Dear Colleagues,

I would like to inform you of an advertisement for PhD students in a quite
specific area of inquiry. The student would be working closely with me
personally. I would be grateful if you could pass this on to individuals and
institutions who might have an interest in the area. While the details of
the phd studentship are quite precise, there is considerable flexibility
within this to take into account the student's own interests and background.
A stipend is attached to the studentship. Please feel welcome to contact me
directly in relation to this [preferably by email], though more extensive
details can be found online at jobs.ac.uk:

Please note that there is a short application period for this. The deadline
for applications is 21 June 2007. Also note that applications can be sent
electronically.

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Bio-Politics & Media Engagement on the Ethics of Nanotechnology
School of Media, Language & Music, University of Paisley, Scotland, UK.
Closing date: 21 June, 2007.

The subject of the ‘public understanding of science’ has grown significantly
in the last 15 years, as an academic discipline. The precedents of stem cell
research and genetics, more broadly, have suffered from ineffective
understandings of how to communicate science effectively. The student will
draw on literature informing Dr Miah’s thesis on ‘public engagement with
ethics’ (Miah, 2005) to investigate the discourses and narratives
surrounding nanotechnology. The research will constitute a critical response
to government interest in developing a methodology for the public
understanding of science. It will also inform this subject area in the
specific context of nanotechnology, signalled recently in the ESRC report on
nanotech. The candidate will analyse the state of public understanding on
nanotechnology, focusing on the moral discourses surrounding the near future
of developments and how this corresponds with media narratives. Integral to
this research will be an analysis of the policy debates in this area, which
will offer a third component to the overall analysis. This triangulation of
narratives within the public, media and policy domain will form the
parameters of this PhD.
 
keywords: public engagement with science, ethics, nanotechnology, media

How to apply
Postgraduate Degree by Research Application forms can be downloaded from
www.pailsey.ac.uk/apply <http://www.pailsey.ac.uk/apply>  or by writing to
the Research Office, University of Paisley, High St, PA1 2BE.

If you have any queries relating to the application form please contact the
Research Office, Tel: ++44(0)141-848-3919/3681 or Email:
morag.milner‑[log in to unmask] You are encouraged to send your
application by email.

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Regards,

Andy Miah



Dr Andy Miah | [log in to unmask] | http://www.andymiah.net
Reader in New Media & Bioethics

School of Media, Language & Music
University of Paisley
Ayr Campus, KA8 OSR, Scotland, UK.
[t] +44 7962 716 616  [f] +44 1292 886371  [e] [log in to unmask]