The professorship for history and philosophy of mathematical sciences, led by Prof. Roy Wagner, is a place for reflecting on all aspects of mathematical knowledge from the point of view of the humanities. Our team studies various historical and contemporary mathematical cultures from a multitude of methodological approaches.
Project background
We are looking for a doctoral student to conduct research on the development, practice, or social and cultural roles of mathematics (including mathematical aspects of other sciences) from the points of view of history, philosophy or neighbouring humanities disciplines. The starting date is around September 2026.
Job description
- You will be in charge of your own research
- You will take part in the professorship’s academic and social activities
- You will be gradually integrated into the teaching activities in the professorship based on your research progress
- You will have access to research and travel funding, an international network of collaborators, and the wide variety of ETH career development resources
- The working language is English
- An aptitude colloquium must be passed by the end of the first year, after which the position is extended for three more years
Profile
- You are required to have an MA degree or equivalent in a field related to your research before the beginning of your employment
- You must design and manage your own research under the guidance of your supervisors
- You must be willing to exchange with your fellow team members, support them, and learn from them. Non-traditional research topics, questions and methods are encouraged
- We also encourage projects on non-European mathematics, commercial or practical mathematics, cross-cultural mathematical exchange, and philosophical projects that consider mathematics as a practice, rather than as an abstract ideal. The chair is not a good environment for strict analytic philosophy projects, but is open to projects that integrate analytic philosophy methodologies
We offer
- The position is full time (41 hours per week) by default, but can be reduced for care-work, health, or wellbeing
- Flexible working conditions (flexible working hours, possibility for part-time work, home office)
- The pay-scale is available here
- Training opportunities and perspectives for career development
- Support programmes (e.g. mentoring) and networks
- Commitment to diversity
Working, teaching and research at ETH Zurich
Curious? So are we.
We look forward to receiving your online application by May 31, with the following documents:
- CV with list of publications
- A one page summary of your MA dissertation and/or past studies trajectory (up to 3,500 characters)
- A one page presentation of your tentative research interests, which should be as focused and concrete as you can make them at this point of your career (up to 3,500 characters)
- A half page statement (up to 2,000 characters) explaining how you can contribute to improving wellbeing, diversity, inclusion and/or equity in the research group, department, university, or discipline. This may include relevant background, training, activities, etc.
- The names and contact details of 1-2 references (no reference letters are required at this stage)
The applications will be evaluated on a rolling basis, so early applications are encouraged. Candidates may be asked for additional documents (such as references, writing samples, etc.) and may be invited for interviews. A decision will be made by the end of June 2026.
Please note that we exclusively accept applications submitted through our online application portal. Applications via email or postal services will not be considered. Questions regarding the position should be directed to Prof. Roy Wagner at roy.wagner@gess.ethz.ch.
We would like to point out that the pre-selection is carried out by the responsible recruiters and not by artificial intelligence.
