Postdoctoral Researcher in Coptic Christianity Universität Wien

Job description:

At the University of Vienna almost 11,000 personalities work together towards answering the big questions of the future. Around 7,700  of them do research and teaching, around 3,000 work in administration and organisation. We are looking for a/an

Postdoctoral Researcher in Coptic Christianity

Explore and teach at the University of Vienna, where over 7,500 brilliant minds have found a unique balance of freedom and support. Join us if you’re passionate about groundbreaking international research and academic excellence. Ready to be part of our team? Let’s shape the future together!

Your position:

Working with Dr Dan Batovici, the PI, the post holder will be part of the ERC CoG project Secondary Pseudepigraphy: Claimed Apostolically-Connected Authors and the Reception of Early Christian Literature, which will start in September 2026.

CLAIM Project (claim.univie.ac.at) tackles across five manuscript cultures (Greek, Latin, Coptic, Syriac, and Armenian) the complex literature attributed to secondary figures of the earliest Christianity that are styled as companions, followers, or otherwise interlocutors of main apostolic figures.

The post holder will be responsible for carrying out research on the literature attributed to early Christian figures styled as followers of the apostles (e.g. Clement of Rome or Hermas) and their manuscript transmission in Coptic, and for producing a critical edition of a central text in the corpus.

The successful candidate will be a specialist in Coptic studies with good knowledge of Greek, will hold or be close to obtaining a PhD in a relevant field, and will have significant experience in working with and editing Coptic manuscripts. 

The position is meant as stepping stone for the development of the career of the postdoctoral researcher. 

The language of the project is English.

Your future tasks:

•    Manage your own academic research as well as scholarly and administrative activities as directed by the PI.
•    Carry out research in relevant manuscript libraries (e.g. the British Library and the Bibliothèque nationale de France). 
•    You will be contributing on the Coptic side of the CLAIM project and collaborate with your colleagues that work on the Greek, Coptic, Latin, and Armenian.
•    Compile and update the list of Coptic manuscripts with CLAIM writings and feed the data in the project database.
•    Co-organise the seminar, conferences and workshops of the project, and co-edit the volumes of proceedings.
•    Represent the CLAIM project at external conferences, and prepare results for publications, individually or in collaboration with your colleagues.

Selection criteria:

•    Excellent knowledge of Coptic and experience in working with Coptic manuscripts.
•    The ability to work independently as well as in collaboration with your colleagues.
•    Demonstrable experience of independent scholarly writing at a high academic level.
•    Working experience on early Christian literature can be a plus but it is not a requirement.

This position is based in Vienna. It is a full-time, fixed-term position for 30 months, available from 1 September 2026, or soon after.

The closing date for application is 1 July 2026.

What we offer:

Work-life balance: Our employees enjoy flexible working hours, remote/hybrid and/or part-time work (upon agreement).

Inspiring working atmosphere: You are a part of an international academic team in a healthy and fair working environment.

Good public transport connections: Your workplace in the center of beautiful Vienna is easily accessible by public transport.

Internal further training & Coaching: Opportunity to deepen your skills on an ongoing basis. There are over 600 courses to choose from – free of charge.

Fixed-term contract and fair salary: The basic salary of EUR 5.014,30 (14 times a year) for a period of 30 months increases if we can credit professional experience.

Equal opportunities for all: We welcome every additional/new personality to the team!

How to apply:

Applications are made through our Recruitment Tool; click through here. You will need to upload the following, all in PDF format:

•    Your academic CV, including publications list and the details of two referees (who will only be contacted if the application is shortlisted).
•    A motivation letter explaining how you meet the selection criteria, and how your previous work experience could be relevant (max 2 pages).
•    A writing sample: an article, book chapter, thesis chapter, or unpublished manuscript, ideally no longer than 10,000 words. 

For any enquiries don’t hesitate to contact Dan Batovici at danb76@univie.ac.at.

If you have any content questions, please contact:

Daniel Batovici

daniel.batovici@univie.ac.at

We look forward to new personalities in our team! 
The University of Vienna has an anti-discriminatory employment policy and attaches great importance to equal opportunities, the advancement of women and diversity. We place particular emphasis on enhancing women’s representation among the academic and general university staff, particularly in leadership roles, and therefore expressly encourage qualified women to apply. Given equal qualifications, preference will be given to female candidates.

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Application deadline: 07/01/2026 

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