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Faculty of Philosophy and Educational Research :
Institute for Philosophy II
Chair of Philosophy of Language and Cognition
In order to fill a fixed-term position in full-time (39.83 hours/week = 100%) by January 01, 2027 or at the earliest possible date, we are looking for a
Postdoc (m/f/x) in Philosophy of Mind/Cognitive Science
The successful applicant (m/f/x) will be affiliated with the the Chair of Philosophy of Language and Cognition (rub.de/phil-lang) and work within the Collaborative Research Center “Episodic Memory” (CRC 1844). They will pursue the research project A11 "The role of episodic memory in non-factual scenario construction: An application of trace minimalism to instructive imaginative and counterfactual causal reasoning". The CRC is an interdisciplinary consortium consisting of researchers from philosophy, psychology, and computational/cognitive neuroscience. We conceptualize scenarios as mental simulations of past, counterfactual, and hypothetical episodes and investigate whether and how (minimal) memory traces contribute to their construction. 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.
On the the postdoc (m/f/x) position, you will pursue the project A11 within the envisaged timeline, including work on the (dis)continuims debate in memory research as well as theoretical, experimental, and modelling work on the role of episodic memory for instructive imagination (II) and counterfactual causal reasoning (CCR). You will in particular also perform an online experiments on the role of episodic memory for II and CCR in the general population and across the lifespan and contribute to a computational modelling study using probabilistic models.
Scope: full-time
Duration: fixed-term, 31.12.2030
Start: by January 01, 2027 or at the earliest possible date
Apply by: 2026-10-26
Your tasks:
- theoretical work on the role of episodic memory for instructive imagination and counterfactual causal reasoning
- performing various online experiments on EM, II, and CCR using Qualtrix (or similar)
- contribute to a computational modelling study (assistance will be provided)
- cooperate with neuroimaging and neurocompuational studies within the CRC
- (co-)publication of research results
- (co-)supervision of Master and PhD theses
- reporting, organization, and adminstrative tasks in the context of the CRC
- no teaching obligations
Your profile:
- PhD in philosophy, cognitive science, or a related discipline
- Background in the philosophy of mind/epistemology, in psychology, or in computational modelling
- Research interest in memory, imagination, causal cognition, predictive processing, or related areas
- Willingness to acquire some statistical and programming skills (Qualtrix, Matlab and/or Python)
- Very good writing skills
Please submit the following application documents:
- CV (incl. list of publications)
- Letter of interest (max. 1 page)
- Writing sample
- 2 letters of reference
We offer:
Challenging and varied tasks with a high level of independence, Employment at one of the largest universities in Germany within the University Alliance Ruhr, Collaboration in a committed and appreciative team, Support in combining family life and work (including childcare arrangements/holiday offers/mobile playroom)
- Cutting-edge research on episodic memory, imagination, and causal cognition
- Working in an internationally renowned interdisciplinary team of philosophers, psychologists, and (compuational) neuroscientists
- Excellent research environments and facilities at our new research building 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 TV-L 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.
The advertised position is conditional on a final positive funding decision by the DFG Senate in late November.
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:
Markus Werning +49 234 32 26739
Christiane Dahl (admin) +49 234 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 2026-10-26. Please make sure to mention the reference number ANR 6194.
RUHR-UNIVERSITÄT BOCHUM
44801 Bochum
Universitätsstraße 150
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