Fellowship Programme 2008-2009

The IAS-STS in Graz, Austria, promotes the interdisciplinary investigation of the links and interactions between science, technology and society as well as technology assessment and research into the development and implementation of socially and environmentally sound technologies. The IAS-STS invites researchers to apply for a stay between 1 October 2008 and 30 June 2009 as

• Research Fellow (up to nine months) or as
• Visiting Scholar (shorter period, e.g. a month)

The IAS-STS offers excellent research infrastructure. Close co-operation with researchers at the IFZ (Inter-University Research Centre for Technology, Work and Culture; see: www.ifz.tugraz.at), guest lectures, workshops and conferences provide an atmosphere of creativity and scholarly discussion.Furthermore we can offer five grants (up to EUR 1,000 per month) for long-term Research Fellows (up to nine months) at the IAS-STS.

The Fellowship Programme 2008-2009 is dedicated to projects investigating the following issues:

1. Gender – Technology – Environment
Women with their various interests, competencies and potentials play an important part in the process of shaping socially sound and environmentally friendly sustainable technologies – as users and consumers or experts. Applications should focus on research in the field of women in traditionally male fields of engineering, on ways of creating cultures of success for women engineers (students, graduates), and on masculinity and the culture of engineering.

2. New Genetics and Modern Biotechnology
A focus of the Fellowship Programme lies on research providing a critical analysis either of human genetic research or of modern biotechnology. Researchers investigating either ethical, legal and social aspects of genetic testing in the medical domain or risk policy and wider governance issues related to agricultural biotechnology are especially encouraged to apply.

3. Technology Studies and Sustainability
Fellowships will be awarded for research projects contributing to the issue of sustainable development from the perspective of social studies or the history and philosophy of science and technology. Projects should aim at socio-economic aspects of environmental technologies or at strategies of environmental technology policy, such as user participation, strategic niche management or ecological product policy. We encourage both theoretical analysis as well as empirical case studies and implementation research. As a special grant within this thematical focus the Manfred-Heindler-grant for research projects on the increased use of renewable energies and on a more efficient use of energy will be awarded.

4. Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)
A focus of the Fellowship Programme will be put on novel developments based on ICT from an STS point of view. Topics like ICT and agency, ubiquitous computing or ICT and mobility shall be analysed with respect to their wider social and political implications. Further issues of interest are the social shaping of ICT developments, innovation policies, risk management and participatory approaches to the design of ICT systems and applications.

Applications must be submitted to the IAS-STS by 31 December 2007.

For application forms and further information:
Please visit our website: www.sts.tugraz.at

Institute for Advanced Studies on Science, Technology and Society (IAS-STS)
Attn. Günter Getzinger
Kopernikusgasse 9
8010 Graz – Austria
E-mail: info@sts.tugraz.at

Deadline: 31 December 2007

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