Doctoral Research Associate (salary level E 13 TV-L, 65%)

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The newly established research centre “Institute for Multidisciplinary Religious Studies” (ImRe) at the University of Münster is seeking to fill a position as of February 1, 2027, as a

Doctoral Research Associate (salary level E 13 TV-L, 65%)

to be filled as part of the interdisciplinary externally funded project “Religious Polemics in Everyday Life and Their Social Functions,” which is funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space (BMFTR). We are offering a fixed-term part-time position (65%) for 3,5 years.

Religious Daily-Life Polemics and Their Social Functions

The sub-project will discuss Jewish reactions to anti-Jewish polemics and anti-Christian polemics in an era of persecution, expulsion and migration (15th–16th centuries) from three different methodological perspectives: An examination of polemical literature dealing with theological issues and matters of faith; an examination of literature that was created beyond the rabbinic elites in an attempt to search for polemical motifs (in works such as Hebrew and Yiddish versions of the Alexander romances, minhagim books; works that were addressed at a broad audience, including readers who had no or just basic knowledge of Hebrew); theoretical approaches in the field of mentality studies with a focus on the awareness of the non-Jewish environment and othering.

Your tasks:

• Doctoral research at the ImRe with a focus on medieval and early modern Jewish history within the context of a collaborative project entitled: „The Role of the Perception of the Christen Environment in Jewish Daily Life in the 15th and the 16th Centuries“

Our expectations:

• Proven Knowledge of Hebrew
• Above-average graduation in Jewish Studies
• A firm interest in medieval and early modern Jewish history
• Knowledge of Yiddish and/or Ladino is an advantage

Advantages for you:

• Appreciation, commitment, openness and respect – values which are important to us.
• Our broad range of diverse work-time models offers great flexibility – also when working from home.
• If you have family members or young children in your care, our Family Service Office offers concrete support to help you balance your private and professional responsibilities.
• As an educational institution, we are deeply committed to offering occupational training and continuing education opportunities tailored to your individual needs.
• From A – Z, Aikido to Zumba, our sport and health programmes ensure a healthy work-life balance.
• As a university employee, you are entitled to numerous benefits afforded to public servants, e.g. an attractive company pension scheme (VBL), an annual end-of-year bonus and a position that is shielded from economic fluctuations.

The University of Münster strongly supports equal opportunity and diversity. We welcome all applicants regardless of sex, nationality, ethnic or social background, religion or worldview, disability, age, sexual orientation or gender identity. We are committed to creating family-friendly working conditions.

We actively encourage applications by women. Women with equivalent qualifications and academic achievements will be preferentially considered unless these are outweighed by reasons which necessitate the selection of another candidate.

If you have any questions, please contact Prof. Dr. Katrin Kogman-Appel (kogman@uni-muenster.de) or Mareike König (m.koenig@uni-muenster.de).

Are you interested? Then we look forward to receiving your application electronically in PDF format, including the standard documents (a cover letter describing your interest in and suitability for the position, a resume, transcripts, and the names and addresses of two referees) by 2026-11-15 at:

Universität Münster
Institut für multidisziplinäre Religionsforschung“ (ImRe)
Johannisstr. 1-4
D-48143 Münster
E-Mail:
Prof. Dr. Katrin Kogman-Appel (kogman@uni-muenster.de)
Mareike König (m.koenig@uni-muenster.de)

Please note that we cannot consider other file formats.

Reference number: 2026_10_34