Research Fellow in Philosophy, History and/or Social Studies of the Life Sciences
Technical University of Munich
Deutschland

Research Fellow in Philosophy, History and/or Social Studies of the Life Sciences (100% for 36 months, fixed term)

ABOUT US:

The Research Fellow will be a member of Philosophy and History of Science and Technology research team for 36 months, starting preferably in spring/summer 2026 until summer 2029. Depending on performance, there is a possibility of renewal for a further three years. The Chair for Philosophy and History of Science and Technology comprises a highly interdisciplinary, public-interest-minded, international and impact-oriented team. We have world-leading expertise in the philosophy, history and social studies of biology, biomedicine and environmental science; Open Science; data-intensive research; and the governance of data and AI. The Chair is located within the Department of Science, Technology and Society, which is dedicated to understanding the larger social, political, ethical and legal dimensions of science and technology. Embedded in TUM’s unique innovation ecosystem, we are committed to enabling a more responsible and sustainable engagement with science and innovation through social science research, teaching and public dialogue – often in collaboration with partners from technical fields. The TUM STS community strives to provide new intellectual and practical resources for dealing with the challenges of highly technologized societies, and to train future leaders with a unique sensibility for the critical interface between science, technology and society. As one of Europe’s largest hubs for STS, we are a lively intellectual community of 80+ researchers from numerous disciplines and fields of specialization. As a department, we deliver 2 Master’s programs and design STS content for the School’s PhD program. We offer regular public lectures and symposia, weekly discussion groups, and visiting researcher programs. We maintain close collaborative ties to other parts of TUM as well as to leading HPS and STS centers in Germany and around the world.

The researcher taking on this position will be required to teach 5 hours per week, in accordance with postdoctoral workloads across Germany. The researcher will have the opportunity to contribute to the Public Science Lab, the Ethical Data Initiative (www.ethicaldatainitiative.org), the TransforM excellence cluster and the PHIL_OS project (https://www.opensciencestudies.eu) as relevant and useful to their interests, since these are core activities run by the Chair.

REQUIREMENTS:

Applicants are required to have a PhD in philosophy, history and/or social studies of science and technology, with an interest in the life and environmental sciences. Preference will be given to applicants with research interests in plant and crop science, agrodiversity, entomology and/or field sciences. Applicants are also required to have some experience in teaching philosophy, history and/or social studies of science within an academic institution.

We are excited to collaborate with a highly motivated postdoctoral researcher who shares our deep interest in exploring conceptual, educational, social, and governance issues that emerge in the context of research on plants, sustainable environments and agriculture broadly construed. The candidate also brings the following qualifications:

• PhD or equivalent qualification/experience in the philosophy, history and/or social studies of science or a related field of study.
• Demonstrated interest in plant science, environmental science or a related domain.
• Demonstrated interest in the philosophy of science in practice.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience in teaching relevant subjects to university students.
• Able to communicate complex and conceptual ideas to a range of groups.
• Able to balance the pressures of research, administrative demands and competing deadlines.
• An understanding of the importance of equality and diversity within an organisation and a commitment to helping create an inclusive culture.
• Interest and ability to engage in organizational tasks supporting the chair, such as developing events to engage project members and associates
• Interest and ability to develop funding applications both nationally and internationally in collaboration with the Chair team
• Intellectual curiosity and an open mindset, and the ability and motivation to work both independently and as member of the team
• Organizational skills and excitement to work in a fast-paced, cross-cultural, and interdisciplinary environment
• Very good English skills, with knowledge of the German language as a plus (but not necessary).
Tasks
• Conduct research resulting in internationally leading publications
• Participate in weekly team meetings and in conferences and events relating to the chair, and present outputs as required
• Support the chair through administrative and organizational tasks as necessary
• Foster ongoing and/or novel collaborations with natural scientists as relevant to the research, both nationally and internationally
• Contribute to the intellectual life and community at the Chair of Philosophy and History of Science and Technology, including by mentoring PhD students and collaborating with colleagues


OUR OFFER

We offer exciting opportunities to participate in cutting-edge research, education, and outreach in a highly collaborative, interdisciplinary, and internationally networked environment, tackling some of the hardest problems in the field of science studies and philosophy/history of science with a commitment to the public good. We as well offer the opportunity to build your own research agenda around relevant topics. We invite you to join us on the inner-city campus of TUM.

WHAT TO EXPECT

• The possibility of carrying out research and develop high-level publications in this domain
• Working in a cutting-edge research, training, policy and outreach efforts, thereby acquiring world-leading skills in interdisciplinary research, teaching and engagement
• Working in a highly collaborative team of researchers from science studies, philosophy and history of science, data studies, agricultural/health/data science
• The opportunity to participate in collaborative academic publishing and engage with the broader scientific community through workshop and/or conference visits.
• Mentorship and continuous support in building an independent academic and professional profile.
• Remuneration according to the collective agreement for the public service of the federal states (TV-L) in the classification TV-L 13 to the extent of 100%.
The chosen candidate will be employed at the TUM Chair of Philosophy and History of Science and Technology. The employment contract is limited to 36 months.

APPLICATION

We look forward to receiving your informative documents until 31 October 2025 (cover letter, CV and references, bound in a single PDF file). We are happy for cover letters to provide details of research plans and aspirations of the candidates. Applications should be submitted via e-mail to oksana.bondar@tum.de.
We expect to invite selected candidates for interview by November 15, with interviews taking place online on December 17-18-19. Shortlisted candidates will be informed of the outcome by January 15th at the latest. If you have any questions regarding the application process, please reach out to Sabina Leonelli via sabinaleonelli@gmail.com or desantila.hysa@tum.de.

TUM is an equal opportunity employer and explicitly encourages applications from women and gender-non-binary persons. The position is suitable for disabled persons. Disabled candidates with essentially the same qualifications and scientific performance as other candidates will be given preference. Find out more about us at www.tum.de.

Kontakt: oksana.bondar@tum.de