Grant available at the Institute of Philosophy II in the group of Prof. Dr. Albert Newen at the Ruhr-University Bochum
Thematic Framework is philosophy of mind and cognition. We prefer the following three topics: âPhilosophy of the self: self-consciousness, self-knowledge, self-deceptionâ, âPhilosophy of AI or Social Robotsâ or âA comparative perspective on humans and nonhuman animalsâ
We offer a fellowship for a postdoc at the Institute of Philosophy II at the Ruhr-University in Bochum in the area of philosophy of mind and cognition in the research group of Prof. Dr. Albert Newen. The fellowship will be offered for 24 months. Candidates should be ideally working out a project in one of the three areas: âPhilosophy of the self: self-consciousness, self-knowledge, self-deceptionâ, âPhilosophy of AI or Social Robotsâ or âA comparative perspective on humans and nonhuman animalsâ. Project suggestions are expected (max. 1 page without references).
In principle the call if open for other research topics in the group of Prof. Newen: 1. Theories of Understanding Others; 2 Theories of Emotion; 3. Philosophy of Neurosciences and their Explanations; 4. Theories of Perception and Cognition; 5. Situated Cognition
Requirements: Candidates should have an outstanding PhD in philosophy. Their PhD should have been achieved within the last 12 years before the application date. An additional degree in psychology, cognitive science, linguistics, psychiatry or neurosciences is much appreciated. Some substantial expertise in at least one of these areas will be expected. Furthermore, the candidate must have (at least three) papers published or accepted by peer-reviewed journals.
For this program there are special demands: Applicants are either no German nationals or have lived abroad for at least ten years. Furthermore, they are not allowed to have made a postdoc in Germany (of more than 3 months).
The applicant need not speak German at the time of application, but they should be willing to learn German to be able to engage in everyday conversations. The language for scientific conversation is English. Candidates should be prepared to participate in weekly meetings of the research group of Prof. Newen in Bochum. Thus, the fellowship presupposes regular presence at Ruhr-University Bochum since the project should be worked out in close interaction with the group of Prof. Newen.
Deadline for the application is the 14th of September 2025. The fellowship is available from 1st of November 2025 onwards. The latest start should be March 2026. The postdoc fellowship is 2.700 Euro per month. The funding is available for a period of two years.
Application documents (we only accept electronic applications): Please send your application to sekretariat-newen@rub.de
Your application should consist of two PDF files:
- First PDF file should contain your personal documents: an outline of your own planned research project (max. 1 page excluding references), CV, copies of certificates and records, complete list of your publications, talks, conferences you attended and courses you held; names of two potential referees (sequence irrelevant).
- Second PDF file should contain two selected key publications (published or accepted, if accepted but not published then add the letter of acceptance from the journal).