Employed PhD Position in Cognitive Science/Philosophy of Mind (m/f/x)

Ruhr University Bochum; Bochum; On-site; EUR 32,000 - 42,000; Part time

Job summary

Ruhr-Universität Bochum invites applications for an Employed PhD Position in Cognitive Science/Philosophy of Mind (m/f/x). The fixed-term, part-time role (65%) is anchored in the Chair of Philosophy of Language and Cognition and the CRC 1844, focusing on episodic memory and referential theory.

You will conduct interdisciplinary work with philosophy, psychology, and computational neuroscience, including modelling, fMRI, and linguistic studies, aiming to delineate episodic memory as a natural kind.

Qualifications

• MA/MSc in Cognitive Science, Philosophy, Psychology, or Computational/Cognitive Neuroscience.
• Background in philosophical or psychological theories of memory, mental representation, and/or reference is desirable.
• Mathematical programming skills are an advantage.
• Very good scientific/philosophical writing skills are required.

Responsibilities

• Attest, survey, and classify memories with episodic-like phenomenology.
• Develop a theory of mnemic reference based on memory traces and scenario construction.
• Generate and test hypotheses on trace formation, modulation, and semanticization.
• Investigate whether memory cases share a common underlying mechanism.
• (Co-)author publications on the project and related topics.
• Support reporting, organization and administrative tasks in the CRC context.

Skills

Scientific writing

Mathematical programming

Education

MA/MSc in Cognitive Science, Philosophy, Psychology, or Computational/Cognitive Neuroscience

Job description

Faculty of Philosophy and Educational Research : Institute for Philosophy II Chair of Philosophy of Language and Cognition

In order to fill a fixed‑term position in part‑time (25,8895 = 65%) 01.01.2027, we are looking for a

Employed PhD Position in Cognitive Science/Philosophy of Mind (m/f/x)

The successful applicant (m/f/x) will be affiliated with the the Chair of Philosophy of Language and Cognition (rub.de/phil-lang) and work within the Collaborative Research Center “Episodic Memory” (CRC 1844). They will pursue the philosophy‑of‑mind and cognitive science part of the research project A05 \"Mnemic referential dependencies: Specificity and the role of traces in scenario construction\". The CRC is an interdisciplinary consortium consisting of researchers from philosophy, psychology, and (computational) neuroscience. The basis for our research is Trace Minimalism (Werning, 2020) and the Scenario Construction Framework (Cheng, Werning, Suddendorf, 2016), which conceptualize scenarios as mental simulations of past episodes, constructed from minimal memory traces and semantic information. The Chair of Philosophy of Language and Cognition (rub.de/phil-lang) belongs to one of the largest and most research‑active philosophy departments in Germany and is member of the Center for Theoretical and Integrative Neuro‑and Cognitive Science THINK as well as the Center of Mind and Cognition at Ruhr University Bochum. Our agenda is deeply rooted in a naturalistic understanding of philosophy. We approach questions in the philosophy of mind and cognitive science with exact theoretical and advanced empirical methods.

On a funded PhD position (m/f/x), you will investigate the relationship between minimal memory traces and reference relations in various types of memories, including episodic memories from perceptions and dreams as well as generic memories with an episodic‑like phenomenology. You will closely interact with, and contribute to studies that involve computational modelling, neuroimaging (fMRI), and experimental linguistic research. The overarching goal is the theoretical question of how to chart the boarders of episodic memory as a natural kind (Werning, 2026). The starting point of our account of reference is the theory of referential parasitism (Werning & Liefke, 2024, 2025).

Scope: part-time

Duration: fixed-term,31.12.2030

Start: 01.01.2027

Apply by: 2026-10-19

Your tasks:

• Attest, survey, and classify cases of memories with an episodic-like phenomenology
• Develop a theory of mnemic reference on the basis of evidence about memory traces, engrams, and scenario construction from psychology, neuroscience, compuational modelling, and phenomenology
• Generate and test hypotheses about the mechanisms underlying trace formation, modulation, multiplication, and semanticization in the different cases of memory
• Address the question of whether and to which extent the different cases of memory are subserved by a uniform underlying mechanism and can be subsumed under a natural kind of episodic memory
• (Co-)author publications on the project and related topics
• Support reporting, organization, and adminstrative tasks in the context of the CRC

Your profile:

• You have an MA/MSc in Cognitive Science, Philosophy, Psychology, or Computational/Cognitive Neuroscience
• A background in philosophical or psychological theories of memory, mental representation, and/or reference is desirable.
• Mathematical progamming skills are an advantage.
• Very good scientific/philosophical writing skills are required.

Your application should include:

• CV (including list of publications)
• Letter of Interest (max. 1 page)
• A writing sample that reflects the applicant's approach/methods
• Contact information of 2 references.

We offer:

Employment at one of the largest universities in Germany within the University Alliance Ruhr, Collaboration in a committed and appreciative team, Support in combining family life and work (including childcare arrangements/holiday offers/mobile playroom)

• Cutting-edge research on episodic memory
• Working in an internationally renowned interdisciplinary team of philosophers, psychologists, and (compuational) neuroscientists
• Excellent research environments and facilities at our new research building THINK

Further information:

The position is salaried and based on the collective agreement of the Länder (TV-L). If the personal and collective agreement requirements are met, the employee will receive pay grade TV-L E 13 TV-L.

Further information can be found at https://oeffentlicher-dienst.info/ (in German).

The place of work is Ruhr University Bochum.

If the position is funded by third-party funds the employee has no teaching obligation.

The advertised position is conditional on a final positive funding decision by the DFG Senate in late November.

RUB sees itself as a university with an international presence. The campus languages are German and English. Competence in at least one of the two languages and the willingness to learn the other are a prerequisite. RUB provides corresponding free courses for employees.

German language courses are offered by the University Language Center (ZFA) in the field of German as a Foreign Language (DaF). https://www.daf.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/daf/mitarbeitende/index.html.en

The Staff Council has the right to participate in all selection interviews. At the request of a candidate (m/f/x), it will ensure its participation in the entire procedure. Please contact [e-mail].

Travel costs, accommodation costs and loss of earnings or other application costs for job interviews can unfortunately not be reimbursed.

Contact persons for further information:

Markus Werning+49 234 32 26739
Christiane Dahl (admin)[phone]

The Ruhr-Universität Bochum is one of Germany’s leading research universities, addressing the whole range of academic disciplines. A highly dynamic setting enables researchers and students to work across the traditional boundaries of academic subjects and faculties. To create knowledge networks within and beyond the university is Ruhr-Universität Bochum’s declared aim.

The Ruhr-Universität Bochum stands for diversity and equal opportunities. For this reason, we favour a working environment composed of heterogeneous teams, and seek to promote the careers of individuals who are underrepresented in our respective professional areas. The Ruhr-Universität Bochum expressly requests job applications from women. In areas in which they are underrepresented they will be given preference in the case of equivalent qualifications with male candidates. Applications from individuals with disabilities are most welcome.

RUHR-UNIVERSITÄT BOCHUM 44801 Bochum Universitätsstraße 150

https://uni.ruhr-uni