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The Walter Benjamin Kolleg (WBKolleg) at the Faculty of Humanities, University of Bern, includes an Interdisciplinary Postgraduate Research Network (IPN), which is home to the Graduate School of the Arts and Humanities (GSAH) as well as Junior Fellows. For the autumn semester 2025, the IPN is offering start-up fellowships (6 months, 55%) for promising postdoctoral researchers from the humanities, cultural and social sciences. The call is aimed in particular at those who are seeking a longer-term connection to the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Bern via corresponding funding schemes (such as SNSF Postdoc.Mobility, SNSF Ambizione, SNSF Starting Grant or corresponding ERC Starting Grant, SNSF Swiss Postdoctoral Fellowship or corresponding MSCA Fellowship).
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Tasks
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- You will prepare a competitive application for a grant or a project that will be based at the University of Bern.
- You are willing to contribute actively to the academic activities at the WBKolleg (presenting your project, involvement in an event, invitation of a guest researcher, or similar activities).
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Requirements
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- You have an excellent doctorate in any discipline in the humanities, cultural and social sciences.
- You are working on an interdisciplinary postdoc project.
- You have knowledge of German (at least passive) and English (active and passive).
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We offer
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- Salary according to cantonal guidelines (Bern)
- Mentoring by faculty members
- Professional grant application coaching
- An interdisciplinary intellectual environment
- Support in networking with members of the faculty
- Professional workplaces
- Use of infrastructure
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Workload
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55 % (6 months)
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Start of employment
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1 August 2025
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Start of employment
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31 January 2026
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Application documents
(German or English)
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Motivation letter
- Motivation (max. 1 page, incl. desired networking opportunities in Bern)
- Name of the institution (e.g. SNSF) to which an application is to be submitted and the intended funding category (e.g. SNSF Ambizione)
Applicants who wish to prepare an application for an SNSF Ambizione, SNSF Starting Grant or corresponding ERC Starting Grant, SNSF Swiss Postdoctoral Fellowship or corresponding MSCA Fellowship at any institute of the faculty should already have established contact with the relevant faculty members (please mention contacts).
- Schedule for the duration of the six months fellowship in Bern (max. 1 page)
Project description
- Abstract in English (15–20 lines)
- 5–10 keywords
- Research project: Theses, theory, method, literature, preliminary work (max. 5 pages)
Reference
- A letter of recommendation
Curriculum vitae
- CV (max. 2 pages)
- list of publications
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Application deadline
Interviews
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02 March 2025
29 April 2025 (by invitation)
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Application
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Please send all application documents in one PDF-file (surname_ifn_hs25.pdf) to: michael.toggweiler@unibe.ch
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Contact/questions
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If you have any questions about the application procedure, please contact the IPN coordinator, Dr. Michael Toggweiler: michael.toggweiler@unibe.ch
For questions regarding the program's content, please contact the IPN director, Prof. Dr. Serena Tolino serena.tolino@unibe.ch
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