Topic: Philosophical Foundations for the Digital Food Transformation

Where: University of Milan, Department of Philosophy 

Areas of specialization and competence: philosophy of food (broadly understood) + core areas of analytic philosophy (especially: analytic metaphysics and ontology; formal semantics; logic; formal epistemology) 

Responsibilities: the successful candidate is expected to collaborate with Prof. Andrea Borghini and oversee coordinating an ongoing international research collaboration in food ontology. A disposition to work collaboratively and in teams is key. Ability to produce high-level research in food ontology is expected, alongside the capacity to effectively communicate research results to colleagues across disciplines and to put them into use.  

Contact person: please direct questions to Andrea Borghini (andrea.borghini@unimi.it) 

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Description

Underneath quotidian practices of food provisioning and consumption, a radical innovation of our food systems and cultures is taking place—the digital food transformation (DFT). The DFT exponentially accelerates data flow and technological convergence, bringing under a same umbrella a vast and diverse range of unrelated initiatives and tools, from precision agriculture, to cooking robots, food delivery apps, weight loss apps, AI Meal Planner apps, and many more. 
It is unsurprising that the DFT has been hailed by its proponents as an unprecedented opportunity: a single tool to address at once most of the formidable challenges we face with respect to the environmental impact, economies, social injustices of farming and agricultural systems, safety, health, and sovereignty concerns within food supply chains, processing and consumption venues.
At the same time, which real benefits and which issues the DFT may bring about is yet to be determined. Most importantly, these questions need to be addressed by involving multiple stakeholders, balancing out their different needs, values, and scales. 
A philosophical gaze is particularly suited to guide the DFT. The project builds on recent scholarship in food and philosophy, especially on the flourishing of studies that focus on more theoretical aspects, including food ontology, metaphysics, and semantics. This scholarship can in fact be used to enhance the frameworks, principles, and norms that societies, on a global scale, should adopt to manage the challenges posed by the DFT. 

The specific and immediate objective of this project is to devise strategies to align existing food ontologies (that is, key tools adopted by knowledge representation systems) and to set forth guidelines to build future ontologies that maximize interoperability.
Successful candidates will work alongside Prof. Andrea Borghini as well as colleagues in the Culinary Mind network. A disposition to work collaboratively and in teams is key. Ability to produce high-level research in food ontology is expected, alongside the capacity to effectively communicate research results to colleagues across disciplines and to put them into use.
Candidates should hold or be near completion of a PhD in relevant areas, including Philosophy and Computer Science. Ideal candidate will have a strong research agenda concerned with the theoretical study of food or food systems as well as experience with project management and event planning. 

The call is expected to open early/mid December and will close 30 days after opening.