University assistant (prae doc) - Department of Government

Universität Wien

Job description:

The University of Vienna is a community of almost 11,000 individuals, including approximately 7,700 academic staff members, who passionately pursue answers to the profound questions that shape our future. They represent individuals driven by curiosity and a relentless pursuit of excellence. With us, they find the space to try things out and unfold their potential. Are you inspired by their passion and determination? We are currently seeking a/an

University Assistant (prae doc) - Department of Government

Explore and teach at the University of Vienna, where more than 7,500 academics thrive on curiosity in continuous exploration and help us better understand our world. Does this sound like you? Then join our accomplished team!

The Department of Government, subunit of the Faculty of Social Sciences, is looking for a University Assistant (prae doc) in research areas represented at the Department of Government, especially on political representation, party competition, political institutions, political economy or political behaviour.

Your role:

As a University Assistant (prae doc), you will be part of our research team and participate in the academic life at the department while pursuing your doctoral research. The focus of our research is in the field of Comparative Politics, broadly conceived.

The employment duration is 4 years. Initially limited to 1.5 years, the employment relationship is automatically extended to 4 years if the employer does not terminate it within the first 12 months by submitting a non-extension declaration.

Your future tasks:

• Pursuing your doctoral research independently with the support of two academic supervisors from the department
• Completing a dissertation agreement (incl. full doctoral proposal to be assessed by a faculty board) within 12 months
• Presenting your research at international conferences
• Publishing your research in international outlets
• Independent teaching of courses as defined by the university’s collective bargaining agreement
• Participation in administrative activities
• Participation in evaluation activities and quality assurance

This is part of your personality:

• Completed Diploma or Master's Degree in the Social Sciences (Political Science, Economics, Psychology, Sociology, Communication) by the start date of the position
• Clear vision of an innovative doctoral research project
• Research focus on comparative political institutions, comparative political economy and/or comparative political behaviour
• Advanced knowledge of social research methods
• Excellent command of written and spoken English (C1 Level)

What we offer:

Supervision: You will be supervised on your doctoral journey by two academic supervisors at the department.

Work-life balance: Our employees enjoy flexible working hours and can partially work remotely (within Austria).

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 is in the centre of beautiful Vienna and is easily accessible by public transport.

Internal training & coaching: Opportunity to deepen your skills on an ongoing basis, including in a social science doctoral school. In total, across the university, there are over 600 courses to choose from – free of charge.

Fair salary: A current base salary of EUR 3,714.80 (full-time basis) (14 times a year). Note that this salary is for 40 hours/week, whereas this contract will have 30 hours/week, in line with usual practice at the University of Vienna. The salary increases after completion of three years of service.

Equal opportunities for everyone: We value all forms of diversity in our team!

It is that easy to apply:

• Academic curriculum vitae
• Motivation letter, including an identification of 2 or 3 suitable supervisors for your project in the department (max. 2 pages)
• Doctoral project proposal (between 1500 and 2000 words)
• Contact details of two academic referees
• University certificates, including full transcripts of records
• Via our job portal/ Apply now – button

If you have any questions, please contact:

Nicole Haas  

n.haas@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.

University of Vienna. Space for personalities. Since 1365.

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​Application deadline: 28.01.2026 

Apply now