The University of Vienna is a cosmopolitan hub for more than 10,000 employees, of whom around 7,500 work in research and teaching. They want to do research and teach at a place that suits their ideas and work together towards answering the big questions of the future. You also appreciate the exchange between disciplines, cultures and generations? We are looking for a/an
University Assistant postdoctoral
40 Faculty of Historical and Cultural Studies
Job vacancy starting: 04/01/2026 | Working hours: 40,00 | Classification CBA: §48 VwGr. B1 lit. b (postdoc)
Limited contract until:
Job ID: 5091
Explore and teach at the University of Vienna, where over 7,500 academic minds have found a unique blend of freedom and support. Join us if you're driven by a passion for top-notch international research and scientific excellence. Ready to be part of our team? Welcome aboard!
Who we are:
We are looking to hire a postdoctoral research fellow to join the ERC-funded research project Beyond Thalidomide: The Patient as an Agent of Change, based at the University of Vienna.
Beyond Thalidomide(2024-2029), funded by an ERC Starting Grant pioneers a history of the global rise of patient engagement with drug-related disability in the second half of the twentieth century to understand how newly empowered agents transformed conceptions of (reproductive) health and disease in science and society. It develops a framework to examine the origins, development, and consequences of patient engagement with antenatal drug use, iatrogenic disability, and reproductive health from the 1960s until today.
The PI of the project is Prof. Birgit Nemec, chair of History of Medicine and the Biomedical Sciences at the Faculty Center for Transdisciplinary Historical and Cultural Studies.
The Chair of History of Medicine and Biosciences at the Faculty Center for Transdisciplinary Historical-Cultural Studies aims to test and further develop approaches and methods in the field of modern history of knowledge and political epistemologies of medicine and the life sciences and to connect the department's institutes in research and teaching. The current thematic focus of the chair includes sex/gender diversity; medical products; risks and reproductive health; patient activism; dis/ability and global health as well as oral history methods and methods of research collaboration.
The employment duration is 2 years.
Your future tasks:
- Original archival research with a thematic focus on either:
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- patient engagement with programs to prevent drug-related disability in health care systems in Western welfare states, in state socialist countries, or in postcolonial, newly independent countries to reconstruct patient impacts on the flow and negotiation of medical and public health models
- patients’ roles in the “entanglement” of Western drug development and postcolonial global pharmaceutical markets, including the histories patient campaigns contesting both pharmaceutical companies’ strategies for developing, testing, and marketing their drugs as well as uses of the respective products in postcolonial countries and beyond; with the aim to integrate industrial production into our understanding of patient impact on contestations on global markets
- legal action led by patients or patient campaigns as a practice and pivotal intervention into scientific and political debates to understand how the courts acted as sites of knowledge-making
- To examine transformations in (reproductive) health by interrogating how patients act, organize, activate, and appropriate resources on “markets”, produce knowledge and expertise, and engage and communicate—distinct from authoritative scientific and political-regulatory counterparts
- To contribute to a more active and inclusive as opposed to proactive and paternalistic approach to global health policy making as well as in historical research ethics, recognizing the challenges of iatrogenic risks and disability and the potential of participatory approaches and ethics in research collaboration for democratic governance and civil society
- To contribute to project aims such as academic event organization, public dissemination of research results, publications
This is part of your profile:
- Doctoral degree (PhD) in History or related fields
- experience in archival research in various geographic locations
- working language skills in two or more languages
- peer-reviewed publications (or submitted/accepted manuscripts)
- ability to work independently and collaboratively in research teams
- excellent English communication skills
Advantages
- interest in interdisciplinary research with public health, medical anthropology and sociology
What we offer:
Team: An interdisciplinary, excellently networked and highly motivated working environment in research, teaching and public outreach/engagement
Work-life balance: Our employees enjoy flexible, family-friendly 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.
Fair salary: A salary of EUR 4.932,90.
Equal opportunities for everyone: We look forward to increase diversity and invite diverse personalities in the team! Please do let us know if you believe your profile will increase diversity or if you consider yourself part of a marginalised group.
It is that easy to apply:
- Letter of intent which indicates your motivation and interest in the position (max. 2 pages)
- Scientific curriculum vitae incl. a list of publications and presentations
- Writing sample (i.e. paper; book chapter)
- Draft proposal of the doctoral project (not mandatory)
- Copies of certificates
- Via our job portal/ Apply now-button
Please submit all your documents in PDF format.
If you have any content questions, please contact:
Birgit Nemec
birgit.nemec@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: 02/09/2026
