Max Planck Institute for the History of Science (MPIWG), Berlin, Department III is looking to employ a Student Assistant up to 19 hours per week.

Starting date: as soon as possible, until September 30, 2021, with the possibility of extension.

The ideal candidate should be fluent in Persian and Arabic, and be able to help with research tasks in conjunction with the project “Agriculture and the Making of Sciences.” In addition to that, the successful candidate will also support the department with research-related organizational, and documentation tasks.

The candidate should have a good working knowledge of modern information technology and the ability to work both independently and in a team.

Duties: Supporting project members with the organization of scientific events, editorial work on scientific texts in Persian and Arabic, as well as English, maintenance/updating of the department website, and helping to maintain databases and digital repositories.

Applicants must be in at least their third semester of study at a university in Berlin or Brandenburg.

The salary is paid according to the rates for student employment in the frame of the Max Planck Society’s program to support junior scientists.

The Max Planck Society is an equal opportunity employer; the Society is committed to promoting underrepresented groups as well as people with disabilities and encourages them to apply.

Please apply here by attaching a letter of application, CV, and a scan of your current Immatrikulations-/Semesterbescheinigung.

Review of applications will begin on October 1, 2020, and continue until the position is filled.

Please note that only complete electronic submissions uploaded to this link will be accepted.

“First Research Article” Fellowship Program at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Berlin

September 1, 2021–February 28, 2022

The Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Berlin (MPIWG), Department III Artifacts, Action, Knowledge (Director: Prof. Dagmar Schäfer), is offering two fellowships for outstanding graduate students.

The fellowships are open to graduate students based at Asian, African, or Latin American institutions. Applicants should demonstrate their commitment to a research topic related to the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine, or Science and Technology Studies and a need to work with an international community at the MPIWG in Berlin in order to prepare and publish their first single-authored research paper in the English language. Eligible are students in good standing through the grant period of  February 28, 2022.

Candidates are expected to have already completed the archival research for their thesis and be in a position to devote six months to writing and preparing an article in English for journal publication. Regular meetings will be held to support both the writing process and academic development.

The fellowships will run from September 1, 2021 to February 28, 2022.

Applicants should submit the following materials in English through our online application portal:

1. Official proof of enrollment and good standing in an accredited graduate program from your PhD thesis/or confirmation of your university
2. Brief description of dissertation
3. Curriculum vitae and list of publications
4. Title, abstract, and outline of intended essay (maximum 750 words)
5. English writing sample
6. A letter of recommendation from one supervisor

Applications will be accepted until March 15, 2021 (23:59 CET), and must be uploaded to https://recruitment.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/position/16384004.

Please note that only electronic submissions uploaded to this link will be accepted. Only successful candidates will be notified.

Descriptions of the research projects of Department III are to be found under https://www.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/dept-three.

Fellowships are endowed with a monthly stipend according to the guidelines of the Max Planck Society. Applications from women are especially welcome. The Max Planck Society is committed to promoting underrepresented groups as well as people with disabilities and encourages them to apply. Finalists may expect a decision by April 23, 2021.

The Max Planck Institute for the History of Science (MPIWG) is seeking a Research Technology Officer (f/m/d) (initially for two years, with the possibility of a permanent contract; up to TVöD E15) to start as soon as possible. One of the more than 80 institutes of the Max Planck Society, the MPIWG is among the world’s leading centers for research into the history of science. It offers outstanding working conditions for its scholars and sustainably promotes the use of digital methodologies in the humanities.

The MPIWG intends to further enhance its support for projects in the history of science by expanding its digital infrastructure. For the construction and consolidation of these services, we are seeking a Research Technology Officer, who will act as an important interface between the Institute’s research departments and research groups, the library, and the communications team, supporting cooperation between these domains.

The Institute is keen to conduct cutting-edge digital scholarship, while making use of established standards for data representation and exchange (Linked Data, CIDOC-CRM, IIIF, etc.). Projects are expected to build on and contribute to a common digital research infrastructure, producing sustainable digital research outputs that can be reused and shared openly.

Your responsibilities:

• Coordinating the Research IT Group
• Developing the research digital infrastructure; selecting and implementing a pioneering portfolio of technical solutions
• Establishing standards and best practices for software-supported research across the MPIWG; harmonizing procedures and interfaces between the various areas of the Institute’s work;
• Providing technical advice and support to cross-departmental research projects and the digital library
• Designing and developing interactive research environments for digital humanities
• Transferring digital tools into the Institute’s working environment and publicizing innovative technologies for research projects.

Your profile:

• Master’s-level degree, preferably in information science or a related discipline (computational linguistics, bioinformatics) with proven professional experience in software development
• Strong skills and experience in digital methods for historical research, in particular ontology engineering, textual analysis/text mining, and data visualization
• Interest in the history of science and computational history
• Overview of and familiarity with the software libraries, frameworks, and tools for digital humanities currently on the market
• Excellent organizational and communicative skills
• Experience of project management, especially applying modern, agile approaches
• Resourceful, motivated, results-oriented with a well-structured working style and a strong sense of responsibility
• Experience in leading teams and facilitating their cooperative coordination
• Excellent knowledge of English

The Max Planck Society wishes to increase the proportion of women in those areas in which they are currently underrepresented. We therefore specifically encourage women to apply. The Max Planck Society is committed to employing more disabled individuals, and applications from people with disabilities are especially welcome. At the Institute, we attach great importance to the compatibility of work and family life. We support our employees through the family-friendly organization of working hours, including opportunities to work from home, and help them to find suitable childcare and schools.

Application:

Please send your application—letter, résumé, copies of qualifications, samples of your scholarly work (for example a publication), and contact details of two referees—as single PDF documents exclusively through our online application portal. 

We ask that applications are sent by October 9, 2020 (23:59 CET) (or until filled).

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