Academic member - Postdoc

Organisation/Company Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz Department Faculty 01/Protestant Theology Research Field Religious sciences » Theology Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions Postdoc Positions Final date to receive applications 16 Feb 2026 - 23:59 (Europe/Berlin) Country Germany Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 39 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Reference Number 301-2025 Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) is one of the largest universities in Germany. Thanks to its location in the Rhine-Main science region, the university can unfold to its full potential and showcase its innovative power and dynamism. Its status as a comprehensive university allows for multidisciplinary learning and teaching and has great potential for internationally renowned, interdisciplinary research. Almost all of its institutes are located on a single campus close to the Mainz city center – creating a lively academic culture for researchers, teaching staff, and students from every continent.

Academic staff member - Postdoc

The newly established LOEWE-Center Dynamics of Religion (Dyna Rel), part of the excellence strategy of the Hessian Ministry of Science, Research, Art and Culture, examines “ambivalent neighborhoods of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam” in historical and contemporary contexts. Based on the concept of “neighborliness”, the center investigates the relationality of complex religious, cultural, and socio-political entanglements - both dialogical and conflictual - through an interdisciplinary lens encompassing the humanities and social sciences.

At Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU), two research projects funded by the Ministry of Science and Health (MWG) are embedded in the LOEWE-Center.

The position is located in Program Area 5 of Dyna Rel
: “Public Education and Training, Religion, and Didactics in the Context of Transnational and Digital Knowledge Order” and is to be filled in Faculty 01/Protestant Theology
.

This position is part of Program Area 5 of Dyna Rel: “Public Education and Religion, Didactics in the Context of Transnational and Digital Knowledge Orders.” The project explores how interreligious learning can be facilitated through digital methods. A digital learning format with avatars will be developed and qualitatively evaluated as an educational strategy to promote interreligious acceptance, intercultural competence, and counteract stereotypes.

Research questions focus on how virtual bodies can represent life and faith experiences to reduce feelings of otherness and foster interreligious learning, and how avatars and virtual learning environments need to be designed to reflect intra- and interreligious diversity of faith and life stories.

• Contributing to the development of the digital learning format and its qualitative empirical evaluation.
• Conducting an independent research project within the thematic framework of the project.
• Collaboration in the interdisciplinary cross-university doctoral program Dynamics of Religion.
• Participation in joint interdisciplinary events, colloquia, and publications of the LOEWE Center.

In addition to the general requirements according to public services law, applicants must meet the recruitment requirements stipulated in § 57 of the Hochschulgesetz of Rhineland-Palatinate.

• An at least good scientific university degree (Master’s or equivalent) in a relevant field (preferably Religious Education, or, with suitable focus: General Education, Sociology or related field).
• An at least good PhD in a relevant field (preferably Religious Education, or, with suitable focus: General Education, Sociology or related field).
• Knowledge of qualitative empirical research methods.
• Knowledge of digital learning and willingness to engage with relevant digital learning methods.
• Excellent command of English, good to very good German skills as well as additional skills in a Romance language.
• Ability and willingness to conduct independent, theoretically informed, interdisciplinary…