University assistant (prae doc) - Department of Government

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 departmentCompleting a dissertation agreement (incl. full doctoral proposal to be assessed by a faculty board) within 12 monthsPresenting your research at international conferencesPublishing your research in international outletsIndependent teaching of courses as defined by the university’s collective bargaining agreementParticipation in administrative activitiesParticipation 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 positionClear vision of an innovative doctoral research projectResearch focus on comparative political institutions, comparative political economy and/or comparative political behaviourAdvanced knowledge of social research methodsExcellent 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 vitaeMotivation 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 refereesUniversity certificates, including full transcripts of recordsVia our job portal/ Apply now – buttonIf you have any questions, please contact:Nicole Haas n.haas@univie.ac.atWe 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.Data protection​Application deadline: 28.01.2026 Apply now