University assistant predoctoral (Short-term finishing Contract)

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 (Short-term finishing Contract)

50 Faculty of Life Sciences
Startdate: 01.11.2025 | Working hours: 20 | Collective bargaining agreement: §48 VwGr. B1 Grundstufe (praedoc)
Limited until: permanent
Reference no.: 4471

The Vienna Doctoral School in Cognition, Behavior and Neuroscience promotes innovative, excellent and interdisciplinary research in the areas of Psychological Science, Behavioral & Cognitive Biology, Neuroscience, and the Cognitive Humanities at the University of Vienna. The uniting theme is the interdisciplinary interest in human and non-human behavior, understanding its underlying cognitive, emotional, social, cultural, physiological, and neurobiological bases, studying how the brain maintains or changes functionality over time, and probing its evolutionary origins and development. The mission of the Vienna Doctoral School in Cognition, Behavior and Neuroscience is to enhance academic and professional development of PhD candidates, advance intellectual communication and scholarship across disciplines, and promote cultural diversity, scientific integrity, and international collaboration.

Your personal sphere of influence:

With the VDS CoBeNe Short-term Finishing Contracts, the Vienna Doctoral School of Cognition, Behavior and Neuroscience supports CoBeNe doctoral candidates in the final phase of their doctoral studies. The 4-month short-term finishing contracts as University assistants (predoctoral) are offered for VDS CoBeNe PhD candidates who have successfully passed their public presentation at the Faculty, concluded the doctoral thesis agreement and, since then, submitted the annual progress reports and held their TAC meetings.

Your tasks:

• The doctoral thesis should be completed and submitted at the end of this employment. At the time of the application, approximately half of the doctoral thesis should be finalised. 
• Applicants should have an excellent study record (duration of studies, grades) and provide evidence of relevant academic achievements (conference presentations, publications, etc.).
• Applicants must be members of the VDS CoBeNe.

Requirements:

• Work on the dissertation must already be sufficiently advanced at the time of application that it can realistically be expected that the submission of the completed dissertation can take place at the latest at the end of the funding period (maximum 4 months) 
• Very good academic records (seminars, publications, conference presentations) 
• A statement from your supervisor committing to support your finalization phase
• Compliance with the CoBeNe regulations for PhD candidates (agreement to the Code of Good Practice, FÖP within the first 2 semester, doctoral thesis agreement, all annual reports, and TAC meetings)
• Active participation in VDS CoBeNe activities are highly valued in the selection process.

What we offer:

The employment duration is 4 months. Job grading in accordance with collective bargaining agreement: §48 VwGr. B1 Grundstufe (praedoc) with relevant work experience determining the assignment to a particular salary grade (Salary scheme).

Work-life balance: Our employees enjoy flexible, family-friendly working hours, remote/hybrid (upon agreement).

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 3.714,80 (on a full-time basis; 14 times a year) increases if we can credit professional experience.

Equal opportunities for everyone: We look forward to diverse personalities in the team!

It is that easy to apply:

Please combine the following documents into one PDF file (if possible):

• A report on the current status of the doctoral thesis including an abstract (1,000–2,000 characters without spaces), a tabular overview of the chapters including information about the completion status of each chapter, and a work schedule for the completion of the doctoral thesis (no more than 4 pages including a list of references, font size of 11pt, 1.5 line spacing). Please use the  VDS CoBeNe completion grant template, which can  be found on the CoBeNe homepage.
• CV in tabular form (no more than 3 pages including a list of publications and conference presentations, if available).
• Doctoral thesis agreement, annual progress reports and transcript of records (“Sammelzeugnis”). (if available)
• Positive statement/s from your supervisor/s.
• Conferment certificate(s) on academic degrees.
• Via our job portal/ Apply now -  button end of this page.

If you have any questions, please contact:

Dr. Katja Hellekes

katja.hellekes@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: 09/11/2025 (MM-DD-YYYY)

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