Fellowships - PostDoc Fellowship

Deutsch

“Integrating Insights from Science and Philosophy into Theology”


End of the project:
August 31, 2018


Contact us:

Georg Gasser
Program Administrator

Phone:
+43 (0)512 507 8644

Fax:
+43 (0)512 507 2736

Mail:
Institut für Christliche Philosophie
Universität Innsbruck
Karl-Rahner-Platz 1
A-6020 Innsbruck

Logo of the University Innsbruck
Supported by a grant from the
Logo of the Templeton Foundation

Nature of God-Research PostDoc Fellowship

The Theological Faculty of Innsbruck University is pleased to announce one research PostDoc fellowship, thanks to the generous support of the John Templeton Foundation.

The Nature of God Project invites recent Ph.D.’s in philosophy and/or theology to apply for a two year fellowship starting ideally on May 1, 2016.

Payment: According to standard personnel costs and salaries in Austria, the gross yearly salary will be approx. 49.700€ (approx. 31.500€ net). For the duration of the fellowship, the PostDoc fellow will be an employee of Innsbruck University, which will provide all of the necessary infrastructure. The fellow will receive university office space, internet access, and access to all university libraries, and so forth.

The purpose of the fellowship is to enable scholars to use the methods of contemporary analytic philosophy to pursue independent research in one of the following two fields:

  • Classical Theism: Justification, strengths and limits (divine attributes; omni-God-concepts; the metaphysics of the trinity, incarnation, and resurrection; reformulations and revisions of divine attributes, etc.)
  • Personal and A-Personal Concepts of God (arguments for favor and against a personalist conception of God; non-standard concepts of God like Panentheism, Process Theology, Euteleological Conceptions of the Divine; Ultimism etc.)

Projects ought to be systematic in character. The Analytic Theology Project is thus not seeking to support projects which are purely of historical, exegetical or pastoral/practical interest. Projects with implications for these areas will be considered, but only as long as they retain a clear systematic focus.

PostDoc fellows are deliberately given wide thematic scope. The fellowship should enable scholars in philosophy and theology to conduct independent cutting-edge research at the intersection of analytic philosophy and theology. Project proposals advocating complementary philosophical approaches (e. g. existential philosophy, pragmatism, phenomenology, dialogue philosophy etc.) are also welcome, as long as the candidate engages appropriately with analytic philosophy.

The post will require active participation in the activities of the Templeton Project at Innsbruck University (research seminars, project meetings, etc.). The Templeton Project will provide project-related travel funds (up to 2.000€/year).

The fellow will find him- or herself surrounded by an exciting blend of research seminars, conferences, and regular guest lectures dedicated to his or her research topic. There will be regular opportunities to interact with faculty members in a friendly and welcoming atmosphere.

Conditions for eligibility:

  • PhD in theology and/or philosophy, ranked above average.
  • High proficiency in English, oral and written.
  • One published or unpublished paper.
  • Social and communication skills.

In addition, the candidate is expected to be willing to

  • participate in seminars and conferences of the “Nature of God” project,
  • organize small workshops, guest lectures, etc.,
  • work in a larger research group,
  • and disseminate her or his research results via publications and conference presentations.

Ideally the candidate will have published in relevant philosophical and/or theological journals or will be able to demonstrate strong promise of doing so in the near future.

The applicant need not speak German at the time of application, but should be willing to learn conversational German (German courses are provided by the university).


Your application material should contain:

  • Your statement of interest (approx. 300 words)
  • Your CV
  • A copy of your PhD-diploma.
  • Your research proposal (1.500-2.500 words), outlining the research project as well as how it relates and contributes to the overall interests of the Analytic Theology Project.
  • A timeline describing precisely the work that will be completed during the grant period and the order in which it will be completed.
  • Two confidential letters of recommendation from two university professors (including, ideally, the director of your PhD-thesis) addressing your qualifications for outstanding PostDoc-research.

Applications can be sent in German or English, on or before February 15, 2016.

Further questions about the application process and the application materials (PDFs) should be sent to: analytic-theology@uibk.ac.at

All candidates will hear about the final decision of the judging committee no later than March 10, 2016.