FAQ on joining the Sustainable Computing Lab
1) What is the Sustainable Computing Lab?
The Sustainable Computing Lab aims at setting new standards in research, education and practice to address ethical issues in computing. The lab which was founded by Sarah Spiekermann and Axel Polleres in 2015 brings together leading researchers from around the world.
In the lab an interdisciplinary team of computer scientists, psychologists, managers, lawyers and philosophers work closely together to create IT infrastructure and IT innovation that is ethical and trustworthy. To pass on the knowledge created, the lab is heavily involved in global standardisation efforts together with organisations such as the W3C, the Council of Europe and the IEEE.
The lab works closely with leading civil society actors to promote the work of activists and ensure a broad societal impact. A core goal is to promote open, free, fair, inclusive, transparent, private, secure, human-centric, understandable, lawful, value-driven, ethical, and sustainable technologies. For this reason, the lab works closely with civil society actors that pursue these goals.
2) Who can join the Sustainable Computing Lab Team?
The lab is open to integrate other researchers within our team. We are however very selective about who can join. We consider the following criteria in deciding who should be part of the lab:
- Open-minded and interested in being part of a dynamic academic community
- Primarily based in Vienna (we can make exceptions on this point)
- Already conducting theoretical or applied research (or professional activities) on sustainable computing
- A strong background in a relevant discipline that can support the goals of the lab
- Likely to produce tangible research outputs within a reasonable timeframe
3) How do you join the Sustainable Computing Lab team?
If you want to be part of the lab, please send us a short bio and a brief overview of your research interests (max. one page) in sustainable computing. The overview should give us a general idea about the research areas you are interested in and what you would like to work on within the lab. Based on the documents we receive the lab’s management team will decide whether they believe that a prospective researcher should join the lab team or not.
If we are not sure whether someone is a good fit, we may also decide to bring in a new team member for a trial period (typically 3 months) to see whether the person is a good fit.
4) Why should you join the Sustainable Computing Lab team?
Being part of the team at the lab entails the following benefits:
- access to a vibrant academic community at the lab and at Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU Vienna)
- support developing you own research at the lab
- support developing funding applications for research projects, in particular PhD research proposals
- involvement in all lab events relevant to your research area
- link to a global network of scholars working on sustainable computing
- a formal affiliation as part of the team of the Sustainable Computing Lab at the Vienna University of Economics and Business.
5) What if I want to develop my research project, who do I contact?
Soheil Human and Ben Wagner are the first point of contact at the lab and will support you developing your research project. They will also put you in touch with other people who may be able to support the development of your research project, both within the Sustainable Computing Lab and Vienna University of Economics and Business.
6) How can I reach you if I have any further questions?
Please send an e-mail to Soheil Human (soheil.human@wu.ac.at) or Ben Wagner (ben.wagner@wu.ac.at).