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Faculty of Philosophy and Educational Research :
Chair of Philosophy of Language and Cognition
In order to fill a fixed-term position in part-time (25,8895 hours/week = 65%) at the earliest possible date, we are looking for a
Employed PhD Position (65% TV-L E13) in Language Science/Philosophy of Language (m/f/x)
The Chair of Philosophy of Language and Cognition (rub.de/phil-lang) belongs to one of the largest and most research-active philosophy departments in Germany and is member of the Center for Theoretical and Integrative Neuro- and Cognitive Science THINK as well as the Center of Mind and Cognition at Ruhr University Bochum. Our agenda is deeply rooted in a naturalistic understanding of philosophy. We approach questions in the philosophy and science of language with exact theoretical and advanced empirical methods. The PhD position is part of our DFG funded project "The evaluation of empathy-related linguistic performance in large language models: Comparing surprisal values for next-word prediction in human EEG and LLMs" within the DFG priority area LaSTing “Robust Assessment & Safe Applicability of Language Modeling: Foundations for a New Field of Language Science & Technology” (lasting-spp.org).
Pursuing your PhD in an employed position on our project, you will combine experimental methods in EEG with the analysis of Large Language Models. You will develop and carry out behavioral and EEG experiments independently and competently in our lab and analyze the results. You will compare EEG data related to surprisal in next-word predictions with next-word probabilities read out from various types of LLMs. The project requires you to stay up to date with current methods of EEG and LLM analysis and comparison. Your research will also involve various behavioral measures of empathy in humans and the development of a theoretical framework of empathy and emotions that allows for the comparison and evaluation of Artificial Intelligence relative to human cognition. The results will form the basis for joint journal publications and will amount to a cumulative doctoral dissertation. The successful candidate (m/f/x) will actively interact and cooperate with other projects in the priority area LaSTing and beyond. They are willing to participate in interdisciplinary activities of the chair, its network at RUB, and the priority area, to contribute to writing the project report, to participate in the organization of workshops and conferences, and to be involved in academic self-governance. Teaching is not required.
Scope: part-time
Duration: fixed-term, 36
Start: at the earliest possible date
Apply by: 2026-09-21
Your tasks:
- Developing, executing and analyzing EEG experiments
- Operating and analyzing Large Language Models
- Behavioral measurement of empathy in neurotypical human subjects
- Comparing data from EEG and LLM
- Developing a theoretial framework of empathy and emotions
- Evaluating artificial intelligence relative to human cognition
- Related organizational, reporting and administrative tasks
Your profile:
- Master Degree in Language Science, Cognitive Science, or Philosophy (to be completed by the start of the employment)
- Experience with EEG and/or LLMs is advantageous
We offer:
Employment at one of the largest universities in Germany within the University Alliance Ruhr
- Cutting-edge research on humanoid AI
- Working in a renowned team of researchers pioneering the evaluation of language models with advanced neuro-and psycholinguistic methods
- A theoretically and experimentally founded deep dive into the nature of empathy in humans and AIs
- A wide network of outstanding expert researchers
- Excellent research environments and facilities (EEG, fMRI, VR labs, computational modelling at THINK)
Further information:
The position is salaried and based on the collective agreement of the Länder (TV-L). If the personal and collective agreement requirements are met, the employee will receive pay grade E13 TV-L.
Further information can be found at (in German).
The place of work is Ruhr University Bochum.
If the position is funded by third-party funds the employee has no teaching obligation.
Applications should include a letter of interest (max. one page), a CV including publications, copies of certificates, and the names of two referees.
RUB sees itself as a university with an international presence. The campus languages are German and English. Competence in at least one of the two languages and the willingness to learn the other are a prerequisite. RUB provides corresponding free courses for employees.
German language courses are offered by the University Language Center (ZFA) in the field of German as a Foreign Language (DaF). https://www.daf.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/daf/mitarbeitende/index.html.en
The Staff Council has the right to participate in all selection interviews. At the request of a candidate (m/f/x), it will ensure its participation in the entire procedure. Please contact wpr@rub.de.
The Ruhr-Universität Bochum is one of Germany’s leading research universities, addressing the whole range of academic disciplines. A highly dynamic setting enables researchers and students to work across the traditional boundaries of academic subjects and faculties. To create knowledge networks within and beyond the university is Ruhr-Universität Bochum’s declared aim.
The Ruhr-Universität Bochum stands for diversity and equal opportunities. For this reason, we favour a working environment composed of heterogeneous teams, and seek to promote the careers of individuals who are underrepresented in our respective professional areas. The Ruhr-Universität Bochum expressly requests job applications from women. In areas in which they are underrepresented they will be given preference in the case of equivalent qualifications with male candidates. Applications from individuals with disabilities are most welcome.
Contact persons for further information:
Prof. Dr. Markus Werning +49(0)234-32-26739
For administrative inquiries: Christiane Dahl +49(0)234-32-26739
Travel costs, accommodation costs and loss of earnings or other application costs for job interviews can unfortunately not be reimbursed.
We look forward to receiving your application via our online application portal by 2026-09-21. Please make sure to mention the reference number ANR 6068.
RUHR-UNIVERSITÄT BOCHUM
44801 Bochum
Universitätsstraße 150
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