(Post) Doctoral Researcher (f/m/d) / Pay Group 13 TV-L / 70%

The position is limited to three years. The anticipated starting date is 01 October .

The position is part of the project LitAttention What Short Fiction Knows About Attention and Attention Politics, funded by the European Research Council (ERC).

LitAttention combines approaches from cognitive literary studies, computational linguistics / digital humanities, and educational psychology to investigate literary attention’. The project will

• a) examine the connection between developments in short fiction and changing theories of attention;
• b) explore literary techniques and linguistic devices that guide readers’ attention;

c) develop methodological and conceptual frameworks for examining literary attention; and

d) assess the value of short fiction today, especially for education.

LitAttention is based at the Department of English Literatures and Cultures and integrated into a strong interdisciplinary community, including the Stuttgart Research Centre for Text Studies (SRCTS), the Institute for Natural Language Processing (IMS), and the Center for Reflected Text Analytics (CRETA).

What we offer

• The opportunity to join a highly motivated, dynamic, and supportive team
• An international, stimulating work environment, strongly committed to interdisciplinary research
• Flexible working hours in a family-friendly environment
• A fixed-term contract (70%, limited to three years) in salary group TV-L 13 (the pay scale grouping will be determined by the university’s central administration)
• Mentoring that emphasises professional and scientific growth
• Internal training and coaching opportunities
• Numerous additional benefits offered by the University of Stuttgart ( email your application to by 10 June . In your application, please include the reference number LitAttention ELC.
• Please include the following documents (as one single PDF file) : cover letter including a short description of your past and current research interests as well as your expertise in the required area;

academic CV including a list of publications; copies of academic certificates and transcript of records, an abstract of your MA / MEd and / or PhD thesis (3 pages max.

and the names and contact details of two academic referees. Please also submit a PDF document of your MA / MEd or PhD thesis.

If you have not yet completed your thesis by the time of the application, please submit completed chapters and a letter of recommendation from your supervisor, which includes the expected date of completion of your degree.

If you have any questions about the position, please contact Prof Dr Sibylle Baumbach, stuttgart.de.

The University of Stuttgart is a certified family-friendly university’ and offers a wide range of services to support early-career researchers ( and to enhance social equity ( University of Stuttgart is an equal opportunity employer ( Women who apply will be given preferential consideration in areas in which they are underrepresented.

Applications from severely disabled candidates with equivalent qualifications will be given priority

Your tasks

The successful candidate will focus on the design of short fiction in English literature between and . They will assess the interrelation between short fiction and discourses on attention (and distraction) within this time frame and investigate the development of attention patterns within specific works and their media of presentation.

As part of the LitAttention team, they will be involved in the organisation of project events, public outreach activities, and administrative tasks and contribute to project publications.

The position can be filled with a PhD candidate or a postdoctoral scholar interested in working part-time.

Requirements

• MA / MEd / PhD in English or comparative literature
• Solid knowledge of narrative theory and 19th-century fiction
• Excellent language skills (written and spoken) in English
• Strong willingness to engage in interdisciplinary research
• Proven organisational and administrative skills
• Familiarity with approaches in cognitive literary studies is a plus

Betriebliche Altersvorsorge - Flexible Arbeitszeit - Hauseigene Kantine - Sport- und Freizeitangebote - Mentoring-Programm - Weiterbildungsmöglichkeiten