The International Max Planck Research School "Knowledge and Its Resources: Historical Reciprocities" (IMPRS-KIR) invites applications for

5 doctoral positions, to begin on September 1, 2022.

Each position will run for 3.5 years, with the possibility of extending once by six months.

The IMPRS-KIR is a new, research-driven PhD program based in the history and philosophy of science, technology, and medicine (HPSTM). It is a collaboration between the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science and Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Technische Universität Berlin. The IMPRS-KIR will trace the deep entanglements of knowledge and its resources from a long-term and global perspective. Key to its agenda is a "historical-political epistemology" that highlights how knowledge is shaped historically by a great variety of resources—political systems, technological infrastructures, social interaction, material objects and media technologies. Knowledge, in turn, is understood as a means to define and unlock such resources, while being, in and of itself, one of the key resources of human culture.

The School offers training in historical-political epistemology, combining HPSTM with regional and global studies, Science & Technology Studies (STS), all fields of history, media studies, museum studies, archaeology, art history, literary studies, philology, environmental studies, and digital humanities research. Prospective doctoral students with projects on any specialty and period within these and related fields are invited to apply.

The doctoral positions are open to applicants of all nationalities holding a Master’s degree (or equivalent) in the aforementioned fields and having proficiency in English, and, preferably, in one or more additional languages. Candidates are expected to be able to present and discuss their work and that of others in English; dissertations may be submitted in German, English, or any of the supervisors’ working languages. Selection criteria relate to the excellence of the individual candidate and project and the closeness of the project’s fit with the School’s agenda.

The IMPRS-KIR is located at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Dahlem, Berlin. Students will work in a stimulating international and interdisciplinary research environment. The School’s program entails one year of courses held in conjunction with the three Berlin universities involved in the IMPRS-KIR (FU, HU, TU), as well as mentored reading groups, workshops, training in digital humanities methods, a tailored coaching program, and language courses. A research budget will be available for travel to archives worldwide. Additionally, students may opt to spend up to one semester at one of our international partner universities (University of Pennsylvania, Nanyang Technological University Singapore, Singapore University of Technology and Design).

The PhD degrees will be awarded by one of the Berlin university departments represented in the Principal Teaching Faculty. Additionally, an IMPRS certificate of the Max Planck Society will be awarded.

Applicants are asked to submit the following materials:

• a cover letter with a personal statement of your motivation for applying to the IMPRS-KIR (max. 1,000 words)
• a dissertation proposal (max. 2,500 words, excluding bibliography) including working title, abstract (max. 250 words), research topic and state of the art in the field of study concerned, research questions and objectives, methodology, short description of the project’s feasibility and how it would be carried out (including a list of archives if applicable), bibliography (max. 30 titles)
• a curriculum vitae (1–2 pages)
• copies of degree certificates/proof of the finishing date of your Master’s degree
• transcript of grades achieved during your Master’s studies
• proof of fluency in English (preferably at level C1, but at least at level B2). If English is your native language or if you went to a university where the language of instruction was English, you do not need to submit an English certificate.
• contact details of two academic referees. Our Selection Committee will contact referees for shortlisted applicants.

Please submit these materials as separate PDF documents, exclusively through the following application portal: https://recruitment.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/position/19628037

Only complete applications submitted via the application portal will be accepted. The portal will close on January 31, 2022, 23.59 Central European Time.

The IMPRS-KIR aims to foster diversity within its four collaborating institutions. We welcome applications from all qualified individuals regardless of age, disabilities, ethnicity, gender, nationality, religion or sexual orientation.

For more information, please consult the FAQs on the IMPRS webpage.

The Max Planck Institute for the History of Science (MPIWG), Berlin, Department III: Artifacts, Action, Knowledge, directed by Prof. Dr. Dagmar Schäfer, 
offers several Visiting Scholarships (residential, 4–12 months),
to take place within the period from 1 July 2022 to 31 December 2023.

We invite scholars to apply for participation in the working group “Proteins and Fibers” of Department III. The working group explores how multidisciplinary scientific approaches, methods, and techniques are used to analyze traces of animals in history. The working group’s research theme will focus on animal matter and how scientists analyze them to reconstruct histories of different scales. Visiting scholars’ research should address the question of how animal artifacts or materials derived from animals are characterized in museum conservation, zooarchaeological, proteomic, and/or archaeogenetic practices, or materials science.

We welcome applications from candidates in every field within history, the history of science and technology, science and technology studies, archaeology, fiber and material studies, and with some preference for research that is multilingual and transregional in nature.

Visiting scholars receive a stipend commensurate with experience for their period of residence, and reimbursement for a return ticket to and from their place of residence. 

The successful candidates are expected to take part in the scientific life of the Institute, to advance their own research project, and to actively contribute to the working group and the department’s activities during their period of residence. 

Candidates are requested to submit:

1.  a cover letter (indicating your preferred period of residence)
2.  curriculum vitae (including a list of publications)
3.  a research prospectus on a topic related to the project (1000 words maximum)

Applications must be submitted in German or English via our online application portal: https://recruitment.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/position/20774914.

Please note that only complete electronic submissions uploaded to this link will be accepted. Applications sent via email will not be accepted. Only successful candidates will be notified.

Review of applications will commence from 1 February 2022 and continue until the working group’s capacity is full or until 30 June 2023, whichever is earlier.

The Max Planck Society strives to foster an inclusive environment for all. As an institute, MPIWG encourages applications from individuals regardless of gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, nationality, and/or disabilities, particularly where underrepresented in our community. Visit these webpages to learn more about MPIWG’s policies toward gender equality and recruitment practices for persons with disabilities.

The Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Berlin,
Department III: Artifacts, Action, Knowledge, directed by Prof. Dr. Dagmar Schäfer,
seeks

1 Postdoctoral Fellow for three years, with a 100% employment contract, TVöD pay scales (E13), to begin on 1 September 2022,
for the working group
“Proteins and Fibers: Scaffolding History with Molecular Signatures.”

The successful candidate will support collaborative research (50%) and conduct their own research project (50%) within the framework of the working group.

Requirements:

Applicants are expected to have substantial experience in the history of science, technology, or medicine and/or science and technology studies. Applicants with expertise in the histories of multidisciplinary scientific approaches, methods, and techniques will be well positioned to address questions explored by this working group pertaining to histories of animal materials and artifacts as explored through zooarchaeological, proteomic, and archaeogenetic practices. Research backgrounds in museum conservation, fiber and material studies, archaeology, or other relevant fields are also advantageous. A doctoral degree must be in hand by commencement of employment.

The Max Planck Institute for the History of Science (MPIWG) is an international and interdisciplinary research institute. The working language is English. Postdoctoral fellows are expected to participate in the research activities of the Institute, and Departmental activities and to present their own work.

The Max Planck Society is an equal opportunity employer that strives to foster an inclusive workplace for all. As an institute, MPIWG encourages applications from individuals regardless of gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, nationality, and/or disabilities, particularly where underrepresented in our workforce. Visit these webpages to learn more about MPIWG’s policies toward gender equality and hiring practices for persons with disabilities.

To apply, please submit the following documents: 

• Cover letter;
• Curriculum vitae, including list of publications;
• Research prospectus (maximum 800 words);
• Writing sample (5000-8000 words);
• Names and contact details of at least two referees;

to https://recruitment.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/position/20774913

Deadline for application:  20 February 2022 (23:45 CET)

Please note that only complete electronic submissions uploaded to this link will be accepted. Applications sent via email will not be accepted. Applications may be submitted in German or English. Letters are only requested for short-listed candidates. Short-listed candidates will be interviewed by April 30, 2022. Only the successful candidate will be notified.

The Independent Social Research Foundation (ISRF) and the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science (MPIWG) wish to support pairs of researchers from different disciplinary backgrounds to conduct collaborative research. Researchers may apply from across the social sciences and the humanities. Proposals should investigate original research ideas and specify potential applications to real world problems, on regional or global scales. Each pair of scholars would preferably combine historical with contemporary perspectives on the sources and effects of knowledge formations, in scientific, humanistic, economic, social, technological, or environmental domains.

Details can be found on the ISRF website.

The Max Planck Institute for the History of Science (MPIWG), Berlin, Department III: Artifacts, Action, Knowledge, directed by Prof. Dr. Dagmar Schäfer, offers several Visiting Scholarships (residential, 3–12 months) to take place within the period from January 1 to December 31, 2022.

We invite scholars to apply for participation in the working group Agriculture and the Making of Sciences (1100–1700) of Department III. The working group explores how agricultural practices informed scientific, technological, and medical change from the twelfth to seventeenth centuries, with special focus on the study of extra-European contexts. The working group’s research theme changes annually, and in 2022 it will focus on the annual theme of "water." We welcome researchers working on agricultural practices related to water, such as irrigation, water harvesting, construction and maintenance of waterworks, or water management. Their research should address the question of how these practices contributed to the development of pre-modern sciences studying water, especially how they were in relation to fields of knowledge and practices other than agriculture.

We welcome applications from candidates in every field within history, the history of science and technology, archeology, philology and art history, and with some preference for research that is multilingual and transregional in nature.

Visiting scholars receive a stipend commensurate with experience for their period of residence, and reimbursement for a return ticket to and from their place of residence. 

The successful candidates are expected to take part in the scientific life of the Institute, to advance their own research project, and to actively contribute to the working group activities during their period of residence. 

Candidates are requested to submit:

1.  a cover letter (indicating your preferred period of residence)
2.  curriculum vitae (including a list of publications)
3.  a research prospectus on a topic related to the project (1000 words maximum)

Applications must be submitted in German or English via our online application portal: https://recruitment.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/position/19628039

Please note that only complete electronic submissions uploaded to this link will be accepted. Applications sent via email will not be accepted. Only successful candidates will be notified.

Review of applications will commence from December 1, 2021 and continue until the working group’s capacity is full or until June 30, 2022, whichever is earlier.

The Max Planck Society strives to foster an inclusive environment for all. As an institute, MPIWG encourages applications from individuals regardless of gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, nationality, and/or disabilities, particularly where underrepresented in our community. Visit these webpages to learn more about MPIWG’s policies toward gender equality and recruitment practices for persons with disabilities.

The Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Berlin 
Department III: Artifacts, Action, Knowledge, directed by Prof. Dr. Dagmar Schäfer, offers several
 Visiting Scholarships (residential, 3–12 months)
to take place in the period September 1, 2021 to August 31, 2023.

We invite scholars to apply for participation in the Working Group "Visualizations and Material Cultures of the Heavens in Eurasia and North Africa (4000 BCE–1700 CE)" of Department III, more information here. The Working Group’s research focuses on visual representations and material objects in the creation, change, and movement of astral knowledge across space and time. A growing image database serves as the main tool to collect and research the manifold objects and their imagery, the practices and relations of their production, reproduction and transmission, and their roles in organizing knowledge and creating meaning in different sociocultural contexts like politics, rituals, religion or medicine. We welcome scholars working on the visualization of astral knowledge in any time period before 1700 CE, preferably focused on one of the following geographical regions: East Asia, Southeast Asia, Indian Subcontinent, Central Asia, Asia Minor, Egypt, North Africa, and Europe (with an emphasis on Slavonic, Caucasian, Black Sea, or Celtic cultures).

We welcome applications from scholars in every field within history, history of science and technology, art history, archaeology, philology, cultural history, religious studies, or museum studies, with a focus on visual representations or objects and some preference for research addressing the multilingual and transregional nature of the project. Successful applicants are expected to advance their own research project under the Working Group’s overall research agenda, and to actively contribute to the Working Group activities during their period of affiliation. In particular, they are expected to systematically and comparatively identify and discuss relevant visual materials in the framework of the Working Group’s protected image database. They are also encouraged to actively take part in the scientific life of the Institute with its many academic activities like conferences, workshops, seminars, and colloquia.

Visiting scholars receive a stipend commensurate with rank and experience for their period of residence, and reimbursement for a return ticket to and from their place of residence.

Candidates are requested to submit:

1. a cover letter (indicating your preferred period of residence)
2. curriculum vitae (including a list of publications)
3. a research prospectus on a topic related to the project (1000 words maximum)

Applications must be submitted via our online application portal: https://recruitment.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/position/18481156.

Please note that only complete electronic submissions uploaded to this link will be accepted. Applications sent via email will not be accepted. Only successful candidates will be notified.

Review of applications will commence from May 31, 2021, and afterwards occur regularly every three months. This call will remain active until the Working Group’s capacity is full or until February 28, 2023, whichever is earlier.

Applications may be submitted in German or English. Candidates of all nationalities are encouraged to apply; applications from women are especially welcome. The Max Planck Society is committed to promoting individuals with disabilities and encourages them to apply.