PhD student position in Contextual approach to scientific problem solving processes, Gent (Belgium)

The Centre for Logic and Philosophy of Science of Ghent University (http://logica.ugent.be/centrum/) has a vacancy for a pre-doctoral researcher in a research project entitled Contextual and formal- logical approach to scientific problem solving processes.
Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Erik Weber & Prof. Dr. Joke Meheus.
Period: 1 October 2010 till 30 September 2014.
Salary: approx. 1700 €/month (net).

Profile of the candidate:

- Master's degree in philosophy.
- Advanced knowledge of the philosophy of science and formal logic
- Able to read, speak and write in English in a very fluent way.

Description of the project + task of the researcher:

The general aim of the project is to develop formal tools - in the adaptive logics tradition originating in the work of D. Batens - for the analysis of scientific reasoning processes. Other researchers already working on this project deal with e.g. abductive and inductive reasoning and conceptual change. The task of the new researcher is to develop adaptive logics that are suitable for application in one of the following domains:
(1) causal reasoning (causal discovery, evidence for causal claims and applications of causal knowledge);
(2) counterfactual reasoning (arguing about counterfactuals and reasoning starting from counterfactual knowledge);
(3) scientific explanations (reasoning process leading towards explanations; formal explication of explanatory power).

References

The adaptive logics homepage (http://logica.ugent.be/adlog/al.html) contains an introduction to adaptive logics and references to papers on this topic.

Applications

If you are interested in this position, send an email with your CV and to Erik.Weber at UGent.be, not later than 6 June 2010.