Postdoctoral in Social Philosophy

The Department of Philosophy and History of Ideas, School of Culture and Society, Faculty of Arts, Aarhus University invites applications for a 2,5 years fixed-term postdoctoral position in social philosophy. The appointment begins on September 1 2025 or as soon as possible thereafter.

The university is keen for its staff to reflect the diversity of society and thus welcomes applications from all qualified applicants regardless of their personal background.

Research context

The successful applicant will join the ERC-funded project The Glue of Society: A Social Ontology of Social Cohesion [GLUE], led by PI Associate Professor Nicolai Krejberg Knudsen. The GLUE project aims to provide a philosophical clarification of the concept of social cohesion and to accounts for its role in constituting and maintaining the social world. For more information, please refer to GLUE.

We are looking for an innovative scholar with a background in social philosophy, preferably with a specialization in social ontology. Research interests in phenomenology and/or political philosophy is an advantage but not a requirement.

The position

The successful applicant is expected to

• Develop their research within the framework of the GLUE project, particularly focusing on Phase 2: An Explanatory Social Ontology of Social Cohesion, in close collaboration with the PI,
• Present their research at national and international events and publish results in peer-reviewed international scientific journals in a timely fashion,
• Actively participate in the daily on-site working environment at Aarhus University,
• Collaborate with team members, for instance, by co-authoring articles and reviewing relevant literature,
• Initiate and help to organize research workshops, conferences, seminars, and other activities.

Applicants for this position must hold a PhD degree in philosophy or be at PhD level, and must be able to document:

• Expertise in social philosophy,
• An interest in collective intentionality, shared emotions, group agency, social normativity, institutional reality, and/or team reasoning,
• A research profile of high international quality,
• The ability and willingness to engage in close collaboration with the team and the local research environment, and fluency in written and spoken English.

Ideally, applicants should also be able to document:

• Experience of conference organization, and
• Experience of editorial work.

Application material and procedure

The applicants are asked to submit:

• A project description (maximum three pages) in which they indicate how they will contribute to the overall project. The project description should ideally demonstrate excellent knowledge of the relevant philosophical literature,
• A concise statement of motivation for applying for the position (maximum one page), and 
• A maximum of two publications or submitted papers (please note that a list of publications is not enough; the papers must be uploaded with the application)

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