University of Bern 
Bern, Switzerland Offer Summary
The University of Bern invites applications for a Postdoctoral Researcher position within the Bit Philology project at the Walter Benjamin Kolleg. This fixed-term role, starting March 2027, focuses on textual scholarship and digital humanities, specifically examining born-digital literary archives from Swiss collections in French and Italian. The researcher will develop independent projects, engage with legacy hardware, and contribute to scholarly editions. Requirements include a PhD in philology, literary studies, or digital humanities, alongside experience with archives and proficiency in English and French. The position offers an 80% FTE contract, SNSF-regulated salary, flexible scheduling, and a collaborative interdisciplinary environment. Applications are due by November 30, 2026.
Generated from stored offer content. Always confirm details in the official posting.
Project Description
Postdoctoral researcher in the Bit Philology project
Start Date 01.03.2027 or by arrangement
Employment Relationship 80%, fixed-term
Institution / Workplace The Bit Philology project at the Digital Humanities unit is offering a postdoctoral position in the field of textual scholarship and digital humanities. The position is available from March 2027 for three years, funded by the SNSF. Bern
Research focus
The Bit Philology project studies born-digital materials in literary archives, with a focus on Swiss collections in French and Italian. As a significant portion of contemporary literature is created digitally, literary archives increasingly include born-digital documents-posing new challenges for their study. The project seeks to develop methods for cataloguing these archives, create prototypes for scholarly editions, and explore authors' creative processes through digital materials. It also aims to train future researchers and advance practices in textual scholarship and digital humanities. The project team is currently composed of two PhD students and a research associate in addition to the PI.
The postdoctoral researcher will work with born-digital archives of writers from Swiss collections dating from the 1980s to the early 2000s (Swiss Literary Archives, Centre des littératures en Suisse romande, Archivio Prezzolini). The postdoctoral researcher can develop their own research project, focusing on one or more authors and/or works. One possible research topic is the relationship between paper and digital documents in hybrid archives. In many cases, libraries and archives acquire digital content as part of a paper donation and these different sources should be studied together.
Your tasks and what we offer
Develop your research line and participate in project activities. This includes
• working in archives;
• clarifying rights and potential ethical issues;
• communicating with archivists and authors/rights holders;
• working with legacy hardware and software, using digital forensics methods;
• studying the writing process of authors across different media;
• studying archival materials such as unpublished texts and drafts of publications;
• publishing and presenting your work locally and internationally;
• contributing to the organisation of scholarly events;
• collaborating with the rest of the team.
Participation in teaching is optional. The starting date is March 2027, with flexibility for a later start.
What we offer
• A dynamic and collaborative research environment at the Digital Humanities unit.
• Work-life balance through flexible work schedules.
• Training opportunities in all areas of the project and related fields.
• Salary according to SNSF regulations.
Candidate profile
PhD in textual scholarship (philology, textual criticism, scholarly editing, genetic criticism) or literary studies or digital humanities.
• Prior experience in working with archives.
• Prior experience or strong interest in contemporary Swiss French and/or Italian literature; born-digital archival records; computational literary studies.
• Strong motivation to work independently as well as with others within a diverse, interdisciplinary environment.
• Working proficiency in English and French; Italian is a plus.
• Self-discipline and creative thinking.
Your Benefits
- Collaborative environment and ambitious team
- Interdisciplinary collaboration
- Team-oriented work
- Future-oriented career prospects
Working at the University of Bern
The University of Bern not only offers exciting tasks but also an environment that actively promotes development, diversity, and equal opportunities. Discover what makes us stand out as an employer and how you can grow with us.
Application and Contact
If you are eager to work with born-digital literary archives, at the crossroad of digital humanities and textual scholarship, please apply by sending the following documents to digitalhumanities@unibe.ch:
• Academic CV
• Letter of motivation, explaining how you fit the candidate profile
• One writing sample (publication, PhD chapter)
• Contact details of two references
Please merge all the documents together into one PDF file and name the file as follows: yourSurname_BitPhil_postdoc.pdf (e.g. Spadini_BitPhil_postdoc.pdf).
Application deadline: 30 November 2026.
Interview dates: between 7 and 12 January 2027.
Questions about the position?
Contact person: Elena Spadini (elena.spadini@unibe.ch)
Questions about the application?
Contact person: Elena Spadini (elena.spadini@unibe.ch)
