view of human embodiment, agency, inequalities, and medical treatment itself? To explore this question, the project carries out critical discourse analysis, analysis of international archives and interviews with people in the field. By combining critical discourse analysis with material semiotic analysis , the EMOROB seeks to investigate empirically the dynamics and complexities of affective computing practices. Considering the state of the art of the existing scholarship, the main overall analytical objective of the project is to empirically enrich and theoretically advance our understanding of computing sociality, cultural representations of autism and the social and cultural consequences and backgrounds of emotional robotics in the 21st century. The project aims are: a) to analyse genealogy of the cultural imagery reflecting the diagnosis of autism and human-robot interaction since 1990s , and b) to explore epistemic maps interconnecting autism, robotics and ideas about normality, otherness, more-than-human sociality or social bodies.
You will:
Postdoc position is expected to:
Work flexibly in an international team (ability to combine research in archives with: attending both in-person workshops and regular online meeting, as well as with possibility of teaching at Department of Sociology/Social Anthropology program)
Ability to work in a team, excellent communication, problem solving skills, time-management skills, ability to work autonomously on the research topic
A prospective doctoral student is expected to:
We offer:
Necessary documents
Please use the electronic application form to apply for your position.
https: // www. muni.cz/en/about-us/careers/vacancies/75824
The deadline for submission of applications is 24 November 2024.