The Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt (KU) is a non-state university under church leadership and officially recognized by the Free State of Bavaria. It is committed to strong research and excellent teaching and combines first-class study conditions with an international focus. Eight faculties offer a wide range of subjects for around 5,000 students. The University employs 900 people of different faiths and beliefs. Grounded in the Christian view of human life, the KU aims to create an academic and educational culture of responsibility.

The DFG-funded research training group “Practicing Place. Sociocultural Practices and Epistemic Configurations“ invites applications for 10 part-time positions (75%) as

Research associate (doctoral candidate)
(Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter (m/w/d))

to be filled from April 1, 2024, for an expected limited period of 3 years. The place of work shall be Eichstätt. Provided that the requirements are met, remuneration in the private-law employment relationship will be according to the pay grade E 13 TV-L.

The research group is dedicated to the interdisciplinary reflection of the concepts of ‘place’ and ‘placing’, as especially in the context of increasing global interrelations and media communication that has become borderless, places and processes of (re)placing shift to the center of social, cultural and political attention. The central idea of the research training group is that places can only be thought of dynamically as ‘practicing place’. Accordingly, both specific practices of making places and their epistemic configurations (e.g. the capturing, mapping, imagining, experiencing, and writing of places) as well as situatedness and locality will be considered as aspects of any practice.

The call for applications is generally open to all disciplines that can make a substantial contribution to the overarching interdisciplinary questions of the research training group.

Requirements and qualifications
The research training group is designed as a structured graduate training program for German and international graduates who have distinguished themselves in a competitive selection process through their professional profile and an outstanding research concept that is compatible across disciplines and can be realized within the time frame of the funding. A prerequisite for application is an above-average academic degree that entitles the holder to pursue a doctorate.

The selected research associates will each pursue their own, independently chosen dissertation project within the framework of the research question of the research training group. The fellows are expected to actively participate in the research, doctoral and qualification program of the research training group on a regular basis and to contribute to the interdisciplinary exchange and to a lively cooperation within the group.

In addition to their academic qualifications, members of the research training group are expected to show a high degree of self-motivation, openness towards interdisciplinary work, good communication skills and ability to work in a team. Furthermore, successful candidates are required to have very good written and spoken English language proficiency.

Our offer
Within the research training group, we offer excellent conditions for young researchers/graduates who are at the beginning of their scientific career. These include
• An attractive research environment in the higher educational sector with an ideal personal mentoring relationship, access to an excellent research infrastructure and a wide range of support options
• A future-oriented training and qualification concept that is tailored to the individual needs of doctoral students and that accompanies the doctorate
• Opportunities for further scientific career planning and development
• Externships and stays abroad for the establishment and expansion of specialist and transdisciplinary networks on an international level
• Welfare benefits in the public service

Further information on the research training group, its research activity and training concept is available on this website: https://www.practicing.place/.

Your application
Please include the following supporting documents in your application:
• Letter of motivation, explaining why you are personally suited for the research and training program and how you would like to get involved in the research training group (no longer than 2 pages)
• Résumé with detailed description of your academic career to date
• Proof of scientific university degrees (if necessary in certified translation)
• A letter of recommendation from a university lecturer providing information on the applicant's professional and methodological competence and scientific potential (no longer than 2 pages)
• Presentation of the intended doctoral project (exposé no longer than 10 pages)
• Final thesis and/or sample chapter/excerpt from the final thesis

Please send your application with all listed documents to the speaker of the research training group, Prof. Dr. Robert Schmidt, by e-mail to gk-practicingplaceku.de (Reference: “Wiss. Mitarbeiter (m/w/d)”) by September 30, 2023 (please combine all documents in one PDF file).

Please understand that we cannot send confirmations of receipt and interim correspondence.
The selection interviews are scheduled for the 47th calendar week. All submitted application documents will be destroyed in accordance with data protection regulations after the hiring process has been completed.

Please note the KU’s privacy policy for the application process. Corresponding information can be downloaded from the KU website at www.ku.de/en/the-ku/job-offers.
By submitting your application, you confirm that you have taken note of the data protection information and the privacy policy.

All employees are obliged to acknowledge the nature and mission of the KU as stipulated in its Mission Statement and Foundation Charter. The University is therefore interested in receiving applications with relevant information in this regard.

The KU is committed to promoting equal opportunity, and aims to ensure that its members are able to balance work and family life. Candidates with severe disabilities who are equally suitable to other applicants will be prioritized.