The Philosophy Department at the University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany, invites applications for a postdoctoral position (‘wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin’, comparable to an assistant professorship, 100% TVL).

Job description: You will be required to engage in independent research in the context of the project "Ethical Sentimentalism and the Nature of Emotion". Specifically, the research is to be carried out on the subproject "Metaphysical Sentimentalism and Emotion Theory". The incumbent will also be involved in the organisation of workshops and conferences, including the MetaEssen und PhEEL series. The position has no teaching duties, although teaching opportunities are available if teaching is desired.
Your profile: Candidates should have both a BA and a very good PhD in philosophy, and excellent command of the English language. You should be specialised in metaethics, metaphysics and philosophical psychology (particularly the philosophy of emotion). You should have a methodological orientation in analytic philosophy, together with a solid background in the history of philosophy. Finally, familiarity with areas of empirical psychology, especially psychological theories of emotion, would be highly desirable.

The work we are doing in the Research Group Philosophical Anthropology and Ethics is described at: https://www.uni-due.de/philosophie/anthropology/

Starting date: 1st October 2026

Contract duration: 3 years

Position type: Full-time (100% TVL); salary bracket 13 TV-L (gross salary 57.112 € - 81,176 €). The net salary depends on age, tax level (family situation), and years of academic experience. Part-time employment is possible.

Application deadline: 13.08.2026

How to apply: Please send a CV, a list of courses taught, a list of publications, copies of your transcripts and degree certificates, a writing sample and details of two referees (all in one PDF) by email to Neil Roughley (neil [dot] roughley [__at__] uni-due [dot] de), to whom any questions about the position can also be addressed. Please mention the reference number 336-26 in the mail’s subject line.

Diversity & Inclusiveness: The University of Duisburg-Essen is committed to promoting the diversity of its members (see: https://www.uni-due.de/diversity). It aims to increase the proportion of women among its academic staff and therefore strongly encourages suitably qualified women to apply. In accordance with the North Rhine-Westphalia Equal Opportunities Act (Landesgleichstellungsgesetz NRW), women will be given preference in cases of equal qualifications. Applications from suitably qualified persons with severe disabilities and persons of an equivalent status, as specified by Section 2(3) of the German Social Code, Book IX (SGB IX), are welcomed.