The Lise Meitner Group “Coded Objects” led by Anna-Maria Meister at the Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz – Max Planck Institute seeks to appoint a:

Postdoctoral Position (M/F/D)

The deadline for application is December 20 2023, 12 pm CET. Interviews will be held virtually in January 2024. Candidates should propose a funding period of desired length with the earliest possible starting date in March 2024. Motivations for the proposed length of period and starting date should be made clear in the cover letter.

Responsibilities: The research associate will conduct their own research within the framework of the Lise Meitner Group. Excellence in research, commitment to pursue new insights through original scholarship, and willingness to become a constructive and committed part of a group of international scholars are essential. The research associate will actively participate in the group’s activities and is invited to contribute to its output (publications and other media). They will be responsible for planning and organizing workshops, visits, or other activities in collaboration with other group members, and are expected to contribute to a shared annotated research library and collection.

Requirements and application: This position is intended for a postdoctoral researcher who works on a research project related to the Lise Meitner Group. In addition to clarifying how residence in Florence benefits their research, candidates should include in their cover letter a statement of how their work advances the goals of the research group. Candidates are expected to review the Lise Meitner Group’s research agenda as well as the broader structure of the Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz where the group is located. We welcome applications from researchers in every field within architecture, design, arts and humanities with focus on the research group’s themes and methodological approaches, and preference given to projects spanning traditional disciplinary boundaries. The selection committee aims to assess the ability of candidates to contribute to the collaborative intellectual life of the research group. Candidates must be conversant in English at an appropriate level for scientific exchange.

This is a residential position. By the start of the appointment, candidates are expected to have taken up residence in Florence. The position may not be held concurrently with another employment or major fellowship award; applicants must disclose any supplementary funding and may not take on other obligations during their employment period.

If the requirements are met, we offer remuneration in accordance with the collective agreement for the public service (TVöD Bund E 13) with corresponding bonuses. Social benefits are granted as in the public service (“Bund”). Additional pension scheme provided by the Versorgungsanstalt des Bundes und der Länder (VBL). If the TVöD is not applicable, adequate remuneration will be paid in accordance with the remuneration scheme of the German Embassy in Rome. Selected candidates enjoy all the privileges of the institute, including library access, access to the Photothek, a research budget and their own carrel or desk.

We encourage individuals with non-conventional academic CVs and from communities that are underrepresented in academia to apply. The Max Planck Society is committed to fostering equal opportunities and diversity and welcomes applicants from all parts of society, regardless of gender, ethnicity, disabilities, or sexual orientation.

To apply the candidate must upload the following documents as PDF files to the application portal:

- Cover letter that clearly states the candidate’s contribution to the Lise Meitner Group’s objectives and indication of desired funding period
- Description of proposed research project (max. 1000 words), accompanied by a bibliography
- Curriculum vitae with list of publications (including those forthcoming, under revision, submitted, or in preparation)
- One reference letter
- Output proposal (max. 500 words). Depending on the proposed length of funding, this could be a site visit, a collaboration with a local collection, a research workshop, a publishable piece of writing, an exhibition, a digital project, or a contribution to a national or international conference. The proposal should detail specific names and locations and specify how the output aligns with the research group’s themes.