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PhD: Moral Dilemmas and Ethics of Crisis Leadership

  • VU Hoofdgebouw
  • Amsterdam
  • 1 / 1
  • Faculty of Religion and Theology
  • PhD
  • MSc
  • Closes on
    25-05-2025
  • Publishing date
    28-04-2025
Apply
Passionate about ethics and crisis management? Join Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam as a PhD student in the NWO funded Adapt! program. Study moral dilemmas in crisis leadership and collaborate with top experts. Apply now!

Your function

The School of Religion and Theology in the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam seeks to hire a Ph.D. student. The position is part of the NWO-funded Gravitation (Zwaartekracht) program Adapt! This ten-year program investigates how societies can navigate large-scale crises related to natural disasters, pandemics, and violent extremism in an effective and legitimate manner, without undermining key societal values and democratic processes. More information on the Adapt! Program can be found at www.adapt-academy.nl.

This PhD position is part of Work Package 3 (the Strategic governance capacity).

PhD: Moral Dilemmas and Ethics of Crisis Leadership

Crisis leaders must often choose between policy options that embody conflicting values. These moral dilemmas are particularly likely to occur in high-stakes situations with a necessity to act under conditions of deep uncertainty. In the context of the Covid-19 crisis, for instance, leaders had to weigh the importance of health protection against the freedom of movement. This situation pitched the interests of the majority against those of a sizeable minority (think of curfews and vaccine passports). In such times, it is pivotal what narratives leaders construe and what religious and secular ethical values such narratives embody and seek to bring across.

This project will study how narratives in times of crisis embody ethical values and principles and under which conditions they can be fruitfully employed. It consists of four steps. First, it will first carry out a small number of case-studies by analysing the ethical dimensions of narratives in two or three different well-documented crises, at least one of which has to do with violent extremism. Second, it will develop an analytic-philosophical framework for identifying different sets of ethical values and principles – e.g. utilitarian ones, deontological ones, religiously grounded or motivated ones, virtue ethical ones, ones centred around freedom and autonomy, ones centred around respect and authority, and so on – and how they are embodied in and evoked by various narratives. Third, it will carry out a Delphi study with leading figures in crisis management to explore what they perceive to be feasible ways to take core liberal and democratic values and principles on board in construing ethically sound and viable narratives in times of crises. Fourth and finally, it will compose a short guide or handbook for taking ethical considerations into account in construing and delivering narratives in times of crisis.

Supervisors

Embedding

Your duties

  • author and co-author and submit articles;
  • write a dissertation;
  • participate in the Adapt! program, extreme beliefs research group, and FRT Graduate School;
  • co-organize events (workshops, lectures);
  • take courses in the Graduate School;
  • you may be asked to contribute to teaching a class.

Your profile

  • A (Research) Master's degree in philosophy, political science, public administration, crisis management, or a related field.
  • Interest in or affinity for interdisciplinary research, both in methodology and content.
  • Willingness to collaborate with other researchers in the Adapt! program.
  • Demonstrated affinity with research.
  • Fluency in English, both spoken and written; knowledge of Dutch is a plus.

What do we offer?

A challenging position in a socially engaged organisation. At VU Amsterdam, you contribute to education, research and service for a better world. And that is valuable. So in return for your efforts, we offer you:

  • a salary of € 2.901,00 (PhD) and maximum € 3.707,00 (PhD) gross per month in the fourth year, for a full-time employment
  • an employment contract of initially 18 months. If there is sufficient perspective, this will be extended to a total of 4 years. 

The starting date of the contract will be September 1,  2025

VU strives to have a diverse workforce. We want to develop talent and creativity by bringing together people from different backgrounds and cultures. We recruit and select based on competencies and talents. We therefore encourage anyone who recognizes themselves in a vacancy, regardless of age, gender, origin, religion, philosophy of life, orientation, disability or chronic illness, to respond. Candidates with a jobs agreement indication (“doelgroepregistratie”) will be given priority if suitable. For these candidates applies:

- A PhD candidate with a registration (“doelgroepregister”) may apply for a minimum of 0.7 fte

- An extra supervisor is available for PhD students with target group registration and their supervisors

We also offer you attractive fringe benefits and arrangements. Some examples:

  • A full-time 38-hour working week comes with a holiday leave entitlement of 232 hours per year. If you choose to work 40 hours, you have 96 extra holiday leave hours on an annual basis. For part-timers, this is calculated pro rata.
  • 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
  • solid pension scheme (ABP)
  • contribution to commuting expenses
  • a wide range of sports facilities which staff may use at a modest charge

About us

School of Religion and Theology
The School of Religion and Theology at VU Amsterdam is the leading centre of expertise for the study of religion in society in the Netherlands. Our students, lecturers and researchers are critically engaged with the major religious and societal themes relevant for today. From holy scripture and pastoral care to peace studies and contemporary spirituality.

We are the most comprehensive theological School in the world, with ten seminaries that encompass all world religions and many Christian denominations. Together we explore issues of faith and belief. We are open to each other’s ideas in our quest for knowledge, values and truth. Together we expand our horizons, strengthen our understanding and find new pathways in a time of huge social upheaval.

The Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities 

The Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities has the special aim of enhancing our self-understanding and understanding of social communities, values and meaning through the disciplines of social sciences and humanities. No single discipline can do this alone, but what unites the SGW disciplines is an open way of thinking and the natural urge to seek coherence and connection. This allows us to take a multidisciplinary approach to complex issues. 
We encourage critical thinking, reflection and global citizenship. We challenge students and researchers to explore different perspectives and analyse social issues with scientific depth. This is how we contribute to an open and inclusive society, in line with VU's origins and identity. 
 
The faculty consists of nine academic departments within three schools: School of Religion & Theology (SRT), School of Social Sciences (SSc) and School of Humanities (SH). 
 
Will you join us? Then you will become part of a dynamic academic community with around 900 staff, over 5,000 regular students and more than 5,000 course participants. In an inspiring and collegial environment, we work together on education and research with impact

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam stands for values-driven education and research. We are open-minded experts with the ability to think freely - a broader mind. Maintaining an entrepreneurial perspective and concentrating on diversity, significance and humanity, we work on sustainable solutions with social impact. By joining forces, across the boundaries of disciplines, we work towards a better world for people and planet. Together we create a safe and respectful working and study climate, and an inspiring environment for education and research. Learn more about our codes of conduct

We are located on one physical campus, in the heart of Amsterdam's Zuidas business district, with excellent location and accessibility.  Over 6,150 staff work at the VU and over 31,000 students attend academic education.

Diversity
Diversity is the driving force of VU Amsterdam. VU wants to be accessible and receptive to diversity in disciplines, cultures, ideas, nationalities, beliefs, preferences and worldviews. We believe that trust, respect, interest and differences lead to new insights and innovation, to sharpness and clarity, to excellence and a broader understanding.

We stand for an inclusive community and believe that diversity and internationalisation contribute to the quality of education, research and our services.

Therefore, we are always searching for people whose backgrounds and experience contribute to the diversity of the VU community.

Interested

Are you interested in this position and do you believe that your experience will contribute to the further development of our university? In that case, we encourage you to submit your application. Please upload the following documents:

  1. A CV that describes relevant experience 
  2. Cover letter outlining why you are interested in  and qualified for this position

Submitting a diploma and a reference check are part of the application process in a later stage. 

Applications received by e-mail will not be considered.

Acquisition in response to this advertisement is not appreciated.

Your function

The School of Religion and Theology in the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam seeks to hire a Ph.D. student. The position is part of the NWO-funded Gravitation (Zwaartekracht) program Adapt! This ten-year program investigates how societies can navigate large-scale crises related to natural disasters, pandemics, and violent extremism in an effective and legitimate manner, without undermining key societal values and democratic processes. More information on the Adapt! Program can be found at www.adapt-academy.nl.

This PhD position is part of Work Package 3 (the Strategic governance capacity).

PhD: Moral Dilemmas and Ethics of Crisis Leadership

Crisis leaders must often choose between policy options that embody conflicting values. These moral dilemmas are particularly likely to occur in high-stakes situations with a necessity to act under conditions of deep uncertainty. In the context of the Covid-19 crisis, for instance, leaders had to weigh the importance of health protection against the freedom of movement. This situation pitched the interests of the majority against those of a sizeable minority (think of curfews and vaccine passports). In such times, it is pivotal what narratives leaders construe and what religious and secular ethical values such narratives embody and seek to bring across.

This project will study how narratives in times of crisis embody ethical values and principles and under which conditions they can be fruitfully employed. It consists of four steps. First, it will first carry out a small number of case-studies by analysing the ethical dimensions of narratives in two or three different well-documented crises, at least one of which has to do with violent extremism. Second, it will develop an analytic-philosophical framework for identifying different sets of ethical values and principles – e.g. utilitarian ones, deontological ones, religiously grounded or motivated ones, virtue ethical ones, ones centred around freedom and autonomy, ones centred around respect and authority, and so on – and how they are embodied in and evoked by various narratives. Third, it will carry out a Delphi study with leading figures in crisis management to explore what they perceive to be feasible ways to take core liberal and democratic values and principles on board in construing ethically sound and viable narratives in times of crises. Fourth and finally, it will compose a short guide or handbook for taking ethical considerations into account in construing and delivering narratives in times of crisis.

Supervisors

Embedding

Your duties

  • author and co-author and submit articles;
  • write a dissertation;
  • participate in the Adapt! program, extreme beliefs research group, and FRT Graduate School;
  • co-organize events (workshops, lectures);
  • take courses in the Graduate School;
  • you may be asked to contribute to teaching a class.

Your profile

  • A (Research) Master's degree in philosophy, political science, public administration, crisis management, or a related field.
  • Interest in or affinity for interdisciplinary research, both in methodology and content.
  • Willingness to collaborate with other researchers in the Adapt! program.
  • Demonstrated affinity with research.
  • Fluency in English, both spoken and written; knowledge of Dutch is a plus.

What do we offer?

A challenging position in a socially engaged organisation. At VU Amsterdam, you contribute to education, research and service for a better world. And that is valuable. So in return for your efforts, we offer you:

  • a salary of € 2.901,00 (PhD) and maximum € 3.707,00 (PhD) gross per month in the fourth year, for a full-time employment
  • an employment contract of initially 18 months. If there is sufficient perspective, this will be extended to a total of 4 years. 

The starting date of the contract will be September 1,  2025

VU strives to have a diverse workforce. We want to develop talent and creativity by bringing together people from different backgrounds and cultures. We recruit and select based on competencies and talents. We therefore encourage anyone who recognizes themselves in a vacancy, regardless of age, gender, origin, religion, philosophy of life, orientation, disability or chronic illness, to respond. Candidates with a jobs agreement indication (“doelgroepregistratie”) will be given priority if suitable. For these candidates applies:

- A PhD candidate with a registration (“doelgroepregister”) may apply for a minimum of 0.7 fte

- An extra supervisor is available for PhD students with target group registration and their supervisors

We also offer you attractive fringe benefits and arrangements. Some examples:

  • A full-time 38-hour working week comes with a holiday leave entitlement of 232 hours per year. If you choose to work 40 hours, you have 96 extra holiday leave hours on an annual basis. For part-timers, this is calculated pro rata.
  • 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
  • solid pension scheme (ABP)
  • contribution to commuting expenses
  • a wide range of sports facilities which staff may use at a modest charge

About us

School of Religion and Theology
The School of Religion and Theology at VU Amsterdam is the leading centre of expertise for the study of religion in society in the Netherlands. Our students, lecturers and researchers are critically engaged with the major religious and societal themes relevant for today. From holy scripture and pastoral care to peace studies and contemporary spirituality.

We are the most comprehensive theological School in the world, with ten seminaries that encompass all world religions and many Christian denominations. Together we explore issues of faith and belief. We are open to each other’s ideas in our quest for knowledge, values and truth. Together we expand our horizons, strengthen our understanding and find new pathways in a time of huge social upheaval.

The Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities 

The Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities has the special aim of enhancing our self-understanding and understanding of social communities, values and meaning through the disciplines of social sciences and humanities. No single discipline can do this alone, but what unites the SGW disciplines is an open way of thinking and the natural urge to seek coherence and connection. This allows us to take a multidisciplinary approach to complex issues. 
We encourage critical thinking, reflection and global citizenship. We challenge students and researchers to explore different perspectives and analyse social issues with scientific depth. This is how we contribute to an open and inclusive society, in line with VU's origins and identity. 
 
The faculty consists of nine academic departments within three schools: School of Religion & Theology (SRT), School of Social Sciences (SSc) and School of Humanities (SH). 
 
Will you join us? Then you will become part of a dynamic academic community with around 900 staff, over 5,000 regular students and more than 5,000 course participants. In an inspiring and collegial environment, we work together on education and research with impact

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam stands for values-driven education and research. We are open-minded experts with the ability to think freely - a broader mind. Maintaining an entrepreneurial perspective and concentrating on diversity, significance and humanity, we work on sustainable solutions with social impact. By joining forces, across the boundaries of disciplines, we work towards a better world for people and planet. Together we create a safe and respectful working and study climate, and an inspiring environment for education and research. Learn more about our codes of conduct

We are located on one physical campus, in the heart of Amsterdam's Zuidas business district, with excellent location and accessibility.  Over 6,150 staff work at the VU and over 31,000 students attend academic education.

Diversity
Diversity is the driving force of VU Amsterdam. VU wants to be accessible and receptive to diversity in disciplines, cultures, ideas, nationalities, beliefs, preferences and worldviews. We believe that trust, respect, interest and differences lead to new insights and innovation, to sharpness and clarity, to excellence and a broader understanding.

We stand for an inclusive community and believe that diversity and internationalisation contribute to the quality of education, research and our services.

Therefore, we are always searching for people whose backgrounds and experience contribute to the diversity of the VU community.

Questions about the vacancy?

Please contact

Prof.Dr. Rik Peels

Full Professor

Interested

Are you interested in this position and do you believe that your experience will contribute to the further development of our university? In that case, we encourage you to submit your application. Please upload the following documents:

  1. A CV that describes relevant experience 
  2. Cover letter outlining why you are interested in  and qualified for this position

Submitting a diploma and a reference check are part of the application process in a later stage. 

Applications received by e-mail will not be considered.

Acquisition in response to this advertisement is not appreciated.

Questions about the vacancy?

Please contact

Prof.Dr. Rik Peels

Full Professor

Application procedure

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