BERGGRUEN RESEARCH FELLOW in Indian Philosophy
Salary: £33,000
Length of contract: 2 years
Full time / part time: Full time
Application deadline: Tuesday 18 April

Wolfson College, a postgraduate college of the University of Oxford, proposes to appoint a stipendiary Research Fellow in Comparative Philosophy.

Wolfson College is a postgraduate college of the University of Oxford, with members from over 80 nationalities. The Berggruen Institute has created a Philosophy and Culture Centre involving comparative and interdisciplinary study of philosophy and culture with a particular focus on Eastern and Western traditions. At Wolfson it must draw on Indian Philosophy, including Hindu, Buddhist, Jaina, or Muslim Philosophy. It provides Fellowships, one already at Wolfson, intended to facilitate insights to inform and influence dialogue on matters of contemporary importance by drawing on Eastern and Western philosophical traditions. The College’s first Berggruen Research Fellow joined us in October 2016 and we now propose to appoint a second Research Fellow.

The Berggruen Research Fellow at Wolfson must be an innovative thinker engaged in work in Wolfson across cultures and disciplines. They should be working in one of the areas designated in the Berggruen Institute’s description of its Fellowship Theme.

Current Research Theme: Great Transformations
Please see the Further Particulars (scroll down here) for details of the Great Transformations theme. In brief summary, for 2017-18, projects are sought especially on:

1. The ways artificial intelligence, bioengineering and other technologies can potentially transform society and human life itself.
2. Crises of legitimacy in politics and social institutions.
3. Transformation of capitalism and geopolitics.
4. Cultural innovation and attempts to resist it.

Main tasks of the post:
• Fellows will pursue individual and collaborative projects that can advance Berggruen’s Great Transformations agenda.
• They will have time for their personal work, but also opportunities to form collegial relations at their host institutions and with other Berggruen Fellows.
• Fellows will be encouraged to publish work based on their own research in book or article form (or where appropriate in other media).
• They will also be asked to write occasionally for broader readership (and/or to appear in video interviews or podcasts).
• All Berggruen Fellows globally will come together for a conference in late 2017.

Qualifications and experience required:
• Must be an innovative thinker.
• Must hold a doctorate in philosophy and have sufficient postdoctoral experience for substantial research on the project.
• Must be engaged in work across cultures and disciplines.
• Must have the languages and the philosophy needed for their subject.

The Fellowship will be for two years, to commence on 1 October 2017. The person elected will be based in Oxford and will carry out research and publish in the above field (and others if desired).

The annual stipend will be £33,000, plus any general percentage increase in salaries that may come into effect. These Fellowships carry Common Table rights (currently up to £43 a week for own meals in Hall). Fellows are entitled to apply for College accommodation at the College rates.
The full job description and selection criteria should be consulted before submitting an application.

To apply for this post and to download the further details and application instructions, please click here.

Applications and references must reach the College by 4pm on 18 April 2017. Interviews will be held on Tuesday 9 May 2017. Interviews may be held by video or telephone.

Enquiries should be addressed to: The President’s PA, Wolfson College, Oxford OX2 6UD, UK, Tel: (01865) 274102 email: bergg-rf@wolfson.ox.ac.uk website: www.wolfson.ox.ac.uk

Wolfson College is an equal opportunities employer. We would be grateful if you could complete and return the recruitment monitoring form to human.resources@wolfson.ox.ac.uk: (Word version) (PDF version).