Stellenticket Technische Universität Berlin

Department “Artifacts, Action, Knowledge” studies the history of knowledge and action considering the changing role of artifacts: texts, objects, and spaces. Our research collectively examines the processes and structures by which people grappled with the materiality of existence. Through the analysis of everyday actions, we interrogate the boundaries and intersections between the inner workings of objects and all domains of life. For more detailed information, please visit the department website.

Your responsibilities:

• Assist the “Common Knowledge and Its Sources in the Sinosphere, 14th to 20th Centuries” Working Group (please read further on working group page) to collect and curate project-related primary sources from existing historical Chinese collections, in the form of book metadata, scans, and digital full texts
• Scan books and manuscripts
• Annotate image data on scanned pages and validate results outputted by machines and technical team members
• Assist in preparing typing specification and validate results from typing companies
• Experiment with OCR tools and techniques for text digitization

• Currently enrolled in a Bachelor’s program (in at least your second semester) or a Master’s program (first or second semester) at a university in Berlin or Brandenburg
• Possess an academic background in History, Art History, or Sinology
• Proficient in classical Chinese
• Familiar with using computers applications to work with data, including tabular, text, and image data.
• Excellent skill in spreadsheet applications (such as Numbers, Excel, Google Spreadsheets).
• Good communication skills in English.
• (Optional) Reading and typing comprehension for Japanese.
• The ability to work both independently and in a team, good communication skills
• An interest in working in an international research environment; an interest in historical research

• remuneration at the student employee rates of the MPG support for junior scientists and scholars: currently €15.18 per hour for Bachelor’s students and €15.84 for Master’s students who can demonstrate completion of their Bachelor’s degree
• working hours to align with your studies
• work in an international setting with staff and guests from more than forty countries
• close contact with all research and research-support units and the opportunity for direct, personal dialogue
• promotion of your professional interests and research interests
• use of the on-site reference library
• access to the wide range of training courses offered by the MPG’s Planck Academy
• occupational health management: weekly in-house yoga classes; regular information on courses offered by our partner health insurance companies
• a student representative for equal opportunities.

The Max Planck Society is an equal opportunity employer that strives to foster an inclusive workplace. As an institute of the MPG, the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science supports a working community for all free from discrimination and harassment. We explicitly encourage applications from qualified individuals who belong to groups that are often underrepresented in the workplace due to age, disability, ethnicity, family status, gender, nationality, race, sex, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, or religion.

Please follow the links to find out more about the MPIWG’s policies on gender equality and hiring practices for people with disabilities, as well as Germany’s anti-discrimination laws as outlined in the General Equal Treatment Act.

Please submit your application with complete documents, preferably without a photograph, through our application portal. Include cover letter, curriculum vitae, copies of qualifications (in a single PDF file) and employment references (in a single PDF file).

https://recruitment.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/position/29032456

Applications must be received by May 31th, 2025 (23:59 CET) // We will continue to accept applications until we have found the right candidate.

Please note that we can only accept electronic applications submitted through the portal.

For any questions about the position or the application process, please contact the department’s research officer, Dr. Rand El Zein [schaeferoffice@mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de].

Further information on the MPIWG can be found at https://www.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/