The Programmable City project is seeking two postdoctoral researchers (14 month contracts). Preferably the posts will critically examine either:

• the production of software underpinning smart city technologies and how software developers translate rules, procedures and policies into a complex architecture of interlinked algorithms that manage and govern how people traverse or interact with urban systems; or,

• the political economy of smart city technologies and initiatives; the creation of smart city markets; the inter-relation of urban (re)development and smart city initiatives; the relationship between vendors, business lobby groups, economic development agencies, and city administrations; financialization and new business models; or,

• the relationship between the political geography of city administration, governance arrangements, and smart city initiatives; political and legal geographies of testbed urbanism and smart city initiatives; smart city technologies and governmentality.

We are prepared to consider any other proposal that critical interrogates the relationship between software, data and the production of smart cities and there will be some latitude to negotiate with the principal investigator the exact focus of the research undertaken.

While some of the research will require primary fieldwork, it is anticipated it will also involve the secondary analysis of data already generated by the project.

The project will be based in the National Institute for Regional and Spatial Analysis (NIRSA) at Maynooth University.

More details on how to apply can be found on the University human resources site.  Closing date is 5th August.