University Assistant postdoctoral

The University of Vienna is a community of almost 11,000 individuals, including approximately 7,700 academic staff members, who passionately pursue answers to the profound questions that shape our future. Are you inspired and driven by the desire to make a meaningful impact? We are currently seeking a University Assistant postdoctoral at the Faculty of Philological and Cultural Studies.

Job vacancy starting: 09/01/2026 | Working hours: 40.00 | Limited contract until: 08/31/2032 | Job ID: 5718

Your place of work: The Department of English and American Studies hosts research and teaching in the areas of literary and cultural studies, as well as linguistics, ELT/TESOL and English language. The department employs more than eighty staff and presently around 2500 students are enrolled in its Bachelor, Masters, Diploma, PhD and Teacher Education programmes. You will be working in the area of applied linguistics of contemporary English in the team with Professor Dr. Britta Schneider.

Job description:

• Active participation in research, teaching and administration.
• Developing and strengthening your independent research profile.
• International publications and presentations.
• Participation in the development of the Critical AI Language and Literacy Lab.
• (Co-)Responsibility for project applications and the acquisition of third-party funding in the context of the Critical AI Language and Literacy Lab.
• Preparing a habilitation thesis or producing equivalent research publications.
• Independent teaching of courses as defined by the collective agreement, i.e. usually 4 hours/week.
• Supervision of students at BA and MA level.
• Participation in evaluation measures and quality assurance activities of the university.
• Involvement in the department administration as well as in teaching and research administration.

Profile:

• PhD/EdD in the field of applied linguistics, ideally with an Anglophone orientation (e.g. sociolinguistics, linguistic anthropology, media linguistics, educational linguistics).
• Research interests with relevance to critical sociolinguistic and educational perspectives on LLMs.
• Interest in research and teaching projects related to the development of critical AI and language literacy.
• Teaching experience at tertiary level and ability to teach classes in the area of English linguistics.
• Excellent command of written and spoken English.
• Ability to work independently and in a team.

A focus of research in one of the following areas is desirable:

• Language ideologies.
• Literacy development.
• Digital practices.
• Coding and/or machine learning.

We further expect you to have:

• Publications in high-quality outlets (peer-reviewed according to subject-specific standards).
• Presentations at international conferences.
• Experience of university-level teaching and supervision of students.
• Knowledge of German at level B1 CEFR or the willingness to learn German up to this level in the first years of employment.

Desirable further qualifications:

• Knowledge of university structures and processes.
• Experience in the acquisition of third-party funding.
• Experience of studying/working abroad.
• Experience in student supervision and guidance.

We offer:

• Work-life balance: Our employees have the option of working from home for 20% of the contracted hours.
• Inspiring working atmosphere: You are a part of an international academic team with excellent research infrastructure.
• Good public transport connections: Your workplace in the centre of beautiful Vienna is easily accessible by public transport.
• Internal further training & Coaching: Opportunity to deepen your skills on an ongoing basis. There are over 600 courses to choose from – free of charge.
• Fixed-term contract and fair salary: The basic salary of EUR 5.014,30 (14 times a year) for a period of 6 years / 72 months increases if we can credit professional experience.
• Equal opportunities for all: We welcome every additional/new personality to the team!

How to apply: Please enclose the following with your application (either in German or English, unless specified):

• CV and relevant certificates etc. (if available, please include student feedback).
• Letter of motivation (max. 2 pages).
• Description of research plans for the next 6 years (possibly of “Habilitation” Project) (max. 3 pages in English).
• Teaching concept and syllabus for the course Language, Literacy and AI (max 2 pages, in English).
• A 2-3 page description of how you understand the concept of Critical AI Language Literacy.
• List of courses taught.
• List of publications and research projects.
• Contact details of two academic referees.

If you have any questions, please contact: Britta Schneider at britta.schneider@univie.ac.at.

The University of Vienna has an anti-discriminatory employment policy and attaches great importance to equal opportunities, the advancement of women and diversity. We place particular emphasis on enhancing women’s representation among the academic and general university staff, particularly in leadership roles, and therefore expressly encourage qualified women to apply. Given equal qualifications, preference will be given to female candidates.

Application deadline: 07/09/2026.