Två doktorandtjänster är utlysta i medical humanities vid Medicinsk Museion, Köpenhamns universitet. Tjänsterna är knutna till forskningsprojektet Microbes on the Mind, lett av Louise Whiteley:
In the last decade, a new scientific research field has grown up around a startling insight: the trillions of bacteria that live in our gut seem to affect how the brain develops and functions. Researchers have begun to investigate the role of gut bacteria in mental conditions such as schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, stress and autism. Whilst this scientific research is still at an early stage, results are already escaping the laboratory and catching the attention of journalists, doctors, and patients alike. This demands humanities research that asks: what does microbiome research mean for our understanding of mental illness and its treatment?
En av doktorandtjänsterna är mer inriktad på vetenskapshistoria/STS, den andra på antropologi/vetenskapssociologi:
The 2 PhD projects will focus respectively on:
• 1) Scientific discourse about the relationship between microbes and the mind. This will include mapping the scientific literature, informed by interviews with scientists, and developing a theoretical framework to guide more targeted analysis of the aspects of scientific research most relevant for our cultural understanding of the microbe/mind relationship. This project will fall roughly within STS or History and Philosophy of Science depending on the eventual focus, and follows previous work examining how neuroscience has shaped our understanding of the relationship between mind and body.• 2) How connections between microbes and the mind are experienced and perceived by patients, doctors, and consumers. This will include an initial mapping of domains in which these connections are experienced, using materials such as patient blogs, product advertisements, and interviews with doctors and citizens intervening in the microbiome. Focus areas for in-depth textual analysis and fieldwork will then be developed, and interviews conducted to uncover how connections between microbes and the mind are experienced in everyday contexts. This project will fall roughly within the areas of anthropology or sociology of science, depending on the eventual focus.