In order to fill a fixed-term position in part-time (29.8725 hours/week = 75%) November 1, 2026, we are looking for a

Research associate position (m/f/x)

1 Research Associate position (TV-L 13, 75%) with expertise in the intersection of early Islamic Zoroastrian Middle Persian literature and Greek Philosophy to pursue a PhD at the Center for Religious Studies (CERES), Ruhr-Universität Bochum The Ruhr-Universität Bochum is one of Germany’s leading research universities. The university draws its strengths from both the diversity and the proximity of scientific and engineering disciplines on a single, coherent campus. This highly dynamic setting enables students and researchers to work across traditional boundaries of academic subjects and faculties. Host to about 42,000 students and 4,700 staff, the Ruhr-Universität is a vital institution in the Ruhr area, which was selected as European Capital of Culture for the year 2010. CERES is a Central Research Unit of the Ruhr-Universität. It currently brings together over 50 researchers, which makes it one of the largest centers for the comparative study of religion in Europe. The center hosts a double degree BA program as well as single and a double degree MA programs for Religious Studies. The programs combine a focus on the material history of religions with theoretical and empirical approaches in the study of religions and are in constant dialogue with our research projects. The project will be situated within the field of the History of West Asian Religions at CERES (https://ceres.rub.de/en/research/geographic\_focus/western-asia/), especially, in the framework of the long-term project “Zoroastrian Middle Persian: Digital Corpus and Dictionary (MPCD).” The PhD project should investigate the interaction of the Zoroastrian Middle Persian literature with Greek thoughts. Within this research area, one position of a PhD candidate -m,f,x (TV-L E 13, 29.87 working hours per week) is to be filled for a period of 36 months, commencing on 01. November 2026. The application must include:

• A cover letter explaining the applicant’s interest in the position, - A dissertation proposal of up to three pages (Arial, 11, single-spaced), - A detailed curriculum vitae, - Copies of relevant academic certificates and transcripts.

Scope: part-time Duration: fixed-term, 36 months Start: November 1, 2026 Apply by: 2026-07-08

Your tasks:

The tasks of the PhD candidate include:

• Conducting research and writing a doctoral dissertation on the project topic
• Teaching with a load of 3 semester hours per week (3 SWS)
• Supporting administrative activities within the research area at CERES
• Participating in relevant research events, workshops, and conferences.

Your profile:

The requirements are:

• An MA degree in Religious Studies, Iranian Studies, or a comparable field
• Excellent knowledge of Middle Persian, Zoroastrian sources and Greek philosophy
• A very good command of English, both written and spoken
• The ability to work independently as well as collaboratively within an interdisciplinary research environment

Nice-to-have:

• Knowledge of Classical Greek
• Knowledge of German
• French reading skills

[https://jobs.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/jobposting/dfd3b21799c58ee02cf99a94afb68abbd765c5c00?ref=AfA](https://jobs.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/jobposting/dfd3b21799c58ee02cf99a94afb68abbd765c5c00?ref=AfA)