Research Assistant in Political Theory and the History of Ideas (m/f/d)

At the Institute of Political Science and Sociology of the Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Germany

1. October 2026 for a period of 2 years

**Wiss.

for political theory and history of ideas

in full time. The job is part-time, provided that the full-day performance of the tasks is ensured by job sharing. The remuneration depends on TV-L.

Profile: What you will do

• Teaching in the courses of the Institute (10 SWS per semester, for BA and MA students as well as teaching staff students, in particular lecture "Introduction to Political Theory");
• Research and publication in the field of political theory;
• Tasks within the Institute's academic administration.

Your profile and qualifications: What to bring

• They have a completed doctorate in the field of political theory and/or history of ideas and/or political philosophy;
• You have experience in the application of research and analysis methods in classical, modern and post-modern political theory and history of ideas and/or comparative political theory;
• You have teaching experience and inspire yourself to teaching theoretical content to students; the proof of a certificate of higher education is advantageous;
• They are able to cover one or more of the following areas in teaching and research: classical, modern and post-modern political theory or history of political ideas (especially the 17th-21th century); Comparative political theory; Theories of political systems (e.g. theories of democracy); theories of sustainability and/or justice; methods of research and analysis of classical, modern and post-modern political theory;
• They work academically in German and English; knowledge of other languages is advantageous;
• They are a reliable and independent team player;
• They pursue an academic career and are ready to develop their skills and qualifications in academic work in the social sciences, in particular political theory and history of ideas;
• They are interested in in interdisciplinary cooperation, in particular in the various social science disciplines of the institute;
• They show interest in making concepts and methods of political theory fruitful for the analysis of relevant current political and social challenges and phenomena (e.g. the global challenge of democracy).

We are looking for a highly reliable and integree personality, which can represent the political theory and the history of ideas in the broadness described above in the teaching and research activities of the Institute. The Institute of Political Science and Sociology combines the subjects of political science and sociology under a common umbrella. The research priorities of the IPS and its teaching areas are broadly defined [see also: https://www.politikwissenschaft.uni-wuerzburg.de]. Our modern social science courses lead to programme-accredited bachelor, master and teaching degrees and can be combined with numerous other subjects.

♪ The Institute: What we offer

• integration into an interdisciplinary institute that is anchored in research and teaching in the disciplines of political science and sociology;
• A reliable and motivated dynamic team of academic colleagues at all career levels;
• Continuous peer support for your projects in teaching and research.
• The possibility for habilitation is given.

The JMU seeks to increase the proportion of women and therefore explicitly calls for qualified women to apply. Disabled people are preferably set with substantially the same suitability, ability and professional performance.

Application

Your application should include the following documents: a letter of motivation in which you explain how you meet the criteria described above, a tabular CV, a publication list, a description of the planned future research accents (max. 1 page), up to two references (no letter of recommendation, but only contact details), documents and certificates as well as your published doctorate.

Please submit your full application by 15. July 2026 to Prof. Dr. Sonja Grimm via e-mail [[for e-mail see the original ad]](https://mailto:[*for e-mail see the original ad*]). Please include all documents in two files: a file with your dissertation; a file with all other documents in the specified order.

Alternatively you can send your printed application (only copies, no originals) to the following address:

JMU Würzburg

Prof. Dr. Sonja Grimm

Managing Director of the

Institute of Political Science and Sociology

Wittelsbacherplatz 1

97074 Würzburg.

For cost reasons, printed application documents cannot be returned. Application documents are destroyed three months after completion of the procedure.

Questions about the job can also be addressed to Prof. Dr. Sonja Grimm. The interviews will take place quickly.

Joblocations:

97074 Würzburg, Wittelsbacherplatz 1, BAYERN, GERMANY