The interdisciplinary graduate program “Topology of Technology” at the Darmstadt University of Technology, Germany, announces 11 doctoral fellowships, starting Oct. 1, 2012, and running for a maximum of 3 years.
The program is organized by teachers from the subjects of history, sociology, philosophy, mechanical engineering, computer science, sports science, and the planning sciences. It focuses on the relationship between technology and space – at present, in history, and in a possible future. It has four thematic foci:
– The Persistence and Routinization of Daily Life in Technical Surroundings
– The Formation and Limitations of Action in Spatial-Technological Settings
– The Planning and Design of Technologies in a Spatial Context
– The Modeling and Simulation of Spatial Relations by Technological Means
The program (GRK 1343) is primarily financed by the German Research Council (DFG); see: http://www.dfg.de
Monthly stipends are 1,365 euros (parents receive additional child allowances). There are no tax reductions; however, fellows have to finance their own health insurance.
Since course work and seminars are carried out in both German and English, it is expected that applicants are willing to learn to read and understand spoken German. Fellows are expected to work together in our common office downtown Darmstadt and thus need to take up their residence in the city or the vicinity.
Applications are only accepted in electronic form. They should include (1) a CV, (2) scanned copies of academic diplomas, (3) a short description (max. 5 pages) of the planned doctoral dissertation, and (4) the names and addresses of two university professors who are willing to act as reference persons (please merge the documents into one single file in PDF format). Please send your application no later than June 1, 2012 to topologie@ifs.tu-darmstadt.de. Please make sure that it includes a personally formulated explanation why you are particularly interested in the topic of the program and to which thematic focus your research will, in the first instance, contribute. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact one of the directors:
Petra Gehring (gehring@phil.tu-darmstadt.de) or Mikael Hård (hard@ifs.tu-darmstadt.de).
More information about the research and teaching program can be found under http://www.ifs.tu-darmstadt.de/index.php?id=1921&L=2
Sebastian Haumann
Technische Universität Darmstadt, Institut für Geschichte
H-Urban List Editor