Doctoral researcher - Responses to newton’s mathematical-experimental paradigm in 18th-century philosophy

We offer a full-time ONE-YEAR doctoral fellowship (‘seed Money’) at the Centre de recherche en Philosophie

Job description

The Centre de recherche en Philosophie (https://phi.phisoc.ulb.be) based at the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Campus Solbosch, invites applications for a one-year PhD position (‘seed money’).

The research will be carried out in the context of the awarded EOS project ‘Responses to Newton’s Mathematical-Experimental Paradigm in 18th-Century Philosophy’ (RENEW18). More information on the EOS project, jointly led by Karin de Boer (KU Leuven), Steffen Ducheyne (Vrije Universiteit Brussel), and Arnaud Pelletier (Université libre de Bruxelles), can be found here: www.renew18.be 

Prospective candidates are invited to propose their own project provided that it engages meaningfully with the scope of RENEW18 (developments and/or debates in eighteenth-century philosophy related to the impact of Newton’s mathematical-experimental paradigm). The subproject will be carried out under the supervision of Prof. Arnaud Pelletier. 

In addition to conducting independent research, the selected applicant is expected to participate in the organization of common activities such as team meetings, talks, workshops, and conferences. The working language within the consortium is English; the PhD thesis can be written in French or English.

As this is a 12-month position (with the possibility of extension up to 16 months), the successful candidate will be required to apply for additional external funding (in particular from the FNRS) during this period.

The successful candidate will be employed at ULB under the standard conditions. S/He will be offered a one-year fellowship. The fellowship provides for training opportunities, social and health benefits, office space, and a research budget.

Profile

• MA degree in philosophy at the starting date of the contract
• Good knowledge of the history of modern philosophy 
• Excellent command of written and spoken English
• Team player
• Depending on the project, knowledge of French, Latin or the history and philosophy of science may be required

Interested?

Please send your full application to [email protected], including:

• A short cover letter
• CV (including a publication list, if available, and the names and contact details of two referees)
• Academic transcript of your MA degree(s) with a list of courses attended
• A writing sample (either the MA thesis or a 15-25 pages essay)
• A research statement (between 2 and 4 pages, not counting the bibliography) structured according to the FNRS template (research objectives, state of the art, research project, work plan).

Prof. Arnaud Pelletier
Centre  de recherche en Philosophie
Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB)
Avenue F. D. Roosevelt 50 – CP 133/02
B-1050 Brussels
Belgium
Tel: +32 2 650 26 52

Fellowship (bourse doctorale): approximatively 2 561, 00 EUR (free from tax)

Duration: 12 month-fellowship (possibly 16).

Deadline for application: June 30, 2026

Preferred starting date: The position can be taken up from 1 September 2026.

We expect the (online) interviews to take place shortly after the deadline in early July 2026. For further information, please contact Arnaud Pelletier ([email protected]).

Equal opportunities policy

ULB's personnel management policy is geared towards diversity and equal opportunities. We recruit candidates on the basis of their skills, irrespective of age, gender, sexual orientation, origin, nationality, beliefs, disability, etc. More details on the ULB gender and diversity policy are available at https://www.ulb.be/en/about-ulb/gender-equality-at-ulb.