Stellenticket Technische Universität Dresden

The ERC-funded project "Network Epistemology in Practice" (NEPI) is seeking a research assistant in the Digital Humanities with a strong interest in the history, philosophy, and/or sociology of science.
NEPI investigates digital communication within the ATLAS collaboration at CERN, one of the world's largest experiments in particle physics. The project aims to uncover how knowledge is generated in large scientific collaborations by applying methods from social network analysis, large language models (LLMs), and knowledge graph technologies.
As part of a small, supportive research team, you'll have the opportunity to shape your own research profile while contributing to an ambitious interdisciplinary project. Continuation in follow-up projects is envisioned.

• Document and analyze digital communication channels within the ATLAS collaboration, with close attention to data protection and research ethics
• Develop a data model or ontology (e.g., based on CIDOC-CRM) suitable for historical and epistemological analysis
• Establish best practices for working with born-digital sources, particularly in the context of the history, philosophy, and sociology of science
• Design forward-looking archiving strategies for born-digital sources, incorporating emerging AI technologies (e.g., LLMs, Model Context Protocol)
• Co-organize an international workshop on born-digital sources in science studies
• Prepare your research findings for publication

You will complement the project team with your expertise in data modeling and with born digital sources and have relevant experience:

• Successfully completed university degree (Master, Diplom or equivalent) and PhD in History/Philosophy/Sociology of Science, Digital Humanities, Physics, Library or Information Science or a related discipline
• Willingness to engage with unfamiliar disciplines or methods is desirable
• Strong motivation to work in a collaborative, interdisciplinary team ist desirable
• Good command of English (written and spoken)
• Familiarity with data models or ontologies
• Interest in digital methods applied to research questions at the intersection of History/Philosophy/Sociology of Science
• Experience and/or interest in adapting data models or ontologies to specific research cases
• Background knowledge in particle physics or astrophysics is helpful but not required
• Additional language skills (e.g., German or French) are a plus but not mandatory; willingness to acquire the respective missing language skills.

Please submit the following documents with the reference number as a single PDF (max. 3 MB) to adrian.wuethrich@tu-berlin.de:

1. Cover letter (max. 2 pages) explaining your interest and suitability for the position
2. Curriculum vitae (max. 3 pages)
3. One or two academic writing samples (e.g., a published research article or a chapter of your PhD thesis). Writing samples in English are welcome
4. Names and contact information of 1 -2 academic referees (e.g., your last or current supervisor) who may be contacted during the selection process

Interviews with short-listed candidates are expected to take place between October 27 and October 30 (either on-site or online).

If your application exceeds 3 MB, please email the same address to request a secure upload link to the TU Berlin cloud service - at least one working day before the deadline.

By submitting your application via email you consent to having your data electronically processed and saved. Please note that we do not provide a guaranty for the protection of your personal data when submitted as unprotected file. Please find our data protection notice acc. DSGVO (General Data Protection Regulation) at the TU staff department homepage: https://www.abt2-t.tu-berlin.de/menue/themen_a_z/datenschutzerklaerung/.

To ensure equal opportunities between women and men, applications by women with the required qualifications are explicitly desired. Qualified individuals with disabilities will be favored. The TU Berlin values the diversity of its members and is committed to the goals of equal opportunities. Applications from people of all nationalities and with a migration background are very welcome.