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University Assistant postdoctoral 

45 Faculty of Philological and Cultural Studies  

Job vacancy starting: 11/01/2025 | Working hours:  40,00  | Classification CBA: §48 VwGr. B1 lit. b (postdoc) 

Limited contract until: 10/31/2031

Job ID: 4463

The Department of South Asian, Tibetan and Buddhist Studies ranks among the largest university centres for the philological-cultural study of South Asia and Tibet in the German-speaking world and is home of several third-party funded research projects. Through cooperation with numerous academic institutions worldwide, the Department is very well connected with the international scholarly community. The Department is also part of the Austrian Science Fund Cluster of Excellence "EurAsian Transformations" and hosts both the Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Documentation of Inner and South Asian Cultural History (CIRDIS) and the Himalaya Archive Vienna (HAV).

Your personal sphere of play:

The tasks of the successful applicant will include the support of the professorship in the field of Cultural and Intellectual History of Premodern South Asia in teaching and research, student mentoring, participation in the administration of the institute as well as independent research and independent teaching as defined by the collective agreement. The development or expansion of an independent research profile and further post-doctoral academic qualifications, for example in the form of preparing and completing a habilitation thesis, are particularly desirable. International scholarly publishing and lecturing activity is expected.

Your future tasks:

Active participation in research, teaching & administration, which means:

• You develop an independent research profile in the field of Cultural and Intellectual History of Premodern South Asia.
• You are involved in research projects and scientific studies in the field of Premodern South Asia (Indology) at the Department.
• You publish in internationally recognised peer-reviewed publication venues, give lectures and organise scientific events.
• You prepare and complete a publication-ready habilitation.
• You hold courses independently in the Bachelor programme „Languages and Cultures of South Asia and Tibet” and the Master programme “Languages and Cultures of South Asia” within the scope of the provisions of the collective bargaining agreement.
• You supervise your students.
• You support scientific publication and database projects at the institute.
• You apply for third-party funded projects and/or support their application.
• You participate in evaluation measures and in quality assurance.
• You take on administrative tasks in research, teaching and departmental administration.

Your profile: 

• Completed doctoral/PhD studies in the field of Cultural and Intellectual History of Premodern South Asia (Indology) or a related discipline
• An excellent command of Sanskrit is essential. Familiarity with an additional Indic language relevant to the premodern literary traditions of South Asia is highly desirable.
• A research focus on the religious, cultural, literary, or philosophical traditions of premodern South Asia. Additional expertise in South Asian epigraphy and manuscript studies is advantageous.
• When working with original Sanskrit sources, a sound philological-historical approach is a requirement. Complementary methods from Literary and/or Religious Studies, or engagement with interdisciplinary approaches, are advantageous.
• Demonstrated research competence and independent research initiative through international publications and international presentation activities
• Teaching skills, ideally including experience with e-learning
• Good subject-specific IT skills
• Very good written and spoken English skills
• Good knowledge of German or willingness to acquire German within the course of the position (in case of applicants that do not have German as a mother tongue)
• Teamplayer with strong social and communication skills 

We also expect:

• Expertise in Digital Humanities, especially skills and familiarity with IT applications and solutions relevant to text-based research and digital critical editions (e.g. TEI/Epidoc) are advantageous
• Interest in interdisciplinary research
• Previous experience in the management and administration of research projects is desirable 

What we offer:

Work-life balance: Our employees enjoy flexible working hours, remote/hybrid and/or part-time work (upon agreement).

Inspiring working atmosphere: You are a part of an international academic team in a healthy and fair working environment.

Good public transport connections: Your workplace in the center of beautiful Vienna is easily accessible by public transport.

Internal further training & Coaching: Opportunity to deepen your skills on an ongoing basis. There are over 600 courses to choose from – free of charge.

Fixed-term contract and fair salary: The basic salary of EUR 4,932,90 (14 times a year) for a period of 6 years / 72 months increases if we can credit professional experience.

Equal opportunities for all: We welcome every additional/new personality to the team!

Please apply with:

• A cover letter/letter of motivation (max. 2 pages)
• Summary of your research interests (max. 2 pages)
• Outline of a habilitation proposal in the field of Cultural and Intellectual History of Premodern South Asia (max. 2 pages, excluding bibliographical references)
• Scientific curriculum vitae, including a list of your teaching experience as well as your talks/presentations
• List of publications
• Certificate of a completed doctorate /PhD or specification of the date of submission of the dissertation and the planned defence
• Contact details of persons who could provide referece letters
• Via our  job portal/ Apply now - button

If you have any questions, please contact:

Nina Mirnig  

nina.mirnig@univie.ac.at

We look forward to new personalities in our team! 
The University of Vienna has an anti-discriminatory employment policy and attaches great importance to equal opportunities, the advancement of women and diversity. We lay special emphasis on increasing the number of women in senior and in academic positions among the academic and general university staff and therefore expressly encourage qualified women to apply. Given equal qualifications, preference will be given to female candidates.

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​Application deadline: 09/12/2025