Professorship in Philosophy of Mind and Language

Universität Zürich; Zürich; On-site; CHF 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Zurich invites applications for a professorship in philosophy of mind and language to start on 1 August 2028. The appointee will combine outstanding research in mind and language with broad teaching across theoretical philosophy.

Strong interdisciplinary expertise in empirical fields related to the NCCR Evolving Language and collaboration with colleagues in philosophy and across faculties are expected. German language acquisition within three years is required.

Qualifications

• PhD in Philosophy required at time of application.
• Outstanding international research profile in mind and language.
• Proven ability to teach across theoretical philosophy and related history topics.

Responsibilities

• Teach across the full range of theoretical philosophy.
• Collaborate with colleagues in philosophy and across the university.
• Contribute to the NCCR Evolving Language project and related research.

Skills

Philosophy of mind

Philosophy of language

Interdisciplinary research

Education

PhD in Philosophy

Job description

Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

The University of Zurich invites applications for a professorship in philosophy of mind and language starting on 1 August 2028.

The successful candidate will have an outstanding and internationally recognised research profile clearly grounded in philosophy, with demonstrated expertise in both philosophy of mind and philosophy of language, together with an extensive teaching experience. The successful candidate must also have substantial interdisciplinary expertise in at least one empirical research field relevant to the NCCR «Evolving Language», such as evolutionary language research, biological anthropology, cognitive ethology or animal communication, developmental psychology, cognitive psychology, cognitive neuroscience, computational linguistics, or generative AI.

The appointee will be expected to contribute to teaching across the full range of theoretical philosophy, and it would be advantageous if they were also able to offer courses in selected areas of the history of philosophy. In addition to providing innovative contributions to research in the field, the successful candidate will be expected to collaborate in both research and teaching with colleagues within the Department of Philosophy (in particular those working on normativity), across the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, with other faculties at the University of Zurich, and with national and international partners (notably the NCCR «Evolving Language»).

Applicants must hold a PhD in Philosophy at the time of application and have an excellent record of further scholarly publications demonstrating an additional area of expertise. Depending on qualifications and experience, the position will be appointed at the level of Full Professor or Associate Professor. German is the administrative language of the University of Zurich; therefore, the successful candidate will be expected to acquire an adequate command of German within three years of appointment.

The Department of Philosophy, the University of Zurich, and the wider Zurich academic environment offer a stimulating setting for research and teaching, with extensive opportunities for academic exchange and collaboration. The University of Zurich is an equal opportunities employer and committed to diversity in research and teaching. Therefore, applications from candidates of all backgrounds are encouraged.