Doctoral-position in history and philosophy of the social sciences or sociology of science - University of Zurich

The chair of Social Theory and Philosophy of the Social Sciences held by Ass.-Prof. Dr. Catherine Herfeld at the University of Zurich invites applications for a doctoral position, starting as soon as possible and no later than December 1st, 2017.
We are especially interested in candidates who want to work in the field of philosophy of the social sciences, sociology of science, or history of economics. Ideally, the candidate plans to work on a topic closely related to the research projects undertaken at the chair (projects concerning the conceptual, historical, and sociological study of knowledge transfer in general and of the diffusion of scientific innovations in particular; conflicts of interest in science; scientific realism and explanation in economics; empirical studies of the gender gap in philosophy; the history of rational choice theories, among others).
The position is funded until December 2018. The candidate will then have to apply for external funding. Switzerland offers a range of third-party funding opportunities for doctoral students.

Candidates who have not finished their MA at the time of the application deadline must provide evidence that they will have their MA in hand at the time the position starts. Applications (including a cover letter that addresses, amongst others, one's academic background, research interests and the proposed starting date, a CV including a list of publications (if applicable), a sample of written work of no more than 3000 words, and a description of the planned PhD-project of max. 2000 words) should be sent by email (in one PDF document) to Catherine.Herfeld@uzh.ch by October 25, 2017 the latest. Hard copy applications are not accepted. Additionally, one confidential letter of reference addressing the applicant's qualifications for academic research should be sent to the same email address from the referees directly.

The chair is affiliated with the Sociology department and the Philosophy department of the University of Zurich. Both departments host a vibrant research community of faculty, postdoctoral fellows, doctoral fellows, and master students. The successful candidates will partake in the chair's academic activities and enjoy its administrative facilities and support. Fluency in German is not mandatory but certainly beneficial.
We especially encourage female scholars to apply. It is the endeavor of the University of Zurich to raise the percentage of women among its academic personnel. Furthermore, given equal qualification, preference will be given to candidates with disabilities.
For further information, please contact Catherine Herfeld
Ass.-Prof. Dr. Catherine Herfeld
Institute of Philosophy