Stellenticket Europa-Universität Viadrina

Department “Artifacts, Action, Knowledge” studies the history of knowledge and action considering the changing role of artifacts: texts, objects, and spaces. Our research collectively examines the processes and structures by which people grappled with the materiality of existence. Through the analysis of everyday actions, we interrogate the boundaries and intersections between the inner workings of objects and all domains of life. Together these approaches allow us to pursue inquiries into historical epistemologies of action. For more detailed information, please visit the department website.

Your responsibilities:

• Support collaborative research initiatives within the department.
• Conduct an independent research project within one of the working groups:
• Reclaiming “Turtles All the Way Down”
• Common Knowledge and Its Sources in the Sinosphere
• Heavens in Your Hand:
• Metals, Minerals, and the Life Cycle (Agriculture and the Making of Science)
• Contribute to the working group research programs
• Engage actively in the research pursuits of the Institute, participate in departmental activities, and deliver presentations on your own research findings.

Hold a Ph.D. degree at the commencement of employment.

• Demonstrate proficiency in a language relevant to the candidate's period of interest, with English being the primary working language of the Institute.

flexible working hours; the opportunity to work from home as arranged with your superior; the opportunity to work part-time

• annual year-end bonus; occupational pension (VBL); subsidy for public transportation within Berlin or Germany (“Jobticket”); paid leave on Christmas Eve (December 24) and New Year’s Eve (December 31) in addition to regular annual leave
• weekly in-house yoga classes; regular information on occupational health management courses offered by our partner health insurance companies
• access to the wide range of training courses offered by the MPG’s Planck Academy
• close contact with all research and research-support units with the opportunity for direct, personal dialogue
• an international setting with staff and guests from more than forty countries

The Max Planck Society is an equal opportunity employer that strives to foster an inclusive workplace. As an institute of the MPG, the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science supports a working community for all free from discrimination and harassment. We explicitly encourage applications from qualified individuals who belong to groups that are often underrepresented in the workplace due to age, disability, ethnicity, family status, gender, nationality, race, sex, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, or religion.

Please follow the links to find out more about the MPIWG’s policies on gender equality and hiring practices for people with disabilities, as well as Germany’s anti-discrimination laws as outlined in the General Equal Treatment Act.

Please submit your application with complete documents, preferably without a photograph, through our application portal. Include cover letter, curriculum vitae, list of publications, research prospectus in which you outline your planned contribution to the theme and questions of the working group (maximum 1,000 words), one published piece of research, and contact information for two scholars who agreed to submit letters of recommendation.

Applications must be received by April 13, 2025 (23:59) CET.
Applications will be reviewed by late April 2025 and short-listed candidates will be interviewed by the middle of May 2025. Only successful candidates will be notified.
https://recruitment.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/position/29032454
Please note that we can only accept electronic applications submitted through the portal.

For any questions about the position, please contact the working group leaders at Department Artifacts, Action, Knowledge. For questions about the application process, contact Dr. Rand El Zein (schaeferoffice@mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de).

Further information on the MPIWG can be found at https://www.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/