The Friedrich Schiller University Jena is a dynamic and innovation-driven university centrally located in Germany. With a broad range of disciplines, it shapes the future through excellent research and teaching. Its scientific excellence is reflected in the profile areas Light – Life – Liberty, which provide pioneering insights and sustainable solutions for the society of tomorrow. Through close collaborations with leading research institutions, innovative companies, and renowned cultural organizations, it advances interdisciplinary developments. With around 17,000 students and approximately 10,000 employees, it defines Jena as a vibrant, internationally connected city of science and innovation.

The Cluster of Excellence “Imaginamics: Practices and Dynamics of Social Imagining” is offering seven positions as a

Doctoral researcher

to commence on 01.02.2026 for a fixed term expiring on 31.12.2029. All positions are part-time (65%), with the exception of positions in computer science, which are full-time (100%).
The Cluster of Excellence “Imaginamics” is an interdisciplinary research project of the Friedrich Schiller University Jena that conducts research on the practices and dynamics of social imagining. Funded by the DFG, the Cluster brings together scholars from multiple departments. The Cluster’s work distinguishes itself from extant research on social imaginaries by focusing on processes, practices, and dynamics of social imagining. For more information, see www.uni-jena.de/en/265518/imaginamics.

“Imaginamics” is organized into three Research Areas that center on different fields of inquiry:

• Research Area 1: “Imagining Difference” studies practices and dynamics of imagining difference, including social, religious, ethnic, and gender difference. Scholars will analyze the relevance of social imagining for the production, reproduction, and critique of difference as well as the relation between “doing difference” and “imagining difference.”
• Research Area 2: “Imagining Crises and Temporalities” studies practices and dynamics of imagining time and temporality in the context of social, political, economic, and environmental crises, including topics like the historicity of temporal experiences or the (global) distribution of narrative, visual, and sensory imaginaries.
• Research Area 3: “(Re)Imagining Democracy” studies how practices and dynamics of imagining condition the emergence of new political ideas, forms of political praxis, political identities, and visions of the future. It also engages with topics like the political dynamics of social networks, contemporary crises of democracy, and the transformation of ideas and practices of democracy.

Additionally, the Cluster houses three Hubs, which engage with questions that traverse all three Research Areas:

• The “Theory Hub” grapples with theoretical debates that affect all Research Areas and develops innovative approaches to the theory of social imagining.
• The “Public Hub” reaches out to a broader audience, creates new forms of participatory research (“citizen science”), and serves as an interface between the Cluster and the public.
• The "Digital Hub" applies and reflects upon new digital technologies and the role of digital media in processes of social imagining. For instance, it studies “socio-technical imaginaries” and media practices associated with social imagining, while also developing its own digital media of social imagining.

The Research School of the Cluster seeks seven doctoral dissertation projects that engage with the Cluster’s field of inquiry and make an innovative contribution to its research.

Your responsibilities:

• Make an innovative contribution to the Cluster’s scholarship by completing a research project (Promotion/PhD) in one of the Research Areas or Hubs.
• Play a role in the project’s success by participating in interdisciplinary exchange within the Cluster.
• Raise international awareness of the Cluster’s work by taking part in workshops and conferences.\

Your profile:

• You have completed your studies (Master, Staatsexamen, Diplom or international equivalent) in the humanities or social sciences with good grades.
• You have an innovative research idea that advances theoretical and/or empirical knowledge about the Cluster’s field of inquiry.
• You are interested in interdisciplinary collaboration.
• You are a team player who is friendly, open-minded, flexible, creative, and well organized.
• You speak good English.

We offer:

• Remuneration based on the provisions of the Collective Agreement for the Public Sector of the Federal States (TV-L) at salary scale E13 — depending on the candidate’s personal qualifications — including a special annual payment.
• An exciting, forward-looking work environment with many opportunities for individual creativity.
• A structured doctoral program with regular colloquia, close supervision by researchers at the Cluster, and active involvement in the Cluster’s structures, Working Groups, and Forums.
• Support for continuing education and professional development.
• A family-friendly working environment with a variety of offers for families, including the University Family Office (JUniFamilie) and flexible childcare (JUniKinder).\

The advertised positions are part-time positions (65%; 26 hours per week) with the exception of positions in computer science, which are full-time (100%; 40 hours per week).

The University of Jena has received multiple awards for its diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts and its family-friendly work environment. The university seeks to employ more women, first-generation college graduates, people with a history of migration, and people of eastern German background. Severely disabled persons with equivalent qualifications will be given preferential consideration.

Please submit the following application materials (as PDF via our online form):

• Cover letter,
• Outline of proposed research project (3 to 5 pages),
• A concise writing sample that encompasses a chapter from your master’s thesis or an article,
• Curriculum vitae,
• University transcripts,
• Up to two references for letters of reference.

Please note which Research Area or Hub you are particularly interested in working in.

Interviews will take place in October 2025. Unfortunately, we cannot reimburse expenses incurred for travel to the interview.

Interested? Apply by 15.09.2025 using our online form.
If you have questions at any time during the application process, please write us an e-mail with the identifier number 177/2025 in the subject line: samuel.strehle@uni-jena.de.