Vacant Research Associate Position

18 March 2026

Photo: CSMC

The Cluster of Excellence ‘Understanding Written Artefacts’ (UWA) and the Institute for Jewish Studies are looking for a doctoral researcher in the field of Jewish Studies. The position is part-time and fixed term, with a duration of three years.

The core focus of this position is your three-year individual research project, which will form the foundation of your contribution to the interdisciplinary group ‘Turning Rock into Pixels’. The group aims to explore the rich cultural heritage of the Jewish cemetery in Hamburg-Altona, which features over 7,000 inscribed tombstones and includes scholars from the fields of Human-Computer Interaction, Mineralogy, Historical Research and Jewish Studies.

Applications should include a project proposal (3­–5 pages plus bibliography; designed for a duration of three years) according to your field and interest. Proposals should take into account the materiality of the sources and fit the overall research programme of UWA. The project may focus, for example, on the social, cultural, legal, or religious aspects of communities in Altona, Wandsbek, and Hamburg during the early modern period, or it may focus on a digital humanities component, employing quantitative and statistical methods to analyse tombstones, familial connections, or iconographic features. Alongside your individual research project, you will contribute to the acquisition and review of archival materials relevant to the research infrastructure being established by the group.

Furthermore, you will actively contribute to the UWA’s interdisciplinary Graduate School and collaborative research activities. These activities include participating in research meetings, organising scholarly events, and developing relevant networks.

The position is offered together by the UWA Cluster of Excellence and the Institute for Jewish Studies (IJS). The IJS is one of the leading institutions in the German-speaking world for the study of Jewish intellectual and cultural history, and it is part of the Department of Religions, closely collaborating with the Alevi, Islamic, Protestant and Catholic theology, the Academy of World Religions and other religion-related subjects and chairs in the Faculty of Humanities.

The deadline for applications is 8 April 2026. More information on the position and how to apply is available here.