The Max Weber Center for Advanced Cultural and Social Studies (Max-Weber-Kolleg) is a highly ranking research centre which forms an avant-garde institution of the University of Erfurt. It is distinguished by a unique organisational structure – combining the features of an institute for advanced study and a graduate school – and a ‘Weberian’ research programme. The ‘Weberian’ research programme combines historical, comparative and interdisciplinary perspectives with an interest in normative issues in the social sciences. It has a focus on societal challenges of contemporary societies, especially (religious) plurality, cultural diversity and social orders, processes of acceleration and growth. The core disciplines of the Max-Weber-Kolleg Erfurt are sociology, economics, religious studies, law, philosophy, history and theology. Within its fellowship programme “MWK-FELLOWS” – a programme co-financed by the European Union as part of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions – the Max-Weber-Kolleg offers (up to) 10 Fellowships for Experienced Researchers The fellowships will be awarded to incoming experienced researchers who are conducting interdisciplinary research in advanced cultural and social sciences. The current call invites applications for fellowships for the academic year 2016/17. Further annual calls will follow. The fellowships will be awarded for one year (01 September 2016 – 31 August 2017) with the possibility of extension for another year. All experienced researchers regardless of seniority are invited to apply. This call is also open for researchers who are currently working outside academia and are willing to re-enter academic contexts.
FELLOWSHIP DESCRIPTION
Successful applicants will be given the opportunity of spending 12 months working on their own, freely chosen research project at the Max Weber Center for Advanced Cultural and Social Studies of the University of Erfurt. Research options offered within the MWK-FELLOWS programme will comprise, next to the involvement into a high quality and intellectually vibrant interdisciplinary research community, participation in the advanced study programme (e.g. colloquia, guest lectures), targeted personal training, research stays at cooperating academic institutions or secondments to partner institutions from the non-academic sector.
REQUIREMENTS MWK-FELLOWS
applicants must be experienced researchers: They must be in possession of a doctoral degree or have at least four years of full-time equivalent research experience at the call deadline. Full-time equivalent research experience is measured from the date when a researcher obtained the degree which would formally entitle him or her to embark on a doctorate, either in the country in which the degree was obtained or Germany, irrespective of whether or not a doctorate is or was ever envisaged. MWK-FELLOWS applicants must be incoming researchers fulfilling the EU mobility rule: They can be of any nationality, but at the time of application, researchers must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Germany for more than twelve months in the three years immediately prior to the call deadline. Compulsory national service and/or short stays such as holidays are not taken into account.
MWK-FELLOWS applicants must propose a research project which can be excellently supported at the Max-Weber-Kolleg Erfurt. It must be related to one of the research areas in which the Max-Weber-Kolleg Erfurt is particularly competitive on an international scale:
• Theories of human action in the social science and humanities and their bearing on normative questions and social criticism;
• Interactions between cultures, social orders, structures of temporality and mentalities in the context of change;
• Religion, science and law as sources of social organisation, innovation and meaning.
APPLICATION / DEADLINE
Applicants are required to submit:
• Completed application form
• Curriculum Vitae and a list of publications
• Copy of the degree certificate and transcript of the most recently completed university degree
• Electronic copies of either three reviewed journal publications or one individually authored book, or, alternatively, a copy of the doctoral thesis
• Motivation letter
• Names and contact details of three proposed independent external referees
• Outline of the research proposal (up to 3000 words), incl. working programme and overview of most important project-specific publications
• Completed ethical issue form
• Letter of recommendation of a potential host at the Max-Weber-Kolleg to be sent directly to the Max-Weber-Kolleg Erfurt (optional) Applications have to be submitted via a web-based application portal, which also provides the mentioned forms. Applications in will be accepted in English or German.
Deadline for applications: 15 October 2015
Detailed information about the required documents as well as about the selection process and its criteria are provided at: www.uni-erfurt.de/max-weber-kolleg/mwk-fellows.
CONDITIONS MWK-FELLOWS will be appointed on the basis of a regular employment contract with the University of Erfurt according to the German Civil Service Collective Agreement (TV-L, pay grade E 13). Alternatively, fellows will have the opportunity to stay in a current employment contract with their home-universities under the precondition of an accepted leave of absence. University of Erfurt will compensate the home-universities for their costs of replacement as well as the fellows for their additional costs up to a defined sum. MWK-FELLOWS will be provided with an individual research budget and an individual training budget.
MWK-FELLOWS will be given a fully equipped personal workplace at the Max-Weber-Kolleg Erfurt and full access to the academic infrastructure (e.g. library loan, web space). Further Information about the Max-Weber-Kolleg Erfurt and the MWK-FELLOWS Fellowship programme can be found at: https://www.uni-erfurt.de/max-weber-kolleg.
This opportunity has expired. It was originally published here:
http://www.uni-erfurt.de/fileadmin/public-docs/Universitaet/Verwaltung/Personalabteilung/2015/53_2015_Fellows_MWK_englisch.pdf