Researchers in the Department on Knowledge Systems and Collective Life use archival and ethnographic methods to study the relationship between knowledge systems and forms of collective life in the past and present. We seek to foreground neglected histories, trace cross-cultural connections, engage with diverse publics, expand the boundaries of the political, challenge conventional definitions of science and technology, critically reflect on our own political and ethical commitments, and experiment with new methods and media.

In collaboration with the MPIWG’s Digital Humanities team, the department is developing a suite of tools to facilitate the use of oral history in the history of science, technology, medicine, and environment. These tools include CORAL: Commoning Oral Histories of Knowledge, which enables researchers to search and analyze the full text of oral history interviews across institutions and collections. For this position, we are seeking a postdoctoral scholar who can assist in the development of CORAL and other in-house digital humanities projects while pursuing their own independent research project. We are particularly interested in scholars who have experience with both oral history and the digital humanities, and who have a proposed research project that deploys oral history as a method for studying a topic related to the department’s core research themes.

Further information about the department, including research themes and current working groups, can be found here. The working language of the department is English. The workplace is Berlin, Germany.

Your responsibilities:

• Conduct independent research on a topic related to the department’s research themes
• Develop and maintain a collection of oral history interviews related to your own research, using tools developed at the Institute
• Assist in the development of CORAL and other in-house digital humanities tools
• Submit the results of your research to internationally recognized journals and book publishers
• Participate actively in the department’s biweekly colloquium and other departmental events

PhD in the history of science, technology, medicine, and environment or a neighboring field in the humanities and social sciences, including anthropology, history, sociology, and STS (PhD must be in hand by the starting date of the contract)

• Experience with oral history and with the application of digital humanities methods in your own research
• A proposed research project that deploys oral history as a method for studying a topic related to the department’s research themes (see https://www.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/research/department/knowledge-systems-collective-life)
• Interest in developing innovative, cross-cultural, critically reflective methods as part of an interdisciplinary research group

• A three-year employment contract (TVöD pay scales up to level E13)
• Annual research and travel budget of €5000
• Access to the department’s laboratory for oral history and audiovisual media
• Access to the MPIWG library and other institute resources
• Access to the wide range of training courses offered by the MPG’s Planck Academy, as well as to internal training opportunities such as the MPIWG’s Skills Lab
• Flexible working hours; the opportunity to work partly from home (within Germany), 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 (30 days)
• Weekly in-house yoga classes; regular information on occupational health management courses offered by our partner health insurance companies
• Opportunities for direct dialogue with all research and research-support units
• An international setting with staff and guests from more than forty countries

The Max Planck Society (MPG) 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 in English with complete documents, preferably without a photograph, through our application portal. Include cover letter, curriculum vitae (including a list of publications), a research proposal (1,000 words maximum including any notes or references), writing sample of no more than 30 pages (preferably in English; writing samples in other languages will be accepted if accompanied by a 2-page summary in English), and contact information for two scholars who agreed to submit letters of recommendation.

https://recruitment.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/position/29032452

Applications must be received by April 30, 2025 (23:59 CEST). Please note that we can only accept electronic applications submitted through the portal.

Questions about the position or the application process may be addressed to the department’s research officer, Dr. Kerstin Hinrichsen (khinrichsen@mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de).