Bourse prédoctorale

Predoctoral Fellow (M/F/D), 6 or 12-months appointment

Call for applications

The Max Planck Society is Germany’s premier research organization. The 86 Max Planck Institutes conduct research at the highest levels in the service of the general public, in the natural sciences, life sciences, social sci- ences, and the humanities.

For the Max Planck Research Group “Visualizing Science in Media Revolutions”, led by Dr. Sietske Fransen, the Bibliotheca Hertziana – Max Planck Institute for Art History in Rome (Italy) seeks to appoint:

A Predoctoral Fellow (M/F/D) (6 or 12-months appointment)

The Max Planck Research Group, based at the Bibliotheca Hertziana in Rome, has been formed to examine how scientific practitioners visualize their ideas, illustrate their working methods, and communicate their observations, with a specific focus on the early modern period. We are especially interested in the impact that new media have had on processes of visualization and whether or not changes in these processes reflect new ways of thinking. A new visual culture emerged in the early modern period by those in pursuit of knowledge due to a variety of reasons. These included: new media and new formats (for example printed (fold-out) images and diagrams, paper tools, and the scientific journal); new instruments for observing the world (such as telescopes and microscopes); and new strategies of communication needed for the changing understanding of nature and the world. By comparing media, tools, and modes of communication in different fields of early modern science, such as medicine, music, architecture, astronomy, and mathematics, the members of this research group investigate the impact of new media on the visual communication of science. As a group of historians with expertise in the study of media, visualization, and (the history of) science, the Research Group also investigates the impact of current digital media and tools on (our own) working practices in the humanities and sciences. The group uses a wide variety of research methods and, in doing so, draws upon visual culture, art history, media studies, history of the book, cultural anthropology, and history of science and medicine. In previous years the group has worked on diagrams as abstract visualizations of knowledge, as well as media revolutions and print culture, and we are now especially interested in the practice of drawing as a tool for observation and thought.

More information on the research group including past events can be found here: https://www.biblhertz.it/de/research-groups/visualizing-science.

We welcome applications from candidates from all disciplines. The working language of the Research Group is English. The positions are to be taken up in the calendar year of 2024.

Your profile:

• You are currently enrolled as a PhD student at a university
• You have a clear idea of how a fellowship in Rome as part of this Research Group at the Bibliotheca Hertziana would benefit your PhD research
• Excellent verbal and written knowledge of English
• Prior knowledge of Italian and/or German is an advantage
• Ability to reside in Rome during appointment
• A willingness to play an active role in the research group’s events, which include seminars, reading ses- sions, and conferences

Your application should include:

• Cover letter
• Curriculum vitae
• Description of PhD project and intended research in Rome (max. 1000 words)
• Contact details of two potential referees (no letters)

Our offer:
The appointment is for 6 or 12 months. The position is full-time (39/40 hours per week) and is paid equivalent of 65% of the German Civil Service Collective Agreement (TVöD Bund), level E 13.
Furthermore, we offer opportunities regarding work life balance as well as health promotion services.

The Max Planck society strives for gender and diversity equality. We welcome applications from all backgrounds. Furthermore, The Max Planck Society is committed to increasing the number of individuals with disabilities in its workforce and therefore encourages applications from such qualified individuals.

Candidates should submit their application in English on the following website by the end of September 30th, 2023: https://recruitment.biblhertz.it/