The Department of Science and Technology Studies at the University of Vienna is inviting applications for the position of a DOCTORAL RESEARCHER (3 years, 30 hours/week) in the research project ‘Making Europe through and for its Research Infrastructures’, jointly funded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) and the German Science Foundation (DFG).
This project – a collaboration between the Department of Science and Technology Studies (STS) at the University of Vienna and the Munich Center for Technology in Society (MCTS) at the Technical University Munich aims to analyze the mutual constitution of European transnational scientific collaboration and European identity in the context of four transnational research infrastructures, spanning more than sixty years of integration across different disciplines. Collaborative transnational research infrastructures have formed an important vehicle for European integration since the second half of the twentieth century, unfolding in parallel to economic and political integration efforts. Despite being widely considered a success, such scientific integration has not yet extensively been studied in terms of how it incorporates and contributes to emerging ‘European’ identities. This project therefore studies four different research infrastructures that are distinct in terms of age (being established between the 1950s and 2000s), form (including centralized as well as networked facilities), and scientific field (ranging from nuclear research and aerospace engineering to laser research and biomedicine).
In the context of this project, the successful applicant will research the case of the Centre Européen pour la Recherche Nucleaire (CERN) and work towards a doctoral dissertation in Science and Technology Studies at the University of Vienna (supervisor: Ulrike Felt). Further, you will be part of an international project team working on three further cases, and contribute to the comparative analysis of European scientific integration across cases.
Job description
The successful applicant is expected to
- Perform qualitative research on the history of CERN in relation to notions of European (scientific) integration and identity
- Complete a doctoral dissertation in STS on the basis of project research
- Contribute to the comparative, cross-cutting research agenda of the project
- Participate in project work, including (organization of) team meetings, project maintenance, organization of project events, etc.
- Participate in the academic environment of the Department on a day-to-day basis.
Requirements
We are looking for a candidate with a completed MA or equivalent degree in science and technology studies (STS), political science, history of science, science policy or associated fields, with a strong interest in and motivation for the project.
Experience in qualitative research and familiarity with the substance of the project are an advantage.
Candidates are expected to have excellent ability to work and write in English and will be required to be based in Vienna for the duration of the project.
Application
Please submit your application, including:
- A motivation letter, explaining your interest in and qualifications for, doing research in this project
- Your CV
- A writing sample (e.g. a chapter from your MA thesis, a paper)
- 1 letter of reference
Send your application to (sec.sts@univie.ac.at, with a copy to ulrike.felt@univie.ac.at) as soon as possible; applications will be considered soon after they are submitted. Please use the subject line ‘Application FWF-PhD position’.
Specific questions regarding the project or the position may be addressed to Prof. Ulrike Felt (Ulrike.felt@univie.ac.at).
Applicants should start as soon as possible but not later than 1 March 2019.