University assistant predoctoral Universität Wien

Job description:

At the University of Vienna, over 10,000 people work together on the big questions of the future. Approximately 7,500 of them are academic staff members. These are individuals who, with their curiosity and their continuous pursuit of excellence, engage in international cutting-edge research and teaching. With us, you will also find space to unfold your potential. We are looking for a/an 

University assistant predoctoral

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!

Your personal sphere of influence:

The Department of Linguistics is a sub-unit of the Faculty of Philological and Cultural Studies, consisting of four main branches (Applied Linguistics, General Linguistics, Historical Linguistics, Psycholinguistics). The announced four-year position for a university assistant (PhD position) will be associated with the branch of Applied Linguistics (chaired by Prof. Dr. Jürgen Spitzmüller).

Applied Linguistics deals with language in social context and practice. In the context of the Viennese Institute, the discipline primarily covers sociolinguistics, metapragmatics, discourse analysis, multimodal text and media research (the main foci of the chair) as well as conversation analysis, institutional communication, multilingualism, language policy and pragmatics. Applied Linguistics is conceived as an empirically driven, theory-building discipline which is also participating and taking stand in public discourse on linguistic matters. In the context of the Department of Linguistics, Applied Linguistics is furthermore committed to the common institutional goal of exploring language in a comprehensive sense (as a system, competence and social practice).

The PhD candidate will be integrated in the Doctoral School of Philological and Cultural Studies (PhilKult) at the University of Vienna (https://ds-philkult.univie.ac.at/en/). The main goal of the doctoral school is to provide additional support that helps developing a thesis as well as networking and knowledge exchange possibilities beyond departmental level.

Your future tasks:

Participation in research, teaching and administration in the area of Applied Linguistics:

• Possibility to write a PhD dissertation
• Further publication and presentation activities
• Participation in research, teaching and administration
• Involvement in project application and (external) fund-raising
• Participation in organization of conferences
• Teaching due to extent regulations of wage agreement
• Examination activities and support of students
• Participation in administration of the department

This is part of your personality:

• Postgraduate degree (MA) in Applied Linguistics or equivalent degree in a related discipline with focus on at least one of the following approaches: sociolinguistics, discourse analysis, media/text linguistics or pragmatics
• High interest in research and teaching and particularly in international exchange is expected
• Computer literacy  (text processing and presentation software) and willingness to explore technologies that are relevant for research and teaching (e.g. software for data analysis, LaTeX, e-learning tools)
• Fluency in English in writing and speaking
• At least basic command of written and spoken German/willingness to learn German
• Ability to work in teams and willingness to cooperate in research and teaching
• Experience in external fund-raising is advantageous
• You are motivated and self-propelled
• You are flexible and creative
• You should be a team player with high social skills

What we offer:

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

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.

Fair salary: The basic salary of EUR 3,776.10 (on a full-time basis) increases if we can credit professional experience.

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

It is that easy to apply:

• Letter of motivation (German or English)
• Academic CV
• Evidence for performed scholarly and academic activities (e.g., publications, presentations, institutional work)
• Proposal for/Outline of a PhD project
• Degree certificates, academic records
• Names and contact data of three referees
• Via our  job portal/ Apply now -  button

If you have any questions, please contact:

Jürgen Spitzmüller  

juergen.spitzmueller@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 lay special emphasis on increasing the number of women in senior and in academic positions among the academic and general university staff 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: 06/07/2026 

Apply now