As part of the enhanced cooperation on the history of knowledge between the
Freie
Universität Berlin, the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, the Technische
Universität Berlin,
and the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, we are advertising
two
Postdoctoral Research Fellowships
starting September 1, 2016 (or later) for up to two years.
The postdoctoral fellows will contribute to the further development of the
Berlin Center
for the History of Knowledge—the network through which the partner
institutions
anchor the history of knowledge in teaching and research in Berlin—and to
reflection on
the foundations of the research field. Alongside their own research,
successful applicants
will therefore be expected to organize joint working groups, colloquia, or
workshops.
They will be allocated a workspace at the MPIWG.
Applications are invited from early career scholars with a proven record of
outstanding
research in the history of knowledge or the history of science. Candidates
must have
completed their doctorate by the time the fellowship begins, and the Ph.D.
should not
have been awarded more than five years previously. Applicants should be
able to
demonstrate an interest in theoretical questions. They are asked to submit
suggested
topics for their own research projects addressing the boundaries between
the history of
knowledge and the history of science, in one of the following thematic
focus areas:
1) The focus area “practical knowledge” looks at domains in which
knowledge emerges
or is applied in systematic combination with practice, revealing the
dynamic
relationship between praxis and knowledge development;
2) The focus area “fieldworks of knowledge” covers the whole spectrum
of practices,
strategies, negotiations, and reflections around working with, and on,
knowledge in the
field. In the narrower sense, this refers to sites located outside the
laboratory or the
researcher’s office, which have come to typify the humanities.
The value of the fellowships follows the internal guidelines of the
participating
institutions, based on the stipends of the Max Planck Society
(€2,100–€2,500 per
month). Applications are welcome from candidates of all nationalities.
Women are
expressly invited to apply, and we specifically encourage applications from
people with
disabilities.
The selection process is organized jointly by the participating
institutions. Please send a
curriculum vitae, list of publications, outline of your research project
within one of the
two focus areas (max. 750 words), the names of three referees, and copies
of your
qualifications. These documents must be submitted as a single PDF file,
by 31 July 2016 (23:59 CET),
via the following online portal:
https://s-lotus.gwdg.de/mpg/mbwg/pd_center_2016_2.nsf/application
Please note that we can only accept applications submitted electronically
through the
application portal.
For questions concerning the Berlin Center for the History of Knowledge,
please contact
Dr. Hansjakob Ziemer (hjziemer@mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de).
Questions on the application
process may be addressed to Tanja Neuendorf (tneuendorf@mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de).
For further information on the scholars involved in this postdoctoral
program, see
www.wissensgeschichte-berlin.de/en/postdoc-programm