The Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Berlin (Dept. III, Artifacts, Action, Knowledge, Director: Prof. Dagmar Schäfer), seeks an outstanding professional for the position of

IT Architect—RISE (full time, up to TVöD E14).

The position will be for one year, with possibility of extension(s). Starting date: as soon as possible, but no later than January 1, 2020.

Part of the digital humanities team in Dept. III, the successful candidate will work as the IT Architect for the Research Infrastructure for the Study of Eurasia (RISE). RISE is a digital research infrastructure that facilitates the seamless, secure linkage among digital research tools and textual collections via APIs. It has a loosely coupled software architecture, built with technologies like Javascript, Ruby on Rails, and PostgreSQL. The successful candidate will be expected to maintain, enhance, and continue to design and develop RISE and its associated technical products. In addition, s/he will be expected to communicate the work to both technical and non-technical audiences, especially to historians and digital humanities scholars. S/he will also be expected to network with other developers, present at conferences and events, and work collaboratively with other researchers and developers both within and outside the Institute. The successful candidate will work closely with Dr. Shih-Pei Chen and Sean Wang. The working language is English.

Skills and Requirements:

• Knowledge of and experience with loosely coupled software architecture that involves APIs, secure data transfer, authentication and authorization
• Familiar with open standards and their implementations (e.g., XML, TEI, Hydra, Restful APIs)
• Strong skills in designing, prototyping, implementing, and refactoring full software package
• Strong skills in compiling and maintaining technical documentations, as well as presentations for a non-technical audience
• Strong skills in surveying and summarizing new technologies
• Good communication skills with both developers and non-developers
• Capable of working independently and proactively
• Enthusiasm for learning new technologies and developing new skills independently
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, in English

Additional Qualifications (Optional):

• Proficiency in East Asian languages
• Interest in open-source software development and open-access research principles
• Familiarity with existing system architectures of large cross-institutional and international infrastructures with research tools and data (e.g., DARIAH, CLARIN, TextGrid, Voyant, HathiTrust Digital Library)
• Experience with digital humanities or humanities-tailored digital projects
• Experience working in international collaboration projects

Further specifications are available upon request. Please contact RISE’s project manager Sean Wang (swang@mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de).

Applications are welcome from PhD as well as ABD (all but dissertation) in computer science or related disciplines. An advanced degree is not required, however.

Interested candidates are requested to submit their applications online using the following link: https://recruitment.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/position/14254082

Only electronic applications will be accepted.

Your application should contain: cover letter, resume/CV, a portfolio of select works to demonstrate the candidate’s skills as required by the position, publication list, and names and email contact of three referees.

 The submission deadline will be September 1, 2019 (23:59 CET). Successful applicants will be contacted within two weeks after the deadline for an interview. Please note that only candidates shortlisted for interview will be notified.

Candidates of all nationalities are encouraged to apply; applications from women are especially welcome. The Max Planck Society is committed to employing handicapped individuals and encourages them to apply.

The Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Berlin, offers guest residencies of up to two months each. The objectives of the Fellowship program are to support high-quality journalism in the area of the history of science, promote the public dissemination of topics in the history of science, and strengthen the dialogue that the history of science enables among the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. At the same time, the program offers scholars at the Institute the opportunity to find ways of enhancing the public communication of their research.

As a Fellowship recipient, you will shadow a research project in one of the Institute’s departments and research groups and carry out your own research (please note that Department II closed its work in June 2019). You will be able to attend the colloquiua and workshops of the various departments. During your residency, you will be mentored by an MPIWG researcher and the head of communications. We expect you to offer an internal colloquium event on a theme related to journalism and science.

Remuneration for the period of the residency will be €3,000 per month. The MPIWG also provides desk space and the use of its library resources.

We welcome applications from the fields of print, radio, and online journalism. Your application should include a curriculum vitae, three samples of your work with relevance to the history of science, evidence of extensive experience in journalism, a brief portrait of your own journalistic work, a short outline (max. half a page) of your proposed research during your stay at the Institute, and details of your preferred dates (within the academic year 2019–20).

These documents must be submitted as single PDF files by August 30, 2019 (23:59 CET), via the following online portal:

https://recruitment.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/position/14254080

Please note that we can only accept applications submitted electronically through the application portal.

About the Position

The Max Planck Institute for the History of Science (MPIWG) invites journalists to apply for library scholarships. For a period of two to four weeks, successful applicants will have access to the collections of the MPIWG library, including all of its electronic resources (for more information about the library, see the library page). It is expected for the applicants to have a clear journalistic profile and an interest in the history of science.

Applications should include a Curriculum Vitae, selected bibliography, outline of the proposed project to be worked on at the MPIWG (maximum of 200 words), and an indication of the desired period of stay (at least six weeks after application). Scholarships are awarded according to the availability of the library workspaces.