[PHILOS-L] PostDoc fellowship 2 years in Heidelberg

[Alex Wiegmann]

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The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Heidelberg University invite
applications for a *two-year post-doctoral fellowship*, starting *1
October, 2026*, or as soon as possible thereafter. The post-holder will
spend the first year at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the second
year at Heidelberg University. Remote work is not possible. Suitable
candidates will have a specialization in *philosophy of emotion and
political philosophy*, as well as *experience in using empirical methods*.
That said, we encourage candidates to apply even if they only roughly meet
these requirements.

The post is associated with, and made available through, a research grant
from the German-Israeli Foundation for Scientific Research and Development
(GIF), “Political Anger and Democracy: A Philosophical-Empirical Study”
(Principal Investigators: Oded Na'aman, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem,
and Nora Heinzelmann, Heidelberg University).

A short description of the research project: With populist movements rising
worldwide, democratic erosion has accelerated. Yet while research links
inequality, anger, polarization, and democratic decline, the relationship
between different types of anger and democracy remains poorly understood.
Superficially similar expressions of political anger may have opposite
democratic implications: some defend democratic accountability, others
undermine legitimate authority. The project develops a normative-empirical
matrix that systematically distinguishes between types of political anger
and their implications for democratic stability. It integrates
philosophical theories of anger with experimental methods from moral
psychology: through qualitative interviews, pilot studies, and large-scale
validation in both Germany and Israel, the project develops novel
measurements of what different expressions of anger are about—their
“fitting objects”—and examines how specific anger types relate to
democratic attitudes across political contexts. The aim is to provide tools
for distinguishing anger that strengthens democracy from anger that
undermines it.

The fellowship carries an average yearly salary of approximately 62,000 EUR
before tax.

To be eligible, applicants must have received their PhD no more than five
years before the start of the position, that is, on or after *1 October,
2021*. Candidates who have not yet completed their PhD may apply, provided
the degree is conferred before the position begins.

Applications should include a cover letter that explains the relevance of
the candidate’s background to the project, a CV, a list of publications,
the names and contact details of three referees (whom we may contact for
letters of recommendation later in the process), and a sample of written
work (a chapter from a monograph or doctoral dissertation or a recent
journal article).

All materials should be sent to lisa.W...@uni-heidelberg.de as one
pdf.  Informal inquiries should be sent to oded....@mail.huji.ac.il. The
deadline for receiving applications is *August 15, 2026. *

Heidelberg University stands for equal opportunities and diversity. Persons
with severe disabilities will be given preference if they are equally
qualified. Information on job advertisements and the collection of personal
data is available at www.uni-heidelberg.de/en/job-market.

Best wishes

Alex Wiegmann

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