Stellenangebot: 4 PhD positions (65%) and 1 postdoctoral position (100%) in the ITN “Knowing Vaccines: Policies, Practices, People”, University of Hamburg

Short programme description
Vaccines and vaccination raise complex questions around polices, practices, and people. Protecting and promoting health through vaccination always also involves areas of tensions, contention and intense negotiation: interests of the elderly vs. young; individual life/health vs. notions of a “healthy” society; societal engagement with well-being vs. death and dying; vaccine production and use for individuals vs. public health; body vs. biopolitics; tension between knowledge production in the laboratory vs. implementation; tension between scientificity (Wissenschaftlichkeit) and the personal assessment of scientists.

This Innovative Training Network aims to explore past, present and emerging “Regimes of Remembering”, “Regimes of Knowing”, “Regimes of Doing” and “Regimes of Living” by focusing on historical, scientific, cultural, and political negotiating processes. “How should one live” is taken as a starting point for an investigation into global and societal negotiations of different actors and agencies. It takes a multi-disciplinary approach to the subject of vaccines to ensure meaningful dialogue between humanities, social, medical and natural sciencs. The integrated research fields offer important perspectives on the subject of vaccines and reflect key methodological approaches in the medical humanities:

Number of fellowships available 4 doctoral positions for 3 years each, with the option of an extension of another year 1 Post-doc position for 2 years, with the option of an extension

Skills/Qualifications

  • Excellent English language skills
  • Strong track record of interdisciplinary research and collaboration
  • Strong motivation to work in a cooperative and flexible team environment
  • Preparedness to contribute to the to the outreach of the project, especially by:
    1. participation in publications in high-impact journals, and in the joint knowledge production across projects and disciplines
    2. Active participation at scientific conferences, policy workshops, public debates and panels, etc. at national and international level to address scientific communities, heath institutions, cultural industry, IT sector, and the wider public,
    3. Participation in media communication (Twitter account, “Knowing Vaccines” blog and website) as a form of research-reflexivity and communicating project information
  • IT knowledge (basic communication skills).

For further specific requirements please see project descriptions below

Application Deadline: 22.10.21

You can find the full job advertisement here.