PhD position in philosophy

Call for application: 4-year PhD position in philosophy, University of Zurich

Start of employment June 2026 (flexibility by mutual agreement)

Your responsibilities

The PhD candidate will work in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Zurich, under the supervision of Professor Miloud Belkoniene. They will join Professor Belkoniene’s research team as part of the SNSF Starting Grant project 'Understanding: Between Contents and Phenomena'. The PhD candidate will also join the ZEGRa research group, which is based at the University of Zurich and directed by Professor Anne Meylan (https://zegra.ch/).

SNSF Starting Grant project

The project “Understanding: Between Contents and Phenomena” draws on tools from the philosophy of language, the philosophy of science, epistemology and moral philosophy to investigate the relationships between linguistic, empirical and moral understanding in light of the capacities that are responsible for their achievement. One of the project's main objectives is to show that the manner in which representations, such as explanations, must be grasped to achieve an understanding of certain phenomena depends on the very nature of the phenomena that these representations depict. In particular, that the cognitive engagement with representations required to understand empirical phenomena differs significantly from that required to understand normative phenomena, such as moral phenomena.

A full description of the project can be found at:

https://miloudbelkoniene.org/

https://zegra.ch/projects/understanding-between-contents-and-phenomena/ 

Your profile

MA degree in Philosophy, preferably with a specialization in Epistemology, Philosophy of Language or Philosophy of Science. The successful candidate is expected to have obtained their master's degree by the time they take up the position.

Interest in writing a PhD thesis on one of the project’s topics.

Interest in working at the Department of Philosophy at the University of Zurich in a collaborative research environment and in taking an active part in the research group’s activities (seminars, workshops, etc.)

Excellent oral and written communication skills in English.

Offer

You receive a fixed-term contract of 4 years as a doctoral fellow.

You will be part of a close-knit team led by prof. Belkoniene.

A stimulating and pleasant working environment, with the utmost respect for academic freedom, commitment, critical thinking and personal development.

An approximate gross annual salary of CHF 50,000.